Meditations and disquisitions upon the first Psalme of Dauid Blessed is the man. By Sr. Richard Baker, Knight. Baker, Richard, Sir, 1568-1645. 1638 Approx. 196 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 68 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2003-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A02148 STC 1229 ESTC S100559 99836396 99836396 665 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A02148) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 665) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English Books, 1475-1640 ; 651:03) Meditations and disquisitions upon the first Psalme of Dauid Blessed is the man. By Sr. Richard Baker, Knight. Baker, Richard, Sir, 1568-1645. [8], 128 p. Printed by Edward Griffin, for Anne Bowler, and are to be sold at the Marigold, in Pauls Church-yard, London : 1638. The first leaf is blank. Reproduction of the original in Cambridge University Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Bible. -- O.T. -- Psalms I -- Commentaries. 2002-04 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2002-04 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2002-05 TCP Staff (Michigan) Sampled and proofread 2002-05 Olivia Bottum Text and markup reviewed and edited 2002-06 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion MEDITATIONS AND DISQVISITIONS UPON The first Psalme of DAVID . Blessed is the Man. By Sr. RICHARD BAKER , Knight . LONDON , Printed by Edward Griffin , for Anne Bowler , and are to be sold at the Marigold , in Pauls Church-yard . 1638. TO THE Right Honorable THOMAS Lord COVENTRY Baron of Ailesborough , and Lord Keeper of the Great Seale of ENGLAND . My Honoured Lord : He may truely be said , a happy man ; Cui omnes bene volunt : But more truely hee , Cui omnes bene velle debent : and in both these Rights , I may justly pronounce your Lordship , happy : yet there is a better Title , for asserting Happinesse to you , than both these : That your Delight is in the Law of the Lord ; and in his Law will exercise your selfe , both Day and Night : For now , it is not the World ; it is not I ; it is David himselfe , that pronounceth you happy : and give me leave , my Lord , to shew you the Picture of a happy man , drawne here by David ; and let all the World judge , if it resemble not you : and that so neere , that not any in our Age ; and I may say , nor yet in many Ages , hath beene more like it . And having shewed you this ; my part remaines , onely to Pray ; that you may long enjoy this happinesse as a fruite of your vertue here ; and come at last , to bee like the Tree it selfe ; which will yeeld you a fruit of happinesse , that shall never fade ; nor so much as the leafes of it , ever wither : for how should they wither , when In memoria aeterna erit Iustus ? Thus he prayeth that is Your Lordships humble and devoted servant , RICHARD BAKER . Recensui Tractatum hunc in Psalmum primum , à Domino Bakero scriptum ; eumque typis mandari permitto ; modò intra 3. Menses proximè sequentes imprimatur . SA . BAKER . Octob. 25. 1637. Ex Aedib . Londini . MEDITATIONS AND DISQVISITIONS upon the 1. Psalme of DAVID . IT may be thought , but an idle speculation to observe , that the first word of this Psalme , in the Hebrew , begins with Aleph , the first letter of the Alphabet ; and the last word of it begins with Tau ; the last letter of the Alphabet ; as though this Psalme should containe whatsoever may be expressed by all the letters of the Alphabet . And it may bee little better to observe ; that this first Psalme , hath a kind of correspondence , to our first parents : for the first word of it , is Blessed ; and the last words , is perishing : and such was their condition ; they began in blessednesse , but they ended in perishing : They began in blessednesse , being placed in Paradise , where they had the Tree of Life ; but they ended in perishing , being cast out of Paradise , where they died the death . But although the Prophet perhaps had none of these conceits ; yet he had great reason ; for so placing his words : for blessednesse is the marke , we all aime at : if that be once named , there needs no other Rhetorick to make us attentive ; most properly therefore it is placed the first word ; seeing the first words are the proper place to peswade attention . And as fitly is perishing , placed the last words ; that if the hope of blessednes , cannot allure us to godlines ; yet the feare of perishing , may keepe us from wickednesse : seeing nothing so much deterres from evill doing , as the feare of evill suffering ; and the word is justly placed the last , that it may last the longer in our memories ; seeing the last words ever , are best remembred . But to leave these generall aimes ; and to come to particulars and certainties : we may perceive , that this whole Psalme , offers it self to be drawn , into these two opposite propositions : a godly man is blessed : a wicked man is miserable : which seeme to stand , as two challenges , made by the Prophet : One , that hee will maintaine a godly man , against all commers , to bee the onely Iason , for winning the golden Fleece of blessednesse : The other , that hee will make it good , upon the heads of all the wicked ; that howsoever they make a shew in the world , of being happy ; yet they of all men are most miserable . But lest there should grow litigiousnesse about the words ; he will have it agreed upon first , what a godly man is ; and what it is must qualifie this happy Iason . It seemes , the Prophet had heard , of an old description of a godly man ; Declina a Malo , & fac bonum : Eschew evill , and doe good : but finding this too generall , and too much foulded up ; hee thinkes it necessary , to open the first part of it , into three Negative markes : and the last part of it , into two Affirmatives . But are not these strange markes , to begin withall ? as though , we could know a godly man by Negatives ? or that godlinesse consisted in Negation ? as if vertue were onely Vitium fugere ? Indeed the first godlinesse that ever was , that is the first Commandement of God , was delivered to our first parents , in a Negative : Of the Tree of Good and Evill , ye shall not eate : and if they had well observed this Negative ; they should never have sinned in any Affirmative : as long as it could be said of Adam ; there goes a man , that never eate of the forbidden Tree ; so long it might as well bee said of him ; There goes a perfect righteous man. And even the first written Law of Commandements , was delivered likewise in a manner all in Negatives ; Thou shall not kill ; Thou shalt not steale , and the rest ; in which , so much godlines is contained , as might have brought usall to Heaven ; as Christ told the young man ; Sivis ad vitam Ingredi , serva Mandate . Iustly therefore the Prophet , begins his godlinesse here , with Negatives ; seeing negatives at first , began all godlines . But as the evill spirit in the Gospell , answered the Iewish Conjurers , who in their adjuration , used the names of Iesus and Paul : Iesus I know ; and Paul I know ; but who are you ? so here , perhaps , some curious spirit , may object & say ; the Negative Commandements of the first Table I know : and the Negatives of the second Table I know ; but what are these ? They are not indeed , the very marke we aime at ; but they are the meanes , that guide us to the marke ; and if by observing those , wee arrive at the haven ; by observing these , we avoid the rockes , that hinder us from the haven . But why would the Prophet , use any Negatives at all ; and not rather relie wholy upon Affirmatives ? as to say ; That hath walked , in the counsell of the godly ; that hath stood in the way of the righteous ; that hath sate in the chaire of the humble : and thus , he might have made his argument in Barbara ; and never needed to have troubled Negatives at all ? But Negatives in this case could not be denied : for if hee had left out Negatives ; he had left out , a great part of the worth and praise of godlinesse : For a godly man , cannot alwaies runne in smoothe ground ; he shall sometime meete with rubs ; he cannot alwaies breathe in sweet aires ; he shall sometime meet with ill savours ; he cannot alwaies saile in safe seas ; he shal sometime meet with rocks ; and then it is his praise ; that he can passe over those rubs ; can passe thorow these savors ; can passe by those rockes ; and yet , keepe himselfe upright and untainted ; and untouched of them all . Besides , Negative precepts , are in some cases , more absolute and peremptory , than Affirmatives : for to say , that hath walked in the counsell of the godly , might not bee sufficient ; for , he might walke in the counsell of the godly ; and yet walke in the counsell of the ungodly too ; not both indeed at once ; but both at severall times ; where now , this Negative cleares him at all times . And may it not also , be a cause of using Negatives : because it seemes an easier way , of shewing what a thing is ; by shewing what it is not ; than by using onely Affirmative markes ; especially where a perfect induction may be made : and herein , David not unfitly may be thought to reflect upon himselfe ; & the case not unlike , to Samuels seeking to finde out a King , amongst the sons of Iesse . For , when Eliab was brought forth ; Samuel verily thought , that hee had beene the man ; and afterwards ; Abinadab , that it hadbeene he ; and then that Shammai , without all doubt was he , for these were all goodly personages ; likely men in show , to make Kings of : but when God refused these , and all the rest ; and that there was none left , but onely David : then was Samuel forced at last , to fall upon him : so , in our case here ; the world is verily perswaded , that the likeliest men to bee blessed , are those that walke in the counsell of the ungodly ; or those , that stand in the way of sinners : or such as sit in the chaire of scorners ; for , these are all , great gallants , and make a goodly shew in the world : but when the Prophet hath rejected all these ; and none is left but the godly man ; then we are forced of necessity at last , to fall upon him : and as David , was the unlikeliest of all his brothers to be a King ; yet hee was the man : so a godly man seemes the unlikeliest of all others to be blessed ; yet hee is the man. In the World , yee shall have trouble , saith Christ ; this makes him unlikely ; but be of good cheere ; I have overcome the World ; this makes him the man. And thus , as God directed Samuel , to elect by rejecting ; so David directs us here , to choose by refusing ; and this is a cause also , that makes Negatives , in many cases , so much in request . But though some Negatives , in some cases , may be fitly used ; yet it followes not , that these in this : and therefore it will be fit , to examine these Negatives , and to see what they are : that hath not walked in the counsell of the ungodly ; that hath not stood , in the way of sinners ; that hath not sate in the chaire of scorners : and are not these , in this case , strange markes ? as though wee should know a godly man , by the postures of his body ? Or , as if a goodly man , should neither walke , nor stand , nor sit ? And what remaines then , but that he should doe nothing else , but lie ? and yet this he must not doe neither : For , lying is the posture of a wicked man ; as it is said ; Hee lieth in waite , to doe mischiefe . Indeed , walking hath been often branded with notes of miscarrying : Dyna went a walking in the flowry fields ; and returned home , deflowred : Coin went a walking with Abel , into the field , a brother ; and returned home a murtherer : and it seemes to have beene an old exercise , of the Diveli himselfe ; who answered God , that hee came from walking , and compassing the earth : and Christ warned his Apostles , not to walke into the way of the Gentiles ; which seemes not much different , from this caveat here . But , though walking may be a hinderance to godlinesse ; yet standing , perhaps , may be a furtherance ; for Christ saith : When yee stand praying ; and so , it is the posture of Piety ; and it is said of Moses ; that he stood in the gap ; and so , it was the posture of Charity ; and the Angells are said , to stand before God ; and so , it is the posture of Reverence ; and yet for all this ; if standing be not joyned with understanding ; as if wee stand where wee should kneele ; as when David saith , Let us fall downe , and kneele before the Lord our Maker : Or if we stand in places , where wee should not ; as in the way of sinners ; Or if wee stand , amongst persons that wee ought not ; as in sinners way ; in all such cases , standing may be as great a hinderance to godlinesse , as ever walking was . Yet surely , sitting is an Innocent posture ; sitting never committed Adultetry ; never stole ; never did any murther ; and not onely an Innocent , but a reverent posture ; it is the posture of a Iudge ; as it is said : Yee shall sit , and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel . It is the posture of a King ; as it is said ; to the King , that sitteth upon his Throne : It is the posture of Angells ; as of the foure and twenty Elders in the Revelation : and yet as innocent and reverent as it is ; it may be abused : for , if we sit in the way of lasciviousnesse ; as Thamar did : Or , if we sit , in the chaire of injustice , as Pilate did : or , if wee sit , in the seat of pestilence ; as it is said here ; sitting may prove as great a bane to godlinesse , as either standing , or walking was . But they are not the postures , that are here blamed ; but the Impostures ; that we bee not drawne abroad a walking , as to take the fresh ayre ; and then , be poysoned , with infectious savours ; that we be not kept standing in a pleasant way ; and then , the enemy , who lieth in waite continually , come suddenly and surprise us : that we sit not idly , and take our ease ; and in the meane time ; the Bridegroome passe by ; and we be shut out of doores . For , if there be nothing else in it , but walking ; a godly man may walke , as much as hee will : seeing there is not onely a godly walking ; as it is said of Noah ; that he walked with God ; which was a walking in godlinesse : but there is a blessed walking ; as it is said of Enoch ; that hee walked with God ; that is , God tooke him from walking in this vale of misery , to walke with him eternally in Paradise . The marke therefore to know a godly man , consists not , in the not walking ; but wee must walke further to finde it ; and the next word , wee come too , is counsell ; and the Negative cannot consist in this word neither : for , counsell is one of the most excellent gifts , that is given to man ; that it is even one of the Names of God himselfe , to be called Counsellour : the Negative therefore not found here neither ; wee must yet goe further ; and the next word we come to , is ungodly : and now certainly , we shall have a full Negative ; for ungodlinesse is the herbe that marreth all the broth ; it poisons all the company that it comes in ; not onely walking , a thing in it selfe indifferent ; but even counsell , a thing in its owne nature , most soveraigne ; they are both marred by this one ingredient of ungodlinesse . The like may be said , of the other two , that follow ; for , neither standing ; nor standing in the way , doth any hurt , till wee come at sinners , ; neither sitting ; nor sitting in a Chaire , doth any hurt , till wee come at scorners ; all the hurt , like the sting in the taile of a Serpent , comes in the last . Walking in counsell , had beene a safe proceeding ; if the ungodly , had not given it ; standing in the way had beene a lawfull calling ; if sinners had not made it ; sitting in a Chaire had beene an easie posture ; if scorners had not framed it ; but if the ungodly ; or sinners , or scorners have any hand at all in our actions ; have any thing to doe in our doings ; both safety and lawfulnesse , and ease , and all are utterly overthrowne . Or , may we not take a way , which crosseth the great high-way of the World : and conceive it thus : To walke in the counsell of the ungodly , is a pleasant walke ; and if pleasure would make us blessed ; were likely to doe it ; to stand in the way of sinners , is a profitable way ; and if profit will make us blessed ; were the way to doe it ; to sit in the Chaire of scorners , is an honourable seate ; and if honour would make us blessed ; would serve to doe it ; but all these courses , the Prophet rejecteth : they are so farre from making us blessed ; that hee gives us warning of them , as the onely impediments , that hinder us from blessednesse . And therefore , the voluptuous man is deceived , in placing blessednesse in pleasures : for howsoever hee fare deliciously every day in this life ; yet he may heare , of a terrible after-reckoning , brought in , by Saint Iohn , How much thou receivest in pleasures here ; so much shall be added to thy torments hereafter . The covetous man is deceived , in placing blessednesse in riches ; for howsoever , they make him welcome in all companies , where hee comes , in this world ; yet hee may heare of a grievous repulse , to be given him by Abraham ; Sonne , thou hast received thy portion in this life ; and therefore hast no right , of ever comming into my bosome . The ambitious man is deceived , in placing blessednesse in honour ; for howsoever hee sit aloft in his Chaire , and play Rex here ; yet hee may heare of a cruell downefall , foretold him by Esay ; Thou hast said in thy heart , I will climbe up above the clouds , and will be equall to the Highest ; but thou shalt be cast downe , to the pit of Hell , and to the nethermost Lake . But have then ungodly men counsell ? One would thinke , it were want of counsell , that makes them ungodly : for who would be ungodly , if hee had counsell to direct him ? Certainly , counsell they have ; and wise counsell too ; that is , wise in the eye of the world ; and wise for the workes of the world ; but wise in the sight of God ; and wise for the workes of godlinesse , they have not : and in that kinde of wisedome , ungodly men are your greatest counsellours : Greatest , in the ability of counsell ; and greatest in the busying themselves with counselling . For their wisdome in counsell ; wee have a precident in Achitophel ; who was in his time , a most wicked man ; and yet for counsell , was the Oracle of his time . And for their forwardnesse in counselling ; it is a quality they have , as it were Extraduce , from their Father , the Divell ; who , no sooner creatures were made , that were capable of counsell , but he fell a counselling : and such indeed , are all the ungodly ; as it is in the Psalme ; The poyson of Aspes is under their lips : it serves not their turnes , to doe wickedly in their owne persons ; but they must be drawing others into wickednesse , by poisoning and infecting them with wicked counsell . So then , the not walking in the counsell of the ungodly ; is , not to hearken to the hissing of the Serpent ; not to make wicked men our counsellours ; nor in the course and actions of our life , to be directed by them . But , if this be all ; what great matter is it ? or what needed , so great a caveat , to be given of it ? Certainely , both the danger , and the difficulty , deserve a principall caveat ; and in the caveat it selfe , wee may see them both : for there are but three words in it ; and every word is as a cord , to draw us into sin . If Pleasure will entice us , here is walking to doe it : If Reasons will perswade us ; here is counsell to doe it : If number will overrule us ; here is the plurall against the singular , to doe it : that the aire is not more pestilent , to be taken in ; then hard to be kept out ; the rocke , is not more dangerous , to be runne upon , then difficult to be avoyded . Wee would now proceed , to the second marke ; but that wee know not , how to set our feet ; For wee begin to see , or seeme to see , a gradation before us ; and as I may say ; a paire of staires : but whether wee goe up or downe the staires , in this gradation ; is made a question . But is it not strange , wee should not know the ground we goe upon ; whether it rise or fall ; whether it be ascending or descending ? yet such is the Prophets contrivance here ; that Doctors doubt it , and are divided . Many grave Authors there are on both sides ; many great reasons on both sides , to maintaine their opinions . They which thinke it an ascent , conceive it thus ; that hee which walketh in the counsell of the ungodly ; is yet but wavering , as mis-led by opinion ; and makes but an errour : he that stands in the way of sinners ; stands out with obstinacy ; and makes an Heresie : but hee that sits in the chaire of scorners : is at defiance with God ; and makes an Apostacie . They who thinke it , a descent doe thus conceive it ; hee which walkes in the counsell , of the ungodly ; delights and takes a pleasure in his sinne : Hee which stands in the way of sinners ; stands in doubt , and is unresolved in his sinne : but hee who sits , in the seate of the scornefull ; sits downe , and sinnes but for his ease ; as being unable to suffer persecution . They who thinke it , an ascent ; conceive ; that the ungodly , are but beginners in ill ; that sinners , are Proficients in ill : but that scorners , are Graduates and Doctours of the Chaire in ill . They who thinke it , a descent ; conceive that the ungodly are apposite to the godly , and offend generally ; that sinners offend , though actually , yet but in particulers ; that scorners might be sound at heart ; if they did not set themselves to sale , and sinne for promotion . The ascent , may be briefely thus : that walking expresseth lesse resolution than standing ; and standing , then sitting ; but in sinne , the more resolute , the more dissolute ; therefore sitting , is the worst . The descent thus : that walking expresseth more strength , than standing ; and standing , than sitting : for a childe can sit , when he cannot stand ; and stand , when hee cannot walke ; but the stronger in sinne , the worse ; therefore walking is the worst . Many such waies there are , of conceiving diversity , either in ascending , or descending ; but it needs be no question , which is the worse ; because , without question , they are all starke naught ; they are three rockes , whereof the least is enough to make a shipwracke ; they are three pestilenciall aires , whereof the best is enough to poyson the heart . This onely may be observed , that howsoever the case alter , with walkers and sitters ; yet standers in the way of sinners , keepe their standing still ; and which soever is first or last ; yet they are sure to be the second . But is it not , that wee mistake the Prophet ; and make his words a gradation ; when , perhaps , he meant them for levell ground ? and forsuch indeed , wee may take them ; and doe as well ; and then , there will not be , either ascent , or descent , in the sinnes themselves : but onely a diversity , in their causes : as that the first is a sin , caused by ill counsell : the second , a sinne caused by ill example : the third , a sinne caused by the innate corruption of our owne hearts . And so , we shall have the three principall heads or springs , from which , all sinnes doe flow ; and may probably be exemplified , by the three first first persons , that were in the world : the first , committed by Eve , in following the counsell , of that ungodly one , the Sepent : the second , commited by Adam , in following the example , of the sinfull Eve : the third , committed by Cain , who sinned not , either by any ill counsell , or by any ill example ; but onely by the inbred corruption of his owne heart . And in this , we may observe , the wonderfull pronenesse of our Nature to sinne ; seeing the three first persons , in the world ; had every one of them , a severall spring-head of sinne , of their owne opening ; as if they thought , there were no honour , but in being the first founder of sinne : and if there had beene in Nature , a fourth spring-head of sinne to be found ; the fourth man , most likely , would have found it out ; but these , it seemes , were all ; and so , the fourth man Abel , in his turne , found out a spring-head of another making ; the true fountaine of life : but the other spring-heads , have ever since beene so frequented ; that Abels fountaine hath beene wholly almost neglected : that the Prophet had great reason , to give us caveats , for drinking at those poysoned springs ; and to have recourse , to the true fountaine of life , which is the Law of God. Or , is it , that the Prophet alludes here , to the three principall ages of our life ; which have every one of them , their proper vices , as it were , retainers to them : and therefore the vices of youth ; which is the vigour of life , and delights most in motion and society ; hee expresseth by walking in the counsell of the ungodly : the vices of the middle age , which is , stataaetas ; he expresseth by standing in the way of sinner ; the vices of old age , which being weake and feeble , is scarce able to goe ; he expresseth by sitting , in the Chaire of scorners ; and it is , as if hee had said ; Blessed is the man that hath passed thorow all the ages of his life ; and hath kept himselfe untainted , of the vices that are incident unto them : that hath passed the daies of his youth , as it were the morning of his life ; and is not tainted with the stirring vices , of voluptuousnesse and prodigality : that hath passed his middle age , as it were , the noone of his life ; and is not tainted with the more elevated vices , of ambition and vaine-glory : that hath passed his old age , as it were , the Evening of his life ; and is not tainted , with the sluggish vices of coverousnesse and avarice . Or , is it , there being five degrees of sinne ; concupiscence ; consent ; act ; custome ; and pride in sinning : the two first , as incident often-times to the godliest men ; he forbeares to speake of ; and intimates onely , the three last ; for , to walke in the counsell of the ungodly ; what is it , but the act of sin ? and to stand in the way of sinners ; what is it , but the custome of sin ? and to sit in the Chaire of scorners ; what is it , but to take a pride in sinne ? Or , is it finally , that by this distinction of postures ; the Prophet intends an absolute restraint , from all manner of conversation , with the wicked ; so absolute , that it may be said , in a Proverbiall manner , we neither walke , nor stand , nor sit amongst them : For if , but the least liberty be taken , in conversing with them ; It may well be said , the passing of a Camell thorow a needels eye : exceeding hard , if not altogether impossible , to escape untainted . Wee may now consider the second marke , as it is in it selfe , without gradation : and is not this also a strange marke of a godly man , that he should not dare to stand in the way of sinners ? For , what hurt can hee take , by standing in their way ? Is it not a broad and a large way , that sinners may goe by , and no hurt to him at all ? But a godly man is wiser than so ; though he know that the way is large and broad ; yet he knowes also , that the Prease is great ; a man cannot stand here ; but hee shall be shouldred and thrust forward in spight of his teeth : It is not here , as in the way of the righteous ; where a man may stand long enough , before hee shall meete with company to thrust him forward ; but here is crouding and thronging , that we can neither goe here , nor doe here , as we would ; but must of necessity goe , as the croud drives us ; must perforce doe , as the company will have us ; that hee may justly be counted , a happy man , that can avoyd this rocke ; which hath beene the cause of more shipwrackes , than either Scilla , or Charibdis . If the way of sinners , were a blinde , obscure way ; or a man were blinde , and could not see his way ; there might be waies of excuse , for standing in it : but seeing , all mens eyes are open to this way ; and this way lies open to all mens eyes ; to stand in it now ; is not to stand in the way of sinners , but to sinne in the way of understanding ; and such sinne shall be punished with many stripes . A man may be in the way of sinners , and be excused : but to stand in the way , is unexcusable : For , his being there , may be by accident ; but his standing there must needes be voluntary : and seeing neerenesse to a place ; and continuance in a place , are great engrossers of the qualities of a place ; how fully must he needes engrosse the way of sinners to himselfe , that stands in it , which containes them both ? For , whilest neernesse workes by addition ; and continuance , by multiplication ; the standing in the the way of sinners , as gathering heat by both ; must needs breake forth at last , into violent flames of sinning . It is therefore , no doubt , a good marke of a godly man , that he will not stand in the way of sinners : but why should he not sit , in the chaire of scorners ? for he may sit there , and take his ease ; and neither doe hurt to others ; nor take hurt himselfe . He will doe both : He will take hurt , by brazening his owne face ; and he will do hurt , by poisoning others hearts . For when a man comes once to sit in the Chaire of scorners ; it hardens him in his sinne ; it makes him to make a profession of it ; he growes to take it in scorne , that any man should be wickeder , than himselfe ; he sits , as it were , a brooding of sin ; what at first , hee was ashamed of , that now he glories in ; and what before , he was glad to doe , standing ; hee is confident now , to doe sitting in his Chaire . And as hee takes this hurt , himselfe ; so doth he yet , more hurt to others . For , when a man in authority , gives ill examples ; it spreads far , and prevailes much ; it is a pestilent thing , to be wicked , ex Cathedra : their Chaire stands high ; and is seene and heard of many : One Pharisee may doe more hurt , than a hundred Sadduces : and where the poison of ungodly counsell ; and the poyson of sinfull company , reacheth but to men neere hand , the poyson of this Cathedrall wickednesse , reacheth farre and neer ; that he may justly be accounted , a happy man , that can avoid this rocke ; which hath beene , the immediate ruine of many ; and the cause of ruine , to many more . There are divers sorts of chaires ; and all , worth the sitting in , but onely this of scorners . There is a Chaire of Majesty ; and this is made , by God himselfe ; and makes them all as Gods , that sit in it : For , to this Chaire , there is a blessing annexed , which makes it sacred ; Touch not mine annointed . There is a chaire of Doctrine ; and this was first set up by Moses ; and makes them all reverend , that sit in it : For , it hath a a priviledge belonging to it ; Doe my Prophets no harme . Onely this chaire of scorners , hath none that will avow the making it ; it seemes to have beene broken with the fall of Lucifer ; and ever since , hath beene dangerous to sit in ; yet it stands in opposition with both the other ; for it scornes to obey the Chaire of Majesty ; and makes a mocke of hearkening , to the chaire of Doctrine : and therefore this chaire , is so farre , from having any blessing belonging to it ; that all the curses of Mount Ebal , are too little for it . And as there are divers sorts of chaires ; so there are divers sorts of scorners : some scorne their inferiours ; and forget , that in scorning them , they reproach their maker : some scorne their betters ; and seeme schollers of the Pharisee ; to thinke , none so good as themselves , though none so bad : some scorne to be reproved , as being wise in their owne conceit ; of whom ( saith Salomon ) there is lesse hope than of a foole . Some scorne to heare it said , the world shall ever have end ; and are herein , themselves a signe that it is drawing to an end : seeing , Such Mockers , saith St. Peter shall come in the last daies . Some scorne the Ministers of Gods Word ; and if at any time they heare them ; it is but as the Athenians would heare Paul ; to heare what this babler would say . Some scorne God himselfe ; and are ready to answere , as Pharaoh answered Moses ; What is God ? and who is the Lord , that I should obey his voice : yet all these scorners , have their chaire to sit in ; set indeed on high : but set in slippery places : and giving them falls , as certaine as dangerous ; or rather most certaine , and yet more dangerous ; that hee may justly bee counted a happy man , that can avoide this chaire ; which gives a worse fall , than Elies chaire did : in which , he fell downe backward , and brake his necke . But why should the Prophet speake so scornfully of scorners ; and give them so base a place amongst sinners ; seeing not onely godly men ; but ( if with reverence we may say it ) even God himselfe seemes to stand in the number , of being scorners ? For , was not Mordec ai the good Jew , a scorner ? who scorned so much , as to make a legge ; or so much as to put off his hat to Haman ? Himselfe a poore snake Jew , to Haman a Prince , and prime Favorite of great King Ahashuerosh ? May not God himselfe bee said a scorner ; of whom it is said ; that he laughes the wicked to scorne ; and hath them in derision ? And how then can scorning be so great a sinne ; being found in him , in whom is nothing but transcendent goodnesse ? Or how at least , may we distinguish the vicious scorning , from that which is the vertue ? It is not , that we may distinguish them by their chaire ? For wicked scorners , are set alost in their chaire ; they thinke , they cannot be noble , unlesse they bee proud : but the good scorners , sit not in a chaire when they scorne ; they keepe state indeed , but it is with humility . God may be said to scorne ; as he is said to be Angry ; but as he bids us to bee angry , and sinne not ; so hee is angry , but sinnes not ; because his anger , is never but for sinne ; hee scornes but sinnes not ; because hee scornes none but sinners : and as such anger , so such scorne , may possibly be and is : is and lawfully may be , in godly men ; and to speake , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : in God himselfe . But why would the Prophet say , Blessed is the man ; as though blessednesse were entailed to heires males ; or as though the Law of God , were like the law Salique of France , excluding women , from the Kingdome of heaven ? for else , he should rather have said ; Blessed is every man or woman ; and not say onely , Blessed is the man. But is it not , that David knew better the extent of his words , than to bee so superfluous : For ever since the time , of which Moses saith ? God made man : Male and female created hee them : women have had as good right to the word , as men ; though it passe in their name : and if we say more right , we shall say , perhaps , but right : for how else could Christ be called the sonne of Man ; who we all know , was the sonne of but onely woman ? and if we looke upon examples , of blessednesse ; we shall finde as well women , as men , recorded for blessed : and if any advantage be , it seemes rather on the womans side : seeing wee finde one woman , to have attained a greater degree of blessednesse , than ever any man did ; except onely her onely sonne , the man Christ Iesus . If a man have not walked in the counsell of the ungodly ; it may probably be thought , he hath gone the fairer way ; and then hee hath a title to blessednesse , by this rule : Blessed are they , that walke in the law of the Lord. If hee have not stood in the way of sinners : it may charitably be thought , he is sorry , that ever he came there : and then hee may lay claime to blessednesse , by this rule ; Blessed are they that mourne , and are penitent for their sinnes . And if he have not sate in the chaire of scorners , it may with good reason bee thought , hee hath done it in humility : and then he hath a right to blessednesse by this rule ; Blessed are the poore in spirit : for , God resisteth the proud ; but giveth grace to the humble . But for all this , and neverthelesse it may bee said ; that these are yet but Negative markes ; and can make at most but a godlinesse by negation : which can no more properly bee said a godlinesse ; than Indolentia may be said to be Voluptas : The true godlinesse is a positive thing ; and cannot be affirmed out of Negatives ; it is a habit , and cannot be concluded from privations . The Prophet therefore staies not here ; but proceeds and hastens to the Affirmative marks : for they indeed , are the proper characters , of a godly man ; they are never found but in him ; and in him , they are ever found . And of these there is but a paire ; as they came into Noahs Arke : and yet enow , to make a breed : enow to bring godlinesse to its full propagation . And he seemes to frame his processe , in this manner ; A man is knowne what hee is by his delight ; for such as a mans delight is ; such a man himselfe is : and therefore a godly man , delights not to walke in the counsell of the ungodly ; nor to stand in the way of sinners ; nor to sit in the chaire of scorners : for , these are all lawlesse delights : at least , delights of that law ; of which St. Paul saith : I finde another law in my members ; they agree not with a godly mans nature ; and though a delight there must bee ; there is not living without it ; yet a godly man will rather want it , than take it up in such commodities : But his delight is in the law of the Lord : and now the Prophet begins to enter upon his Affirmative markes : and the godly man beginnes to appeare in his likenesse : for this delighting in the Law of God , is so essentiall to godlinesse , that it even constitutes a godly man ; and gives him his being . For , what is godlinesse , but the love of God ? and what is love , without delight ? that we may see , what a soveraigne thing godlines is ; which not only brings us to delight , when we come to blessednesse ; but brings us to blessednesse by a way of delighting . For , the Prophet requires not a godlinesse , that barres us of delight ; hee requires onely a godlinesse , that rectifies our delight ; for , as the wrong placing our delight , is the cause of all our miseries : so the right placing it , is the cause of all our happinesse : and what righter placing it , than to place it , in the right ; and what is the right , but onely the Law ? But is there delight then , in the Law of God ? Is it not a thing rather that will make us melancholly ? and doth it not mortifie in us , the life of all joy ? It mortifies indeed the life of carnall delights ; but it quickens in us , another delight , as much better than those , as heaven is above the earth . For there is no true delight , which delights not as much to bee remembred , as to be felt ; which pleaseth not as well the memory , as the sense ; and takes not as much joy to thinke of it being done , as when it was a doing . For , is it not a miserable delight when it may be threatned with this : Oli●● haec meminisse pigebit ? You will one day remember this . Is it not a dolefull delight , when Extrema gaudii l●ctus occupat ; when sorrow followes it at the heeles ? Is it not a fearefull delight , when like a Magicians rodde , it is instantly turned into a Serpent ? And such , are all worldly delights ; either like that of Amnon , in loving Thamar : first enjoyed , and presently loathed ; or like that of Cain in killing Abel ; madde to doe it ; and then starke madde for having done it ; or like that of Esau , in eating Iaacobs pottage ; give at first a blessing for it ; and afterwards give it , a thousand curses : or like that of Gehezi , in taking gifts of Naaman ; leape for joy , till we come to Elisha ; and loathsome Lepers all our lives after . This delight which the Prophet here speakes of ; is the onely delight , that neither blushes , nor lookes pale ; the onely delight , that gives a repast , without an after reckoning ; the onely delight , that stands in construction with all Tenses : and like Aeneas Anchyses , carries his parents upon his backe . And why should not even worldly men , bee sensible of this delight ? They delight in gold and silver ; and behold , The Law is more precious than gold ; yea , than much fine gold . They delight in beauty : and behold , How amiable the Tabernacles of the Lord are . They delight in light : and behold , The Law is a lanthorne to our feete , and a light to our paths . They delight in knowledge : and behold : Through the Law , we have more understanding , than our teachers . They delight in joy : and behold , The Law is right , and reioyceth the heart . They delight in long life : and behold , The Law of the Lord encreaseth the length of daies ; and the yeares of life . And where are they now , that are afraid of melancholy , in the midst of such delights ? Certainely if there be , as Physicians affirme , an Ellebore or a Sena , to purge away the melancholy and sad humours of the body ; this studie in the Law of God ; is the true Ellebore , and Sena of the soule ; or rather it is the juyce of the Grape , which David in another place speakes off , that exhilerates and maketh glad the heart of man. And as in this study of the Law of God ; there is no feare of melancholy ; so in the delight that is taken in it , there is no feare of fatiety : all other delights must have change , or else they cloy us : must have cossation , or else they tyre us : must have moderation , or else they waste us ; this onely delight is that , of which we can never take enough ; we can never be so full , but we shall leave with an appetite ; or rather never leave , because ever in an appetite ; it is but one , yet is still fresh : it is alwaies enioyed , yet alwaies desired ; or rather the more it is enjoyed , the more it is desired : All other delights may be barred from us ; may be hindred to us : this onely delight , is free in prison , is at ease , in terments ; is alive , in death ; and indeed there is no delight , that keepes us company in our death-beds , but onely this : All other delights , are then ashamed of us , and we of them ; this onely sits by us in all extremities , and gives us a Cordiall , when Physicke and friends forsake us . The Prophet hath taught us markes , how to know a godly man ; but he hath not taught us , how to know these markes : and this is a speciall matter ; for wee may as well mis-take the markes , as mis-take the man ; and therefore , though wee let passe the Negative markes , and leave them to be taken at all adventure ; yet this Affirmative marke , of delighting in the Law of God ; would by any meanes be better marked : For , this is an essenciall marke ; and this mistaken , might marre all ; and leade us , perhaps , to Cain , instead of Abel . For , many delight in the Law ; because , they which preach the Gospell , should live by the Gospell : But these are covetous men ; and delight not in the Law ; but in profit . Many delight in the Law , because they desire to sit in Moses chaire ; but these are ambitious men ; and delight not in the Law , but in honour . Many delight in the Law ; because it teacheth many hidden and secret mysteries ; but these are vaine men ; and delight not in the Law , but in superfluous knowledge . Many delight in the Law , but onely to passe away the time : as thinking it better , otiosum esse , quàm nihil agere : but these are scandalous men ; and delight not , in the Law ; but in idle fancies . Many delight in the Law , as Neoptolemus in Philosophy ; Philosophandum sed 〈◊〉 a little serves their turne ; and if the other sorts , were all of them , defective in substance ; this sort surely is defective in quantity : those had not the right stuffe : this hath not the just measure ; and so wee are little the neerer yet , for finding out any markes of true delighting in the Law of God. And how then , shall we come to know , the delighting which is true and perfect , from that which is counterfeit and defective ? shall wee say , it must be a delighting , onely ; or but only , chiefely ? Not onely ; for so , wee should delight in nothing else ; and , who doubts , but there are many other delights , which both Nature requires and God himselfe allowes : therefore not onely ; but chiefely ; yet so chiefely , as in a manner onely ; for chiefely , is properly where there may be comparison ; but this is so chiefely , as admits of no comparison : In presence of this , all other delights doe lose their light : In ballance with this , all other delights , are found to be light . And this is even intimated in the word it selfe , used by the Prophet here , which is Kephets : and signifies a delight , that takes up the whole will ; and leaves no plus ultra in our desires : which , as it onely is , and onely can be ; so it onely must , and onely ought to be true , of our delighting in the Law of God. Other delights may have their fits ; but no Kephets but onely this . We may take delight , in a care of our estates ; which is a provident , and therefore a commendable delight : For , he that provides not for his family , is worse than an Infidell , yet it must not be our Kephets : for corpus aggravat animam multa cogitantem ; much caring for the world , makes the soule , heavie ; and presseth it downe , from ascending towards heaven . We may take delight in wife & children ; which is a naturall , and therefore a commendable delight ; for no man ever hated his owne flesh : yet it must not be our Kephets : For hee that loves father , or mother , wife , or children , better than Christ , is not worthy or Christ. Wee may take delight in bodily exercises ; which is a healthfull , and therefore a commendable delight ; for he that neglects the care of his health ; is within compasse of being Felo dese : a murtherer of himselfe ; yet it must not be our Kephets ; for Nimia cura corporis est incuria animi : too much care taken of the body ; shewes there is but little care taken of the minde . But why stand wee angling for markes , of true delighting in the Law of God ; when the Prophet himselfe gives us a marke here , that may be Instar omnium ; a marke that never failes : that he , who delights in the Law of God , will be exercising himselfe in it , day and night . For , it seemes to be here , as betweene Faith and Workes ; that as Saint Iames saith ; Shew mee thy Faith , by thy workes ; so we may say , shew me thy delighting , by thy exercising ; For , as it is but a dead Faith , that brings not forth the finit of good workes : so it is but a fained delight , that brings not forth the worke of exercising : and as it is but an unsound Faith , that workes but intermittingly , and by fits ; so it is but an aguish delighting , that hath its heat but at turnes and seasons : but where wee see a constancy of good workes ; as wee may be bold to say , there is a lively and sound faith ; so where wee see , a continuall exercising , we may be confident to say , there is a true delighting . The working shewes a life of Faith ; the constancy of working , a true temper of that life : The exercising shewes a delighting ; the continuance of exercising , a sincerity of that delighting . But will not this continuall exercising in the Law of God ; get men the name of common Barrettours ; and make them accounted troublesome fellowes amongst their neighbours ; as of whom it may be said ; they are never well , but when they are going to Law ? Indeed the Law of man where summum Ius is summa injurie ; and where might oftentimes overcomes right ; may be subjest , perhaps , to such obloquie : but not the Law of God : For this is not a Law ; where the weakest goes to the wall ; but this Law is a wall to the weakest ; the delighting in this Law , is not a going to Law ; but a Law to our going ; as it is said ; Thy Law is a light to our feete : a light , not onely to our eyes , to make us see the right way ; but to our feet also , to make us walke the right way : and it is so farre , from making us to become enemies to our neighbours ; that it makes us to become neighbours , to our enemies ; for of this Law , it is said ; it suffers all things ; it endureth all things ; it seeketh not her owne ; but if any man will take our Coat from us ; it makes us contented , to let him have our Cloake also . The delighting in the Law of God ; is that divine contemplation ; by which , wee see God , as in a Glasse : and is the onely true way , to our only true felicity : though there be men , that thinke they can tell of better contemplations , and better waies to happinesse , than David seemes to know ; or will at least acknowledge : For , if they should but name the contemplation , which is contemplari nummos in arca : or the meditation , which is Meditari inauia ; or the pleasure , of which it said : Trahit sua quemque voluptas ; the worst of these ; would be a better delight ; and a better way of happinesse , than this of Davids . But these mens blindnesse , must not leade us into the ditch : For , these delights they speake of , are the very blockes , that lie in our way , and hinder us from happinesse : they are the very weights , that hang heavie upon the soule ; and keepe it from rising , to the true heighth , of divine contemplation ; and if a man , whose minde were once raised up to this heighth ; should afterward descend , and take a view of the world ; hee would even be astonished : to see men that pretend to reason , and would be thought wise ; be so simple , as to take delight in their weights ; and to take a pleasure in their clogs ; and so sillily to leave the delight of heavenly meditation ; to follow these vaine and foolish things , which the world admires . And indeede , what but this , made our Prophet here , in another place , breake out into his passionate exclamation : O yee sonnes of men , how long will yee love vanity ; and seeke after leasings ? For , looke into the world ; and to all things , that are in the world ; and see if there be any thing in it , ( as to the purpose , of making us happy ) but onely lies and leasings ? Pleasure beares thee in hand , it can make the happy ; but it lies : For do not all pleasures hasten to their end ; and that end , either in sorrow , or satiety ? Honour vaunts ; it can make thee happy ; but it lies : For hath honour anybeing , but in others not being ; where it is part of our happinesse , that others be happy . Riches make thee believe , they can make thee happy ; but they lie : for they cannot so much as ease , the least paine of thy body ; or the least anguish of thy mind . Learning perswades thee , it can make thee happy ; but it lies : for in much wisedome is much griefe ; and hee that increaseth knowledge , increaseth sorrow . The flesh tells thee , it can make thee happy ; but it lies ; for the wormes stand waiting continually for it ; and are sure ore long , to have it to eate . O that men would consider this ; and not put the Prophet , to his exclamation : O yee sons of men , how long will yee be in love with vanity , and seeke after leasings ? For , this indeed , would be a good preparative ; and but a preparative , to divine contemplation : It might serve to strow branches in the way ; but not to cry Hosanna : For , to raise the soule up , to this heighth of contemplation : it is not enough , to put off these weights , that draw it downe ; but there must be a pulley also , to draw it up : as Christ saith ; No man can come unto mee , except the Father draw him ; and therefore many heathen Philosophers , could cast off , these clogs ; could put off , these weights : For , they despised riches ; they scorned honours ; they hated pleasures ; they contemned the world ; and yet , for all this , they could never but flutter a little in the low Region of the aire ; they could never rise up to the Firmament of contemplation ; and all , because they wanted this pulley ; which , they that delight in the Law of God , shall never want : For , Honorantes me honorabo , saith God : They which honour me , I will honour them : and if they delight in my Law ; I will delight in their study : and then , if by delighting in the Law of God , we can bring God to delight in us ; oh ! what joy ; what excessive joy ; what happinesse , what transcendent happinesse , will this be unto us ? But why would the Prophet speake of delighting in the Law of God ; and not speake rather , of delighting in God himselfe ? For this no doubt , is a better delight ; and this delight , would bee a greater blessednesse . Is not the answer to this question , made by Christ himselfe ? If you love not your brother , whom you see ; how can you love God , whom you doe not see ? If we delight not , in the Law of God , which we know ; how can we delight in God , whom we do not know ? Not know , but as the Law teacheth him unto us ; and sheweth him unto us . This life , is but the meanes to a better life ; & the chief delight of this life , is but to delight in the means to a better life ; we see God now , but as in a Glasse ; and though there bee many Glasses to see God ; yet the brightest of these Glasses is the Law : and how then , can we delight in the seeing of God ; if we delight not in the Glasse , in which we may best see him ? To see him , as he is , and in himselfe ; is reserved , till we shall have better eyes ; these eyes wee have are carnall , and corruptible ; and cannot see God till they have put on incorruption : but when those eyes come , and that wee shall see God , face to face : then the meanes will give place to the substance ; and then the delighting in the Law of God ; will be turned into the delighting in God himselfe : till then , the Prophet , though with his Prophets eyes , he might see more himselfe ; yet could not enform us , to make us see more ; but he hath truly told us , the height of our delight in this life : if the delight of our life , be in the Law of God. But let the delight bee what it will ; it is but onely contemplation : and contemplation sets but onely the eyes a worke ; it leaves all the rest of the body idle ; but godlines is an exercise for the whole man ; both body and soule ; and therfore ; not only David saith My soule praise thou the Lord : but St. Paul saith ; Make your bodies a living sacrifice : for our godlinesse must bee perfect ; that our blessednesse , may bee perfect ; and and even in heaven ( if they could be separated ) wee should not bee blessed , in beholding the blessed face of God ; if we did not as well glorifie him in beholding him ; as behold his glory . Contemplation brings us , but to Video meliora Proboque : and if Deteriora sequor , doe follow ; then godlinesse is stopped in her race , at the very Goale : the building is left unperfect , when it is come to the roofe : we cannot make a demonstration of true godlinesse , out of all the premises ; unlesse that bee added , which followes ; And in his Law , he will exercise himselfe , day and night : but if this bee added ; then the roofe of the house is set on ; and then , the Goale of godlinesse is wonne . And though it may seeme , a wearisome thing , summer and winter ; day and night ; all a mans life long ; to doe nothing else , but alwaies one thing ; yet this is the godly mans taske ; hee must doe so ; or he cannot be the man wee take him for . For to bee godly , but sometimes , is to bee ungodly alwaies : and no man is so wicked , but hee may sometimes have good thoughts ; and doe good workes ; but , this serves not our godly mans turne ; his Sunne must never set ; for if he ever be in darkenesse , hee shall ever be in darkenesse : at least , hee shall finde it more worke , to kindle his fire a new , than to have kept it , still burning . For , if a man should water his bed with teares all night ; and goe next day to the house of laughter ; that mans godlinesse , would be but as the morning dew ; rise to a cloud , and so vanish . Or if he should bestow the whole day , in the exercise of godlinesse ; and yet at night , returne to his vomit : that man would be but as a halfe Moone ; bright , on one side ; and horrid blacknesse , on the other . For , godlinesse is a thing entire , it cannot be had in pieces ; we must have it together , or not at all ; and by this , a godly man , is made Totus terres atque rotundus ; all the former , make but lines ; this onely consummates godlinesse , and brings it to a circle . It seemes here as if the Prophet went about , to make men think , that the readiest way to be a happy man , were to be a Lawyer : If wee may call him a Lawyer , that studieth and practiseth the Law. For , after his Negative markes of a godly man , he comes next to this ; that his delight is in the Law of the Lord ; which is his studying of the Law ; and because a Student in the Law , can make no benefit by it ; till hee come to be a practiser : hee therefore , by these next wordes , And in his Law , he will exercise himselfe ; seemes to call him to the Barre ; and enables him to practise : that having learned the Law himselfe , he may now teach it to others ; or at leastwise , practise it towards others . But is not this a Paradox in David : seeing it is against our owne experience ; for , wee have knowne many , that by the Law , have growne rich ; many , that by the Law , have gotten honour ; many , that by the Law , have growne famous ; but wee never yet knew any , that by the Law , grew happy : for , not withstanding their honour , their riches , their fame ; yet they ever had something , whereof to complaine . We must therefore remember , what Law this is : It is not our Common-law ; nor our Canon-law : it is not the Civill-law ; nor the Law of the twelve Tables ; It is not the Law of the Medes and Persians ; nor the Law of Nations : It is the Law of the Lord ; a Law pure and undefiled ; a Law that was given by Angels , in the hand of a Mediatour ; a Law , by which wee shall Iudge ; and by which we shall be judged : It is Imperatorialex : Not the Emperours Law ; but an Imperiall Law ; Lex Architectonice ; a Law , that gives rules to all other ; and is it selfe ruled by none . And here now , there opens it selfe , as it were , a Novus Orbis ; for if we should enter into the maine , to speake of Lawes : wee should never make an end ; our best is therefore , to keepe close to David ; and to goe no further , than hee goes : and yet so , wee shall have Law enough to make us happy . Onely we may consider , what these exercises are , in which this godly Lawyer , is so diligent all day ; and so vigilant all night , to exercise himselfe ; and as the markes before , so the exercises here , may be distinguished into Negatives , and Affirmatives ; but seeing the godly man mingles them together in his course ; wee may as well mingle them together in our discourse . A godly Lawyer will not boast himselfe to know that , of which he is ignorant ; nor feigne himselfe to be ignorant , of that he knowes . Hee will not discourage a man in a good cause ; nor encourage him in a bad . He will not over-reach a man that is shorter than himselfe ; nor undermine a man that is shallower than himselfe ; nor supplant a man , that is weaker than himselfe . He will not rise , by other mens falls ; nor make a gaine , of other mens losses . Hee will give counsell to a poore man , without a fee ; as reckoning a poore mans cause his owne ; and a good conscience the best fee ; if hee have taken any other fee , he hath morgaged his time ; and will not sell it againe , till hee have first redeemed it . Hee gives fees himselfe , to get him Clyents ; and growes richer by giving , than others doe by taking . He is ready to end suites , but not to begin them ; and he had rather want worke , than make it . Hee is glad when he can use the Law ; but would bee more glad there were no use of it . It is a booty to him when hee can finde opportunity to doe a good deede : If there want counsell , to set forward a good cause , hee gives it ; If paines or care , he takes it . Hee keepes his termes duly , as preferring the Sabboth day , before all other dayes ; and yet as his Piety makes every day , to him a Sabboth ; so his Practice , makes it Terme to him , all tha yeere long . Hee turnes over Books and searcheth Records ; not so much to looke out dead Precedents ; as to finde out the reasons , that gave life to the Precedents , for hee makes it not , a reason of his action , that others have done so ; but he makes it his action , if he finde there was reason , for the doing so . He inquires , and hearkens out , the poore , and relieves them ; the naked , and cloathes them ; captives and redeemes them ; men oppressed , and succours them ; men that mounre , and comforts them ; men a dying , and revives them . The Law is both his study , and his recreation ; and one cannot tell , whether it be more his worke ; or more his pastime : For , as the Prophet saith here , It is his Exercise ; so hee said before ; It is his Delight ; and it is well , it is so : For , without this delight , it were impossible he should ever goe thorow , with such incessant labours , as are imposed upon him ; or rather hee imposeth upon himselfe , Day and Night . But delight makes burthens light ; makes labours easie ; which perhaps , made Christ say ; that his burthen was light , and his yoake easie : and in this manner , indeed , if a man , be a student , and a practiser , in the Law ; it will be no Paradoxe to say ; it will be no violencc to the Text ; to make David say ; that the best and readiest way , to be a happy man , is to be a Lawyer . When it is said , His delight is in the Law of the Lord ; and in his Law , hee will exercise himselfe , Day and Night ; is it not a kinde of solaecisme ; to double the word , Law ; without any lawfull occasion ? It may , perhaps , be a solaecisme in Grammar ; but it is none in affection : for therefore hee doubles the word ( the Law ) to expresse the wonderfull delight , hee takes in the Law ; and this is more fully exprest in the 119. Psalme ; where hee seemes so fond of the word , and so loth to leave it ; that he cannot endure it should be out of his mouth ; and therefore at every third or fourth word , is up with it againe . Or is it , that hee therefore doubles the word ( the Law ) because , indeed , there is a double Law ; which , though as a man , hee could not see ; yet as a Prophet he might fore-see : and the words , Day and Night , are here joyned , to the latter Law ; because , although there were in the old Law a Iuge sacrificium , in representation ; yet there never was any Iuge sacrificium in reality , and execution ; but onely in this later Law : and therefore , where David speakes it , as a great matter to pray his seven times a day ; wee in this Law , are put to our semper orate ; and sine intermissione orate ; continuall prayer is expected from us , day and night . But why should the Prophet require day and night , to be spent in the doing of Gods Law ? seeing , for the day ; God himselfe allowes us sixe daies , to doe our owne worke ; and for the night ; this is no opus tenebrarum ; no fit worke , to be done in darknesse ? Yet a godly man will doe , as the Prophet requires him ; Hee will doe it in the day ; that men seeing his good workes , may glorifie his Father which is in Heaven ; and hee will doe it in the night ; that hee may not be seene of men ; and that his left hand may not know what his right hand doth . Hee will doe it , in the day ; to shew , he is none of those , Qui fugiunt lucem : and hee will doe it , in the night ; to shew , he is one of those , Qui cum in tenebris mices . Hee will doe it in the day time , because the day is the time of doing ; as Saint Peter saith , Worke whilest it is day ; and hee will doe it in the night ; lest his Master should come as a thiefe in the night , and find him idle . Indeede , this day and night of Davids ; amounts but to Saint Pauls continually ; Watch continually , Pray continually ; for though the Sunne in the Firmament set ; and make it night to our eyes ; yet the Sunne of Righteousnesse must never set , to make it night in our hearts ; but it must be here , as it was in the beginning ; The Evening and the Morning must make but one Day . The Prophet hath used much circumstance , to tell us of the man , that should be blessed : and when he hath said all he can ; it is all but a godly man ; and why could he not doe this at first ; and have saved himselfe , and us , a labour ? wee cannot , perhaps , tell , for what reason the Prophet did it ; but wee may easily tell , for what reason , he might doe it ; for many reasons may be given of it . If hee had onely said ; A godly man is blessed ; it would have made but a new businesse : for , we should presently have asked him : And what is a godly man ? and then , hee must have come to this , which he delivers now ; so the Prophet went the neerest way , though wee may thinke hee went about . And if he had said , A godly man is blessed ; and had not told , what a godly man is ; it would have bred a world of controversie ; for then , every man would have come , and put in , his claime to blessednesse , under pretence of godlinesse ; and there would never have beene quiet . Cain would have come , and pretended devotion ; for making oblations , and offering sacrifices to God ; Korah and Dathan would have come , and pretended zeale , for opposing Governours , as taking too much upon them . The Pharise would have come , and pretended purenesse ; for onely fasting twice a weake ; and giving tithes , of all he possest . Iudas himselfe , would have come , and pretended charity ; for taking care of the poore ; and finding fault , with the cost , bestowed upon Christ ; and there would have beene so many pretenders to godlinesse ; and thereupon such snatching and catching at blessednesse ; that if this had been suffered , both godlinesse would have beene in danger , to be adulterated : and blessednesse it selfe , to suffer violence . To stop therefore the mouthes of these pretenders , and utterly to damne all such false claimes ; the Prophet proclaimes here the true Title ; and sets downe , as it were , In terminis terminantibus ; how the man must be qualified , that will lay claime to blessednesse ; for if any of the conditions here expressed , be wanting ; it will be in vaine , to have a thought of blessednesse : For , this the Prophet delivers for Law ; and of this we may be sure , there will not be any thing be abated . But if the Prophet be so punctuall ; & require such precise performance of such precise points ; hee might as well have held his peace , and said nothing ; for what is this , but to build castels in the aire ; to tell us of a man , that should be blessed ; when there never was in the world , nor ever shall bee , any such man : and so by the course he takes ; blessednesse must either fall to the King , by escheate , for want of a right heire : or at least , Cedere primo occupanti , for want of a lawfull claimer . But the Prophet had more knowledge ; than these men are aware of : hee had read the Chronicles ; and found there , many such men , upon record : Abel , Enoch , Noah , Abraham , Samuel ; many others . And since his time , we our selves find many recorded for such men ; Hezekiah and Iosias , Kings of Iuda ; Zachary and Elisabeth of later time : It is therefore , but a meere scandall ; bessednesse can never want an heire ; for in all ages past , there have beene such men ; and by Gods grace , are many such at this day ; and shall be many such , in the ages to come , as long , as the world shall last : for the Divell must not have all ; God will have his Congregation ; and that must consist of such , as are here described ; A Congregation of the Righteous . And now wee may say , the Prophet hath plaid , as it were , his prize ; he hath set a spell to all posterity , for a perfect description : For , though some may thinke , that Xenophon , in his instruction of Cyrus ; and Cicero in his description of an Oratour , have beene his equalls ; yet let the matter be examined fairely ; and wee shall find , that the Prophet here , in a few plaine words , hath made a perfecter godly man ; than either Xenophon a Prince , or Cicero an Oratour ; with all their long elaborate discourses . The Prophet set blessed , as it were , a signe , at the entrance of his Psalme : and where blessed , is hung out for a signe ; wee might be sure , to finde a godly man within : and so , hee hath well quitted himselfe , of the first part of his Proposition , in shewing us , what a godly man is : and now , if hee can quit himselfe as well , of the second part , in shewing us , that he is blessed : wee shall then say , hee hath truely played his prize indeede ; and worthily deserves to be called , the godly mans champion : For , in so doing , hee shall set a more glorious crowne upon a godly mans head ; than that which Samuel set upon his . Hee is blessed ; and hee shall be like a tree . But here by the way , wee may observe a Grammaticall difference , which the Prophet intimates , betweene blessednesse , and godlinesse . For , to blessednesse hee assignes but onely two Tenses or Times ; a present Tense ; Hee is blessed ; and a future ; hee shall be like a tree . Preterperfect Tense ; hee assignes none : for indeed , Fuisse faelicem miserrimum est : and to say , Fuimus Troes ; is as much as to say , wee are not so now . That which is past ; is dead in Time ; and in the body of true happinesse ; there must be ; there can be , no dead flesh . But to godlinesse , he assignes three Tenses or Times : A Praeterperfect tense ; That hath walked , in the counsell of the ungodly : a Present tense ; his delight is in the Law of the Lord : and a Future ; In his Law hee will exercise himselfe ; for , godlinesse is a habit ; and cannot be had , but by often repetition and reiteration of actions ; that if the time past , doe not prompt and give example to the present ; and the present to the future ; wee may have flashes of godlinesse ; but a true habit of godlinesse , wee can never have . And here now the Prophet begins to shew himselfe a Prophet ; and to speake like a Prophet : all he had said before ; he might have spoken , as a Doctour of the Law ; for they were but caveats , and informations to godlinesse : This hee speakes now , hee could not speake , but as a Prophet ; for he comes to speake of things to come ; and what shall become of the godly , and of the wicked , in the times hereafter . And this , neither Doctour of Law ; nor yet Astrologer , nor any humane Artist could doe , but onely a Prophet of God. And wee may not the lesse believe him because hee speakes of future things , which to mans understanding are alwaies uncertaine : seeing hee speakes it not , as of himselfe : or as having learned it of men ; but he speakes it , as taught by God : with whom , all future things are present ; all things to come , as come already . For , these Prophets of God , had as I may say , perspective-glasses , given them by God : in which they could see things a farre off ; and farre off , both in place and time : and wee may bee allowed , to call them Glasses ; seeing themselves were called videntes , seers ; as seeing the things they were to speake ; and then Prophets , Foretellers ; as communicating that to others , which in their Glasses , they saw themselves . And as themselves were called Videntes , seers ; so their worke or faculty , was called , Visio , or seeing : and yet in this there was distinction : For , not every prediction of a Prophet , was called visio , a vision ; but such onely , as came with joyfull tidings : for when they came with heavy newes , it was not properly called visio , a vision ; but Onus , a burthen ; and our Prophet here sings both tunes ; he hath visionem , a vision , for the godly ; and Onus , a burthen presently after ; for the wicked : but he tels his vision : his good newes first ; and this it is ; A godly man shall be like a tree . But is this such good newes for a godly man ? must this bee the height of a godly mans expectation , to be like a Tree ? will the Prophet serve us thus ; make us take such paines for godlinesse ; and beare us all this while in hand ; that by being godly , wee shall bee happy ; and now bring us to no better , a happinesse , than to bee like a Tree ? if hee would needs use a similitude , could hee by his glasse , make no better choice ; or is a godly mans happinesse no better worth , than to liken him to a Tree ? a Tree , which growes out of the earth ; and creepes into the Earth ? a Tree , that is exposed to wind and weather ? a Tree , that is subiect to wormes and cankers ? a Tree , that for all its being planted by the water , is sure at last , to come to the fire ? But we must not with our ignorance , lay aspertion upon the Prophets knowledge : ( for , it is not the worthinesse of the subject in a similitude , that dignifies the thing , that is compared to it ; For , what honour was it to Nabuchadonizer ; that he was likened to Lucifer , the morning starre ? Or , what more did Christ expresse of the Kingdome of heaven , by comparing it to a pearle ; then by comparing it , to a graine of Mustard seed ? ) but it is the good qualities , in which they simpathize : and of such good qualities , we shall finde so many in a Tree ; that happinesse may thinke it selfe happy , to be compared to it . For , was it not a tree , that bore the Fruite of life , in the Garden of Eden ? was it not a Tree , that bore the Lord of life , in the field of Golgotha ? O happy Tree ; well worthy to be made the similitude of our happinesse , which was the instrument to procure our happinesse , But wee need not goe so farre , to shew the worth of the comparison ; there are circumstances enow , in a Tree it selfe ; that may sufficiently iustifie the Prophets choice . For , though a Tree , bee but dust in substance ; and have the lower part fixed in the earth ; yet it riseth above the earth ; and hath boughes and branches aspiring towards heaven ; transformed into a substance , as though they were no earth ; expressing plainely the condition of the godly ; who though they bee of earthy mould , and dwell in houses of clay ; yet their aspiring is to heaven , and their confidence is , to bee transformed into the Image of Christ ; and to have their bodies made like , to his glorious body . But this is a common resemblance , that may be found in every Tree ; the Prophet here , sets his similitude closer upon a godly man , than that Ex quovis ligno fiat Mercurius : every Tree will not serve to doe it ; but as before , hee delivered certaine characters , to know what a godly man is ; So here , he delivers certaine marks , to know what kinde of Tree it is , that must make his similitude . For , it is not a Tree , that growes up wildely of it selfe ; as having no other education but nature ; but it is planted by an artificiall hand ; and as it were civilized by transplanting . And it is not planted , amongst rocky cliffes ; where it may be choak'd with drouth ; and where it must eate stones ; or else be starved : but it is planted by the waters side ; where it hath drinke to its meate ; and where the soile is made supple , to give the roote readily , both passage and nourishment . And it is not a barren vaine-glorious Tree , that makes-onely a shew ; and is nothing but words , as bearing nothing but leafes : but it is a iust performing tree ; that followes his leafes with fruit ; as a just mans deeds doe follow his words . Neither is it , an unseasonable tree , that brings forth abortive fruites ; and sets our teeth on edge , with sourenesse ; but it goes the full time out ; and nourisheth the fruit up , till it hath gotten sweetnesse by maturity ; and tastes most pleasantly : and that wee may know it , to be no ordinary tree ; the very leafes continue still , and doe not wither . But what matter is it , when the fruit is gathered ; whether the leafes continue still , or no ? For , the worke the leafes come about ; is but to defend the buds ; and to keepe the young fruits , from the violence of the Sunne and wind ; and when they have seene them brought up ; and come to a ripe age , that they can shift for themselves ; the leafes then may take their leaves ; as wee see them fall away , by one and one ; as taking notice , that their worke is done . There are , perhaps , some barren trees , that beare no fruit ; and these sometimes have leafes continuing still ; and hanging on , both Summer and Winter ; as if they staied waiting for imployment ; and looking still , when fruits would bud forth ; but with as idle an expectation , as the Jewes stand waiting for the comming of their Messias : but this is not the case of our leafes here , which therefore continue still , because they are still in office : for our tree beares fruit continually ; and therefore hath neede of leafes continually ; when one fruit is ripe and gone ; another is greene and comming on ; and therefore the leaves , which are necessary attendants upon the fruits ; as long as there are young fruits , that need attendants , cannot be discharged , and therefore doe not wither . And yet , perhaps , the Prophet had a further reason , why hee would give the leafe , a place in the similitude of a godly mans happinesse ; seeing a leafe was the first Angell of liberty , to the prisoners in the Arke ; their day-breake of comfort came from the light of a leafe ; and if it had not been for a leafe ; the tyrannizing waters , would have more kept their mindes in the darke , than their bodies in the Arke ; and have drowned them with despaire , when they could not , with their waves : and when the waters overcame all other creatures , both men and beasts ; yet the leafe continued constant to the tree , and overcame the waters ; and as it perished not , in the Inundation of the world ; no more shall it wither , in the conflagration of the world . But what happinesse can a godly man expect from this similitude of a tree ? for , he can have no more , than the similitude will afford ? he can looke for no more , than the tree hath it selfe ; and where hath the tree , any resemblance of happinesse , in any thing , that is here exprest ? It hath none , in being planted by the watersside : for , happinesse is Summum Bonum ; and this at most , but Inferium Bonum ; therefore only good , because it serves to doe the tree , good : it hath none , in bringing forch fruit ; for , happinesse is Bonum proprium ; and this , but Bonum alienum ; for , what good is it to the tree , to bring forth fruit , for others to gather ? For so , the tree shall be no happier than a Bee , that makes Honey indeed ; but for others to eate ; a godly man shall be no happier than a Sheepe ; that beares wooll indeed , but for others to sheare ; and for any thing appeares yet , a godly man , by this similitude , is like to lose his happinesse . But the Prophet cannot be so much mis-taken ; the similitude therefore , would be better look'd into : For , there is faelicitas medii ; and faelicitas sinis ; there is faelicitas viae ; and faelicitas patriae ; and this tree indeede , enjoyes them all : It hath in this life , faelicitatem medii ; and faelicitatem viae ; in being planted by the waters side : for , this moistens , cooles , cleanses ; and gives an easie and a happy passage to the journies end . It shall have in the life hereafter , faelicitatem sinis ; and felicitatem patriae ; in bringing forth fruit ; for this shall not be , as the Bee makes Hony , for others to eate ; nor as the Sheepe beares wooll , for others to sheare ; but this fruit shall be , for its owne use onely ; and onely for it selfe to gather . For this fruit is that , of which Christ saith : Your joy shall be full , and none shall be able to take it from you ; Your joy shall be full ; there is plena faelicitas ; and none shall be able to take it from you ; there is secura faelicitas : and now the Prophet , need not be ashamed of choosing his similitude : the godly man , neede not be afraid , of losing his happinesse . But is it not strange , to see how contrary the Prophet proceeds here , to our expecting ? for when he propounded his similitude of a tree : wee looked , he should have begunne at the top boughes , which are the highest parts , and commonly beare the ripest fruits , and hee beginnes cleane contrary , at the lowest part ; at the very roote ; for indeed , although the roote be not seene of men ; and have no outward glory ; yet it is the roote , that gives the praise to the tree : it is the roote , the tree may thanke , for all he is worth : For , though the branches bring the fruits , yet they are but messengers : it is the root that sends them : and indeed , if there be not a roote of Humility ; and that roote planted by Grace ; the aspiring boughes , are but sprigs of pride ; and will never bring forth , the fruit of Glory . Wee looked hee should have set our tree , if not in Torrida Zona , in the very fire ; yet at least , in some sunny place , as it were by the fires side ; and hee sets it , cleane contrary , by the waters side : For indeed , a tree feares nothing so much , as want of moisture : it can ill spare the radiancie of the Sunne ; but it can worse spare , the moistning of the water ; for death hath a spight at nothing so much in any thing , as at the humidum radicale ; the naturall moisture : Hee kills more with the drowth of too little moisture ; than with the drowth of too much heat or cold : For , this is a dart , which death hath from nature ; all his other darts are from violence ; and though the water bee externall to the Tree ; yet when it enters and moystens the roote ; it becomes radicall . And it may not be the least reason , why the Prophet sets the Tree , which is our symbole of eternall life , by the waters side ; seeing the water , seemes the most productive element of life ; as that , which produced the first living creatures , that were in the world ; although we may raise our thoughts yet higher ; and remember , there are waters as well above the Firmament ; as under the earth ; and there indeed , must the Tree be planted , that shall bring forth the fruite , of our expected happinesse . We looked , he should have set our Tree , like the Trees of Eden ; with present fruits , hanging upon them ; and he talkes of tarrying the time , till the Tree bring them forth : for indeed our Eden is past ; there was at first , no time there ; & therefore the fruits there , were not children of time : but as soone borne , as their parents , the Tree : but we are in a world of time : our Tree will beare no fruit , but by the helpe of time ; and no helpe of time neither , till the fulnesse of time come ; and that is onely in him , who came in the fulnesse of time : For , Christ is our time ; and our fulnesse of time will bee , when wee shall meete Christ , full in the aire ; and bee taken with him into the new Eden , where time shall bee no more ; and where our Tree shall bring forth fruit in the Present tense , which shall never fade into Preterperfect tense . But seeing the Prophet meant afterwards , to make chaffe a similitude of the wicked ; why would he take a Tree , for his similitude of the godly ; and not rather take wheate , as in a plainer opposition ? and as Christ , it seemes upon better advise did take it afterwards ? Christ indeed tooke wheate for a similitude of the godly , but to another purpose ; the purpose of the Prophet here , is to shew ; the great distance that shall bee of glory , betweene the godly , and the wicked : and in the points of glory , we shall finde the wheate , to come farre short , and to be farre inferiour to a Tree . For , the wheat , though it rise flourishing up ; yet it riseth out of the ground , but the same it was cast into the ground ; but the Tree , of a little small seed , riseth up to a substance , that one could never have expected , such an issue , for such a parent . The wheate , though it rise flourishing up ; yet it riseth but to a small height as loath to leave the earth too much ; and afraid to goe too farre from the roote ; but the Tree riseth up to an eminent height , as scarce acknowledging the root , from which it springs : and farre surmounts all growing things upon the earth . The wheat , though it rise flourishing up , yet it riseth but to a slender small stalke ; that quakes and trembles at the voice of the winde ; but the Tree riseth up to a vaste and firme body , that scornes the threatnings of the winde ; and is not once moved for all the wind can doe . The Wheate , though it rise flourishing up , it is quickly downe againe : if it be not reaped in summer , it dies in winter : but the Tree is a laster for many ages ; and of all things , that grow out of earth , comes neerest to everlastingnesse . And now ; if we cannot choose but thinke it a blessed thing , to be such a Tree : we cannot as little choose but thinke it a blessed thing , to bee a godly man ; for whatsoever is seene or said of this Tree ; is true , and more true of a godly man. Hee is more fixt and immoveable than this Tree ; for , where this Tree is rooted but in the earth ; a godly man is founded upon a Rocke . He is planted by a better Gardner , than this Tree ; for where this Tree is planted but by Adam , a naturall man ; a godly man is planted by Paul ; or rather , as Christ saith , by God himselfe . He is moistned with better waters , than this tree ; for where this Tree is watered , but by springs from the earth ; a godly man is watered with the dew of heaven : he riseth to a greater height , than this Tree : for where this Tree is stinted in its rising , and staies in the aire ; a godly man riseth up , and never staies till hee come at heaven . Hee beares more fruite , than this Tree ; for , where this Tree hath many leaves besides fruites ; the very leaves , of a godly man , are themselves , fruites . He is longer in season than this Tree ; for , where this Tree is in season , but some part of the yeere ; Godlinesse is in season , all the yeere long : this Tree is in season but for a time : but godlinesse is in season , to all eternity . The similitude of a Tree , is sufficiently justified ; but why would the Prophet expresse happinesse , by any similitude at all ? and not deliver it rather in the very substance ? why would he not , rather tell us , what it is ; than what it is like ? May wee not bee bold to say , because it was more , than hee could doe ? For seeing the happinesse of a godly man is such , as neither eye hath seene ; nor eare heard : certainely it is such also , as neither words can expresse , nor tongue utter . And if wee should heape up words upon words : laying Pelion upon Ossa , and making mountaines of volumes ; yet wee should never bee able to expresse the happinesse , ordained by God for godly men . If the happinesse consisted of finite parts , and were a stinted thing , either in number , or magnitude or continuance ; we might by the helpe of Arithmeticke and Geometry , expresse it perhaps in some proportion ; but seeing it consists of parts , in number , innumerable ; in magnitude , infinite ; in continuance , eternall ; what man of art ; what art of man , can now come neere it ? Or if the happinesse were to continue , but so many thousand yeeres as there be sands in the sea ; though this were a vast , incomprehensible extension of time , yet it were but a continuance , that would not con tinue ; there would one day bee an end : but seeing it shall be for ever , everlasting , eternall ; in Aeternum & ultra ; what starres of heaven ; what sands of the sea ; can now be counters enow to summe it . And now tell me , if the Prophet were not well advised , to make use of a similitude ? but tell me rather , if godly men be not well advised , to make use of godlinesse ? tell me if wicked men , be not ill advised , to make account of vanities ? Oh! tell me , if the Serpent be not a Divell : the flesh a traitour : the world , an Impostour : that for pleasures of sinne , not worth the speaking of ; would make us to forfeit this unspeakeable happinesse . But now to consider it in Allegory ; what may wee thinke , is meant by this tree ? Is it not the tree , figured by the tree of life , in the Garden of Eden ? And what by this planting ? our ingraffing into Christ. And what by this waters side ? the water that was shed out of Christs side . And what by this fruit ? our everlasting happinesse . And what by these leafes ? the leafe of a good conscience ; and the leafe of a good fame . For a good conscience never withers ; but accompanies a godly man , to another world : and a good fame never withers ; but in memoria aeterna erit justus . And what by the time ? when time is no more . For time is but the measure of motion and mutation ; but happinesse hath nothing to doe with these ; and therefore nothing to doe with time ; her time is eternity . And indeed , is it not strange , that men who have out lived yesterday ; should think there can be happinesse where there is time ? For , let the day past , be spent in all the pleasures of the world ; yet what is yesterday to us to day ? and what will to day , be to us to morrow ? and so , the daies of happinesse , should come at last , to be all lost ; and be no more to us , than if they never had beene ours . Wherein true happinesse , to day is to us , as it was yesterday ; and to morrow will be as it is to day ; and what wee are now , wee shall be for ever . Time and happinesse are things incompatible : For , happinesse is permanent ; time alwaies in mutation : for , what is time , but a very changeling ; or rather , makes very changelings of us ? It is long of time , that wee continue not long in one state ; it is alwaies bringing some new thing ; but ever carries away more of the old ; it runnes over all things , but never tarries with any ; wee cannot see it , till it be gone out of sight ; and by this onely , we find it hath beene here , because we find not that here , which hath beene . The happinesse of this life , is like Iosepht coat , party coloured , to expresse variablenesse ; a mixture of weale and woe ; but turnes at last , all to a staine ; and such happinesse , wicked men may have : the true happinesse , is in a long white roabe ; long , for durablenesse ; and white , for joyfulnesse ; and this keepes the colour still ; and is onely to be had in Heaven : For there this changeling time , shall not be suffered , to come ; to set diversity of colours upon our roabe of happinesse . And now , if any man aske for happinesse , here it is : it growes upon the tree of godlinesse : but though it have its beginning , and , as it were , its blooming , in this life : yet it comes not to its growth , till another life ; this present world , is too cold a climate , to bring it to ripenesse ; it must have the Sunne to shine more directly upon it ; wee have here Spem Rei ; but shall not have Rem spei ; till wee come to see the blessed face of God : For , this indeed , is the true Sun , that onely can bring the fruit of this tree , to its full maturity . But is not this hard dealing in the Prophet ; to make us promise , of a present possession of blessednesse ; and now turne us off , with little more , than a bare reversion ? Will he be so a Prophet , as that hee will be no more than a Prophet ; tell us onely of things to come ; and not keepe his word , in things present ? It was his saying at the very first , that a godly man is blessed : and seeing hee thought good , to say it then ; wee looke he should make it good , and shew it now : For , as yet , there appeares but little , to make it appeare , that the godly are in this life , any more blessed , than the wicked : and if any advantage be ; it seemes to most men , to be of the wickeds side . But is not this rather , to deale hardly with the Prophet ? to put him to his proofes , for every word hee speaks ? as though the word of a Prophet , were not of it selfe , an authority sufficient , to command our assent ? but since wee are so hard of beliefe ; at least , Propter durtiiem cordis ; let it be considered ; that there is great difference , between having of blessings ; and being blessed . A wicked man may have many , perhaps , very many blessings ; and yet , it shall never be truely said of him , that he is blessed : For who doubts , but that strength and beauty ; riches and honors , are blessings and the good gifts of God : and all these , and many more than these , a man may have ; and yet walke in the counsell of the ungodly ; and stand in the way of sinners ; and sit in the chaire of scorners ; and hee that doth such things , the Prophet would have us know ; though hee be as strong as Sampson ; though as beautifull as Absalon ; though as rich as Salomon ; though as full of blessings , as the world can make him ; yet he cannot be blessed . Such things may entitle men , Benedicti , perhaps ; but not Beati ; or if Beati ; it is but falso clamore ; the true blessednesse , is no where found growing ; nor can any where be made to grow , but onely upon this tree of godlinesse . And therefore , you shall never heare any such word to come from David ; as to say , blessed are the rich ; or blessed are the honourable , and great men of the world ; but all his blessednesse , is ever with some relation or other , unto godlinesse . Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven : here godlinesse is made legitimate . Blessed is he , whom the Lord chasteneth : here godlinesse , is set to Schoole . Blessed are they who walke in the Law of Lord : here godlinesse , is at its exercise ; Blessed is the man that considereth the poore : here godlinesse is making a purchase . Blessed is he , that putteth his trust in the Lord : here godlinesse , is taken sanctuary : and so godlines ever , in one kinde or other ; or blessednes never , in any kinde whatsoever : Not all the smithes of Aegipt : not all the temporall blessings , of the world , will serve the turne : Godlinesse must turne the key ; or the doore of blessednes ; The gate , for the King of glory to enter , will never be opened . And as a man may have many blessings ; and yet not be blessed : so , he may want many blessings ; and neverthelesse , bee perfectly blessed . Hee may want , the riches of worldly pompe ; and yet bee blessed : For Blessed are the poore in spirit ; and this was Davids case with Michol . He may want a quiet life ; and yet bee blessed ; for Blessed are they , that are persecuted for righteousnes sake : and this was Davids case , with Saul : Hee may want good report ; and yet bee blessed ; For blessed are ye , when men raile upon you , and revile you ; and this was Davids case with Shimei . But is not this strange , that a man should want , & yet be perfect ? should want blessings , and yet be perfectly blessed ? Indeed , no more strange , than that Adam should loose one of his ribbes , and yet continue a perfect body still . For these temporall blessings , are to a godly man , as the ribbe was to Adam , of which Eve was made ; not superfluous to him , when he had it ; nor making him defective , when hee wanted it : and so are all temporall blessings ; not superfluous to a godly man , to have them , because he can make good use of having them : Nor making him defective to want them ; because he can make good use of wanting them . And this , perhaps , might make St. Paul to say , I can want ; and I can abound ; as much as to say , I can have a ribbe more , or a rib lesse ; and yet in both estates continue perfect still . But is it not then , that we are all this while mistakenin blessednes ? and that , David hath set a glosse upon it , to make us esteem more highly of it , than there is cause ? seeing Christ who knew blessednes better than David ; proclaimes it openly , that they are blessed , that mourne : and surely ; mourning can make but an untoward blessednesse . For what is mourning , but a deploring of misery ? That to say , they are blessed that mourne ; is all one , as to say ; They are blessed , that are miserable : and so , blessednesse , no such goodly thing , as David goes about to make us thinke it . But it is not , that wee mistake blessednesse ; the mistaking is , in mistaking Christs speaking of blessednesse : For Christ saith not , They are blessed that mourne : because they mourne ; but because they shall bee comforted . The blessednesse consists in the comforting , not in the mourning : and not all neither that mourne shall be comfortted ; for then , the damned in hell ; and even the divell himselfe , then whom there is not a greater mourner ; should come at last ; ( as some have erred to thinke ) to have their shares in comfort . But their mourning , is in despaire , and upon wrong causes ; They onely shall be comforted , that mourne upon just cause , and that in hope : and such are onely the Saints on earth ; who mourne for the Bride-groomes departing from them ; and cry with St. Paul : I desire to bee dissolved , and to be with Christ. Indeed comforting , is to mourning , a plaine relative ; and cannot be without it : for , where no mourning is ; there can be no comforting : for what is comforting , but a wiping away of teares from the eyes : and how can teares bee wiped away , if there be no teares to wipe away ? and seeing , the holy Ghost ( the authour of all blessednesse ) is the Comforter ; and no comforting , where no mourning : It followes , that where no mourning , no holy Ghost ; and where no holy Ghost , no blessednesse . Therefore , Blessed are they that mourne , for they shall bee comforted . And so , betweene Christ and David ; there will be found , but this difference : that David seemes to consider godlinesse , as a Iubilee ; and therefore expresseth it , by delighting in the Law of God ; and exercising in it : but Christ seemes to consider it as a funerall ; and therefore expresses it by mourning ; as by which , a godly man , is crucified to the world ; and the world to him . And indeed , this Iubilee , and this funerall ; must both meete , in a godly man ; or there will not bee a godlinesse , that can produce a blessednes : but where these two meete , and kisse each other ; there the delighting in the Law of God ; will cause a mourning for our sinnes ; and the mourning for our sinnes , will cause a joy in the holy Ghost ; that we may be confident to say , we have a comfortable blessednes ; seeing wee have the blessing of the holy Ghost , the comforter . And now , if any man slight this joy , as not deserving the name of blessednes ; Is it not , because hee feeles it not in himselfe ? for without being felt ; it is not possible , to bee understood : but hee that feeles it , and understands it ; will finde , this joy , to be that Iewell , which the wise Merchant sold all that he had , to buy : For what availes it a man , to enjoy the whole world , and to want this joy ? For , this joy is not an influence from the starres : which yet can doe great wonders , for breeding joy in the world : but it is an influence , from that spirit , which moved upon the waters , before the starres were made ; and is onely able still , to move upon the waters , and to remove the waters of a weeping soule . It is a ioy , begotten in our hearts , by motion of the holy Ghost ; which moving upon the waters , of a true repentance ; workes in us the joy of this assurance ; that wee have an Advocate and Intercessour for us , with God the father . Which joy , was thought so great , when time was ; that no Messenger , was thought fit , to bring the newes of it ; but an Angell from heaven . Behold I bring you tidings of great ioy : and great indeed it must needs be , which an Angell cals great : that scarcely would call the whole earth , great : and seeing St. Paul exhorts us , to Reioyce evermore : we may know the joy , to be exceeding great , that can make us able , to hold out rejoycing , so long together ; in all tempests and calmes ; in all actions and passions ; joy enough to maintaine a feast of rejoycing , all our life long . And then , if this joy , can make a blessednesse : ( as certainly a greater cannot be had on earth ) and none partakers of it , but the godly ; wee must needes confesse , the Prophet had great reason to make it his challenge ; and that in the present Tense : A godly man is blessed . And will not this blessednesse appeare yet plainer ; if we consider the divers sorts of blessednesse ? For , there is a blessednesse of the Law ; and this was delivered by Moses : who delivering the Law , but in litera ; delivers a blessednesse , but in cortice : Blessed shalt thou be in the field : and blessed in the City : blessed shall be the fruit of thy body ; and the fruit of thy cattell &c. There is a blessednesse of Grace ; and this was delivered by Aaron ; who being the Minister of our atonement with God , delivers a blessednesse , in this atonement : The Lord blesse thee , and keepe thee ; The Lord make his face to shine upon thee , and be mercifull unto thee : The Lord lift his countenance upon thee , and give thee peace . And there is a blessednesse of Glory ; and this was delivered by Christ ; who being himselfe , the perfection of blessednesse ; delivers a blessednesse in perfection : Come yee blessed of my Father , inherite a Kingdome prepared for you . And now , that wee have these divers sorts of blessednesse , laid out before us ; which of them , may wee thinke , was thought upon by David ; in saying , Blessed is the man ? Not Moses his blessednesse ; for that is too imperfect : nor yet Christs blessednesse ; for that is too consummate ; Moses his blessednesse is imperfect : For , Gold ( one of the best , of his blessings ) hath commonly proved , but aurum Tolos●●●m ; ominous to the owners ; and apt to bring them , to utter ruine ; at most to blessednesse it hath never beene but neutrall : onely as a cypher in Arithmeticke ; no value . but from the placing it ; for if it be placed in a godly hand ; it serves in subsidium virtutis ; and may prove a meanes , for augmentation of blessednesse : but if it fall to be the lot of the wicked ; it is but incontivum vitiorum ; and serves but in majorem d●●nationem ; for an augmentation of misery . And as Moses his blessednesse , is too imperfect : so Christs blessednesse , is too consummate ; for the blessed face of God , ( in which , that blessednesse chiefely consists ) is no fit object for corruptible eyes : God must make himselfe capabilte , which now he is not ; and us , capaces , which now wee are not ; before wee can arrive at the haven of that blessednesse . And so , Moses his blessednesse being suspended ; and Christs blessednes , not yet to be expected : what remains , but that we lay hold on Aarons blessednesse ; and this , indeed , we shall find to sympathize , and suite well , with this of David : For , Aarons blessednesse , is a confidence in Gods mercy , for remission of sinnes ; and a peace of conscience , in being at peace with God , in Christ. And it is no wrong to Aarons peace , to adde , in Christ ; for though Aaron expresse it not , as speaking it , but in figure : yet wee may well thinke , he understands it , as meaning it in substance , seeing no peace , without Christ , is safe unto us ; all peace without him , is but dangerous security : For , Christus est pax nostra : hee onely is our peace ; and this peace , he hath ever used , as his proper good : It was the Present , he brought the Apostles , at his comming from Hell ; Peace be unto you ; and it was the legacy , he left the Apostles , at his going to Heaven : My peace I leave with you ; this peace made Iob upon the dunghill , blessed ; and the want of this peace , made Saul upon his throne , miserable : this peace the world cannot give ; and the wicked cannot have here ; for , there is no peace to the wicked , saith the Lord. And now , if any man sleight this peace ; as not thinking it to deserve the title of blessednesse : Is it not , because he hath no feeling of it , in himselfe ? For , not being felt , it can never be understood ; but hee that feeles , and understands it ; will finde this peace , to be that purchase , which Christ so deerely bought for us , with his precious blood ; and is that in substance , which Aarons peace was but in figure ; for , to this peace , it is not enough , to have a Nil conscire sibi , a cleere conscience in us : ( seeing St. Paul knew nothing by himselfe ; yet was not thereby justified ) but we are justified by faith in Christ : and thus justified , wee have peace with God ; and being at peace with God ; we have peace of conscience within our selves . And then , if this peace can make a blessednesse : ( as certainly a greater cannot be in earthly Tabernacles ) and none partakers of it , but the godly ; we may speake it as well , from Paul , as from David or Aaron ; and so Priest and Prophet ; Apostle and all , agree in this , A godly man is blessed . And if wee take another way to goe ; will it not come to all one journies end ? onely , as having now taken the Prophets words , in this manner : A godly man is blessed : And hee shall be like a tree . There have appeared , two distinct blessednesses : one , present ; and another , future ; so , if wee take the words in this manner : ( as some will have it ) A godly man is blessed ; For , hee shall be like a tree ; there will then appeare , but one maine blessednesse ; the present being only a hope of the future ; and yet thus , it shall still be justly said , A godly man is blessed . For , this hope is not wavering , that may make ashamed ; seeing it hath Faith to guard it ; and Patience , to wait upon it : but it is the ankor of the soule ; that keepes it upright , in all tempests of temptations . And if we passe from the hope it selfe ; to that which is hoped for ; Oh then , how transcendent a blessednesse will be found in hope ? For , is it not an armour of steele , against all blowes of Fortune , and wrackes of time that I have hope continually to stand prompting me with this ? Durate , & vosmet rebus servate seeundis : Be constant to the end ; and be assured , it will not be long , ere thou shalt raigne with Christ ? Is it not a shield of Brasse against all the terrours of death and hell ; that through hope , I can say with Iob , I know that my Redeemer liveth ; and though that wormes destroy this body ; yet I shall one day see God in my flesh ? but most of all , is it not a Rocke of defence , against all afflictions , in body or goods ; against all disgraces , in fame or fortunes ; that with St. Paul , I can say in hope ; There is a Crowne of Righteousnesse laid up for mee , which the iust Iudge will give mee at the last day ? And now , if any man slight this hope , as thinking it not worthy the name of a blessednes ; is it not , because hee hath no feeling of it in himselfe ? for , not being felt , it cannot be understood : but he that feeles and understands it , shall finde that this hope is the true Cordiall of a fainting soule ; as David saith I had fainted , if I had not hoped to see the goodnesse of the Lord , in the Land of the living . And then , if such a cordiall it be ; as such a cordiall , most certainely it is ; and none , partakers of it , but the godly ; we may iustly conclude , the Prophet had iust cause to make it his conclusion : A godly man is blessed . And yet more expresly to shew the dignity of a godly mans blessednes ; we may observe , that as Ratione personaram ; God is said to bee , the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac . and the God of Iacob : so Ratione rerum : he is said by St. Paul ; to bee the God of ioy , the God of peace , the God of hope : that wee cannot thinke much , to have a blessednes , made us up of those things , of which St. Paul thinkes not much , to make up , God himselfe a Title . The joy , which Abraham tooke , when his sacrificed sonne Isaac , was restored to him alive ; was no doubt a wonderfull joy , yet but a type of ours ; that Christ , the true Isaac ; is restored to us alive , by his rising againe . The peace of minde , which Simeon felt , when hee bare the Babe Iesus , carnally in his armes ; was , no doubt , a blessed peace ; yet but an inchoation of ours , who beare the man Christ Iesus ( our full reconcilement ) spiritually in our hearts . The hope which Iacob had , to enioy the beautifull Rachel , was a comfortable hope ; yet but a shaddow of ours ; who hope to enioy the transcendent beauty , of the blessed face of God , in the Kingdome of heaven . And shall not the truth of ioy , make us more blessed , than the type made Abraham ? shall not the consummation of peace , make us more blessed , than the inchoation made Simeon ? shall not the substance hoped for , make us more blessed than the shadow made Iacob ! Oh then the happines of a godly man ; in whom these blessings are all united : which singly enioyed , made such mirrours of blessednes ! A ioy in the holy Ghost ; which no temptation of satan can dismay : A peace of conscience , which no worldly tumult can disturbe : A hope of heaven , which no delay of expectation can discourage : and now let Salomon tell us , if this be not a wreath of three , that farre exceeds his threefold cord , and can never be broken ? And if againe ; to this wreath of three , we adde a fourth ; ( as the Prophet is going about to doe ) the blessednes of prosperity : will it not then , bee a blessednes with admiration ; and a wreathe of foure , that wee can never say , O terque quaterque beatus ; so iustly of any thing under heaven , as of a godly man ! that not onely wee may proclaime it in Gath , and publish it in Ascalon , A godly man is blessed : but with the asseveration of Isaac , in blessing Iacob ; even to Esaus face ; redouble it , in the eares of all the wicked ; A godly man is blessed ; yea , and hee shall bee blessed . And now , that we have found out a godly man , in Hypothesi : where may we looke to finde him out in Thesi ? not amongst the heathen Philosophers : for their peace of conscience , was onely Nil conscire sibi : They knew nothing of any reconcilement with God , in Christ : not amongst the Turkish Musulmans ; for they believe no holy Ghost ; and therefore can have no ioy in the holy Ghost ; not amongst the Iewish Sadduces ; for they deny the resurrection : and therefore can have no hope of heaven . And where then ? onely amongst the Christian beleevers ; for in them onely , is found this wreath of foure : which though singly perhaps they may ; yet ioyned together , they can never be broken : that if a Philosopher thought it cause enough , to cry out in exultation , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : for finding out the Quadrature of a circle in Geometry : wee much more justly : may thinke it cause enough , in exultation to cry out , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : for finding out this Quadrature of blessednesse in Christianity . The Prophet might well rest now in his similitude : as containing sufficiently , a godly mans happinesse : but he seemes to be afraide , it is not capacious enough ; and therefore pieceth it out , with a blessednesse , of another making : And what soever hee doth , it shall prosper . A blessednesse , much like the Manna in the wildernesse ; that fits the rellish of all tastes : for who , but will easily admit , prosperity indeed , to be a blessednesse ? and hee seemes , to have provided it , specially for the meaner capacities ; such as are not well able to apprehend the former , as being too spirituall ; but this is a blessednesse , so visible to be seene ; so palpable to bee , felt ; that even the veriest worldling that is , cannot choose but acknowledge it : Yet we may perceave , the Prophet brings it in ; but as a fagge end of blessednes ; as choosing rather to adde a course piece ; then that it should be said , he had made it too little . But doth not the Prophets adding of this piece ; make the Prophet himselfe defective ? Doth he not by shewing the blessednes to bee the more : shew his owne iudgement to bee the lesse ? For if this were true ; there should not be a godly man to be found , in the whole world . For , are not all men generally subject to crosses ? some in body ; some in goods : some by enemies ; some by friends ; some in all ; but all in some ? all this is true ; and yet the Prophet neverthelesse saith true : for crosses , are our sufferings , not our doings : the adversity of a godly man , in that he suffers ; is no contradiction of prosperity , in that hee doth : and yet even crosses and sufferings , and all ; as St. Paul saith ; shall bee made usefull and prosperous to the godly . For , though Martyrs , cannot well be said , to prosper in their suffering ; because it is grievous ; yet they are truely said to prosper , by their suffering ; because it is glorious ; though Lazarus did not prosper in his suffering , because it brought him , but to Dives gate ; yet he truely prospered , by his suffering , because it brought him , into Abrahams bosome . But may not the Prophet preach this doctrine long enough , before he meet with an auditory , that wil believe him ? Godlinesse to be a meanes of prospering ? a stranger Paradoxe was never held . It is a greater miracle , for men to draw prospering out of godlinesse , than for Moses to draw water out of rockes . Probitas laudatur & alget : godlinesse may have the worlds good word ; but he that useth it , shall die a begger . Thus the wicked , thorow the Prophets sides , stand goaring and galling the goodnesse of God ; and never remember , or never regard the saying of St. Peter , that godlinesse hath the promise , both of this life , and of the life to come . But most of all they insult upon the Prophet , as thinking they can take him tripping in his words ; and can prove him manifestly in two tales : For , that which he saith here of the godly , hee affirmeth the very same , in another place , of the wicked ; Their waies alwaies prosper : they are not in trouble like other men ; they have more than their hearts can wish . And is it possible , the Prophet should ever be able , to answer this ? Can these words of his , be ever possibly reconciled ? Indeede , with a word : For it is but mistaking a word ; ( taking the present Tense , for the future ) that makes all this difference , it is but breaking time , that makes this discord : keepe time with the Prophet , and all will goe well : for he saith not , of a godly man , all his waies doe prosper ; but they shall prosper ; he meddles not , with the present Tense ; nor with the prosperity of the present Tense ; hee leaves that for the wicked to make merry with : for it is a prosperity , not worth the envying : for , who would envie Ionas his Gourd , that is gone in a night ? The present Tense of this life , cannot make a prosperity , that is worth the having : It is the future Tense , must doe it : for this is the lasting Tense ; and though it shew not all his wares at first , as the present Tense doth ; you cannot see yet , what it will prove ; yet give it time ; let things come to a ripenesse ; and you shall find it true in the end ; that Whatsoever a godly man doth ; it shall prosper . And in this Tense , and in this sense it is , that the Prophet speakes of the prosperity of the godly ; but if he come to speake of the wicked in this Tense ; he then alters his Key ; he speakes in another tune ; Thou shalt looke after his place , and it shall not be found . Or may we not , perhaps , reconcile the Prophets words as well , if we onely say , that in speaking of the prosperity of the wicked , loquitur ut vulgus ; & as it is in appearance , because in the eye of the world , it seemes to be so : but when he speaks of the prosperity of the godly ; loquitur ut veritas ; because it is in truth , and really so . The Prophet , we may perceive , makes this account ; that nothing can be truly said to prosper ; which hath not a prosperous ending ; but if it have a prosperous end , it may truely then bee said to prosper . And it is a very just account ; for else we might say , that a cup of cold water , prospers in a Feavour ; because it cooles and easeth for the present ; though it infinitly encrease the burning afterward . And we could not say , that a soveraigne medicine prospers in a sore ; because it akes and paines us for a while ; though afterward it worke a perfect cure . And now bring the wicked , and the godly to the try all of this account ; and you shall finde it true , that the wicked never prosper ; and that the godly prosper alwaies . Did Ahab prosper in seeking Naboths vineyard ? he got indeed the vineyard ; but the dogges licked up his blood . Did Iudas prossper , in betraying his Master ? hee got indeed the thirty pieces of silver ; but his bowels would not tarry in his belly after he had done it . And so the most that can bee said , of the prosperity of the wicked , is but this ; that they have a prosperity indeed ; but it is a tragicall one ; beginnes in jollity , and hath some mirth for a while ; but ends at last , in blood and death . And such it seemes the Prophet meanes , is the prosperity of the wicked ; if he meane not rather , that a prosperity it seemes , but is not : For , the wicked may have children , like Olive branches round about their Table ; and in this may seeme to prosper ; but yet they doe not ; and Iob tels why ; For their children are to the sword ; and shall bee buried in death . They may heape up treasure , and flow in wealth ; and in this may seeme to prosper : but yet they doe not ; and Salomon gives the reason ; For they know not who shall gather it ; themselves , they are sure , shall carry away nothing . They may rise in honours , and bee set aloft ; and in this may seeme to prosper ; but yet they doe not ; and David shewes the cause ; For they are set in slippery places ; and their ending commonly fals out in falling : And this is not onely to bee obserued in single persons ; but even in whole Families : a generation or two may flourish and hold their heads high ; and in this may seeme to prosper ; but yet they doe not ; for of this , is growne a Proverbe ; Non gaudet tertius baeres ; The third generation paies for all . So it is true here , which Abner said to Ioab , There is bitternesse in the end . But with the godly , it is cleane otherwise : For many are the afflictions of the righteous , but the Lord delivers them out of all . So here is prosperity in the ending yet . They may sow in teares , but they shall reape in ioy ; prosperity in the end still . They may go forth weeping , and carrying precious seed with them ; but they shall returne reioycing , and bring their sheaves with them : still prosperity in the end . Daniel may be cast into the Lyons denne ; but hee shall come forth untouched ; his danger shall be his glory . Ionas may be swallowed up of a Whale ; but he shall be cast up safe on shoare ; his destruction shall be his safety . Iob may have his children slaine ; his goods taken from him ; and his body afflicted ; but his children shall be restored , his goods doubled , and his life trebled . And to make short , the Prophet in another place , makes it a rule of infallibility : Marke the upright man ; and behold the perfect man ; for the end of that man , is peace . And so it is verified here , which is said by the Prophet ; Sorrow may be over night , but ioy com meth in the morning . And this againe , is another advantage of the prosperity of the godly ; that their sorrow comes but over night , when they may sleepe it out , and passe it over ; but their ioy cometh in the morning ; when they come fresh unto it ; and have the whole day before them to enjoy it . And now , if we aske the Prophet , what reason he can give , of this prospering of the godly ; Doe not his words themselves answere for him ; and carry in them , the very reason of it ? For in saying , Whatsoever he doth ; he seemes to intend a godly mans service : and in saying , shall prosper : hee seemes to intimate Gods wages : and if this be so : then is the prospering as sure as checke : for as God is a Lord , that lookes his servants should doe their worke ; so hee is a master , that never failes to pay his servants their wages . And then , if blessednesse be Gods wages ; and godlinesse , the mans service ; what is this , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : the very thing the Prophet takes upon him to demonstrate ; A godly man is blessed ? And here now , we may stand and admire the great bounty of God : and consider , how good a service , it is to serve him : and what great wages hee gives his servants ; for the meanest of them all , may reckon upon this : that All he doth shall prosper : The wages is not stinted by the Master , but by the servant ; that if hee have not prosperity enough , hee may thinke himselfe , that would bee idle ; and doe no more , for All he doth shall prosper . But nothing , but what he doth ; the Prophet promiseth no further : for if he doe nothing , hee must looke for no prospering . But what ? have good thoughts then ; and good words ; no promise of prospering ? If they followed by doing ; then are they Praeviae actiones : and as part of the doing , shall have their reward : Otherwise , they are but abortives , and come not to life , to give them capacity : for the life of words , and thoughts , is actuated by the acting . And yet even thus ; the service is so small ; the wages so great ; that if it were told us by any , but by a Prophet ; or told us of any , but of God ; we might justly doubt it ; but hearing it , from such a Reporter ; and of such a Master ; if we should doubt it now ; it might justly be said unto us ; what doubt yee of ; O yee of little faith ? Yet it must be observed here , though we call it , wages ; that yet it is not , so much earned , as given ; being more of favour , than of Merit ; and cannot be exacted , though it may be expected : For , though the wages of sinne be death ; yet we cannot properly say , the wages of godlinesse is life : the Antithesis hath not place ; because our godlinesse hath not weight ; but eternall life , is the gift of God , through Iesus Christ our Lord. And now , if we should aske the world , what it saies to all this ? whether it thinke not these blessings , to be farre more worth , than all their guilded vanities ? what doe we thinke , would the world answer to such a question ? We may be sure , the world would answer thus : it likes the blessinge well , and thinkes them all good ; but one circumstance in them , it doth not like ; that they are all in the future ; none in the present : all birds in the bush , none in the hand : never a bird in the hand amongst them all : Blessed are they that mourne ; for they ( are not , but ) shall be comforted . The tree is planted by the waters side ; but beares no fruit yet ; but will doe . A godly mans actions ( doe not prosper ; but they ) shall prosper . This delay the world doth not like ; it cannot away with these future Tenses ; so much talking of what shall be ; and nothing of what is : and therefore they have a question to aske too ; the same which the Disciples asked Christ : But when shall these things be ? For , if the blessednesse be long a comming ; it can then come but to this ; that it may be said ; A godly man shall be blessed , but is miserable ; and miserable too , for God knowes how long . Therefore give us the present , say they ; and ( as Christ also seemes to teach us ) let Hereafter shift for it selfe . This indeed , is the Hinge , the world still turnes upon ; and it is a hard matter , to take it off . But may wee not answer these men ; as Christ answered his Disciples ; Non est vestrum ; nôsse tempora : It is not for you to know the times and seasons , which God hath kept in his owne hand ? It may suffice you to know , that these things shall be ; when they shall be ; is more than the portion of your knowledge comes to . It is indeed an earthly question ; and moved onely by such , of whom it is said , Earth thou art , and to earth thou shalt returne : For , when wee move such questions , we returne to earth : for if wee staid with God ; we should know , that as the darknesse and the light , is all alike to him ; so to him , the Future and the Present is all one ; that we may marvell , what Saint Peter meant to say ; A thousand yeeres , with God are as a day ; as though there were a proportion between eternity and time : when Esay speakes it out plainly ; All Nations are to God as nothing ; and put in the ballance , are lesse than nothing ; and wee may say as well ; All time , is to him as nothing ; and put in the ballance with Eternity , is lesse than nothing . And therefore , when we meete with these words ( Will be , and Shall be ) in relation to God ; we may take them rather , as words of order , than of time : as in order of Nature , the tree must first be planted , before it can bring forth fruit : a deed must be done , before it can be rewarded ; and yet even this order also , is in Gods disposing ; either to divert it ; or wholly to reverse it , at his owne pleasure . As in the Garden of Eden ; there was bearing of fruit , as soon as planting of trees ; this was a diverting of order . But when God said ; Esau have I hated ; and loved Iacob ; before they had done either good or evill ; here was a prospering before a doing ; and we may say , a bearing of fruit , before a planting the tree ; and this was an absolute reversing of order . The world therefore must take notice , that Will be , with God , is as much , as with men , it is : and when he saith , it Shall be ; it is as good , as if it were already . We all know , there is to be dies retributionis ; a day of account ; and this day to be , God knowes how soone ; sooner , perhaps , than the world thinkes ; but certainely sooner , than the world would have it ; and we are sure , that this Will be , and Shall be ; shall not exceed that day : but how much it shall be sooner ( as oftentimes much sooner ; and alwaies to the godly ; in whose spirits , there is an influence of the future in the present ; by the presence of that spirit , with whom the future is present ) we must leave to God ; in whoseonly hand it is , to dispose of all things , both for time and order . But lest the godly should be sleighted , as men only of expectation ; and wholly excluded from any part of blessednesse in present ; let it be remembred , what Gods promise to the godly , is ; I will never leave thee , nor forsake thee ; and if never leave us , then alwaies with us ; and so indeede , doth Christ expound it ; And lo , I am with you alwaies to the end of the world . And least his presence should be thought , to serve for directing onely , and not as well for comforting ; heare him in this also : And I will send you another Comforter ; but Christ could not send another comforter , if hee were not himselfe a Comforter first . And may it not then be truely said of the godly ; Nullum numen abest ; there is not a person in the whole Deity , but is present with them : And can blessednesse be absent , where the whole Deity is present ? and yet more mediately , to shew Gods care over them ; he gives his Angells charge over them , to keepe them in all their waies ; where the wicked in the meane time , as things forlorne , have neither part nor portion , in any of these promises . It was not to the wicked , that God said , I will never leave thee , nor forsake thee ; it was not to the wicked that Christ said ; And lo , I am with you alwaies to the worlds end ; it was not to the wicked , that Christ promised , to send another comforter : It was not to the wicked , that God promised a guard of Angels ; and may it not then be truely said of the wicked : Nullum numen adest ; there is not a person in the whole Deity ; there is not an Angell in the whole Quire of Heaven , that is present with them ? And what is then the present possession , they so much stand upon ; and so much boast of ? Alas poore wretches ! what is it , but as a dreame ; as Esay saith ; They dreame they are full ; and when they awake , Behold , their soule is empty ; What is it , but as a myst upon their soules , that makes them , as Saint Iohn speakes , to thinke they are rich and faire , and strong ; when yet they are poore , and naked , and miserable . For , what is their present possession , but possession of the present ? and what is the present , but a transient thing ; a thing next to nothing ; no sooner begun , but ended ; that before you can say , it is ; it is not ; the future hath taken its place , and put it from being . And say , we allow them , to take the whole extent of their present life , for the latitude of their present possession ; yet what is all this latitude , but a breadth made up , of narrow minutes , which being impossible , they should be all , one like to another ; makes it impossible , they should make a blessednesse , that can be certaine . Where the blessednesse of the godly is more certaine , than all the assurances of the world can make it . For what are the greatest assurances of all worldly things ? Doe wee not count our selves sure , if we have a good mans word ? and here we have the Word of God : so sure a word , that heaven and earth shall faile ; but his word shall never faile . And if his Word will not be taken ; have we not then , a sufficient mans bond , the bond of the man Christ Jesus ; and that in the highest kinde of obligation , bound body for body ? And if bond be thought too little ; have we not then a good pawne besides ? Arrham Spiritus Sancti ; a pawne and pledge , of the holy Spirit ? and lest there should be defect , for want of witnesses ; have we not a whole army of Martyrs ; and Confessours innumerable ? that unlesse the Apostles and Martyrs , should all prove false witnesses ; unlesse the pawne of the Spirit , should prove a counterfeit ; unlesse the Obligee Christ Jesus , should prove non solvent ; unlesse God himselfe , should prove no man of his word : ( all which are farre greater impossibilities , than that the skie should fall ) it is impossible , that the hope of the godly should be frustrate : or , that these blessings should not be accomplished to them , in the fullest measure . And now , let the world it selfe judge ; if the Prophet had not all the reason of the world , to make it his challenge against the world ; that A godly man is blessed . But now that the world may seeme to be satisfied , for the security ; Now comes in the flesh , with her objection : these blessings indeed , are sensible to the soule , but insensible to the body ; and seeing a man is a compound thing , consisting of a body and a soule ; how can these blessings , which reach but onely to the soule , make more to bee said , than this ? A godly man , is blessed in soule , but is miserable in body ? and why then , should the Prophet shuffle them together ; and as if the body were no body , say Blessed is the man ? But is it not , that Animus cuiusque is est quisque ? and when the Progeny of Iacob went downe into Aegypt ; is it not said , that so many soules went downe , without making reckoning of their bodies ? and did not Christ say , to the Thiefe on the Crosse ; This day , thou shalt be with mee in Paradise ; which yet was meant , but onely of his soule ? And why then , should not the Prophet , though but in respect of these blessings , say Blessed is the man ? The body indeed in this life , is subject to corruption ; and as long as it is so , it is not in it selfe ; nor can bee , of it selfe , capeable of blessednesse : all the blessednesse it hath , or can have ; it must have from the participation , it hath with the soule ; and from the influence , it receiveth from the soule : which influence is so strong ; which participation , so powerfull ; that it even confounds the distinction , of body and soule ; and makes them considered but as one entire thing ; that even heathen capacities could apprehend , how the body being In equuleo ; upon the racke ; might yet by the strength of this participation , be made able to say , Quàm suave est hoc ? and therefore , the Prophet can never be justly blamed , for saying ; ( as in this , and many other respects , he may and must say , ) A godly man is blessed . Though this Psalme be most properly understood , of a godly man ; yet there are some , will needs have it , primarily to be meant of the man Christ Iesus ; and there may bee reasons found , to make probable their opinion . For , it is most true indeede of Christ , that he prospered in all he did . He prospered , in his mothers wombe : for at the salutation of the Virgin Mary ; the babe sprang in the wombe of Elizabeth : He prospered at his birth ; for he was presently adored , of the wise men of the East : he prospered in his infancie ; for he grew in favour , with God and men : he prospered in his baptisme : for There came a voice from heaven ; This is my well beloved sonne , in whom I am well pleased . He prospered in his temptations , in the wildernesse ; for he triumphed over satan ; and the Angels ministred unto him . He prospered in his death ; for he was manifested by miracles , to be the Sonne of God. He prospered in the grave ; for God suffered not his holy One , to see corruption . Hee prospered in his rising ; for He ascended into heaven . He prospered in ascending : for ; Hee sitteth at the right hand of God , in the glory of his Father . And thus also shall a godly man , as ingrafted into Christ ; be carried with him , through the like passages : he shall prosper in temptations : for God will give the issue , with the temptation . He shall prosper in hunger ; For he shall be fed with bread from heaven . He shall prosper in mourning ; for he shall receive comfort . Hee shall prosper in sicknesse : for God himselfe will make his bedde , and lay him at ease . He shall prosper in death ; for hee shall rest from his labours , and his workes shall follow him . He shall prosper in the grave : for he shall sleepe in quiet ; till God awake him , and give him light . Hee shall prosper in his Resurrection ; For hee shall meete Christ in the aire ; and be carryed with him , into his Kingdome of Glory . And now it may be time , both for the Prophet and us , to rest a while ; and take breath : for of us , it may be said ; that wee have now passed over the Mount Gerizzim ; and are come to the foote of the Mount Ebal ; for wee are entring upon his second proposition ; which is his Onus or burthen for the wicked ; and of the Prophet it may be said ; that hee hath now finished , his second prize ; and hath put a godly man in quiet possession of his blessednesse ; and is now entring the Lysts againe , to make good his second challenge ; The wicked are not so . Where first , wee may observe , that the Prophet observes here , a different course , in handling of this proposition ; from that he held in handling the former : For there , he onely described a godly man ; but named him not : here , he onely names the wicked , but describes them not : and indeed , it needed not ; For Rectum est index sui & obliqui ; by telling what a godly man is ; he tels , by vertue of the Law of contraries , what the wicked are ; for if that be affirmed of a wicked man , which was denied of a godly ; and that denied , which was affirmed ; the description is made ready to your hand : and you have him deciphered in his fulnesse . And yet we may take notice of a further reason ; for godlinesse is subiect to many falsifications ; it may suffer much allay , by mixture of base metals ; and then , there is need of a touch-stone , to try whether it bee right , or no : many colours may be laid upon wickednesse , to make it seeme godlinesse ; as satan can transforme himselfe , into an Angell of light ; and then there is need of markes , to know whether it bee a good Angell ; whether it be true godlinesse or no : but in the case of wickednes , it is not so ; there is no need of any such markes ; for there cannot a worse vizard be put upon wickednesse , than its owne face ; there is no baser metall to be mingled with it , and though a wicked man will bee counterfaiting , to bee godly ; yet it was never knowne , that a godly man would counterfeit , to bee wicked : and therefore the Prophet , who is no waster of words in vaine ; would not give markes , where there needed none ; but left wickednesse to be knowne , by its owne ill face ; which is seene plaine enough , by the Law of contraries . And now , what meanes the Prophet by saying ; The wicked are not so ? meanes hee not , they are like a Tree ? and what care the wicked , whether they be like a Tree , or no : as long , as they may be like to something else , as well to be liked as a Tree ? as to bee like a Flower ; or to be like the Grasse ; or like a stone : for they may be so , though they be not so ; they may be like these ; though they bee not like that ; and any of these , will serve their turne , and please them as well , as to be like a Tree . This indeed might be their hope , if the Prophet should stay here ; but hee quickly takes them off , from this hope : for he findes hee cannot make use of the Law of contraries here , as he did before ; though the Negation of godlinesse , might well enough expresse the nature of wickednesse ; yet the Negation of blessednesse of the godly , is no sufficient expressing of the misery of the wicked : but as their misery is a positive thing ; so it must have a positive expressing ; It is not enough to say , They are not like a Tree ; but hee must tell what they are like : and hee cannot say , They are like a flower , for a flower , when time serves , is the prime beauty of the earth ; where wickednesse is never but deformity : Nor hee cannot say , they are like to grasse , for the grasse is thought a fit similitude , as well for the godly , as the wicked ; as it is said , All flesh is grasse : Nor he cannot say , They are like a stone : for a stone , is serviceable for many excellent uses , and especially for building up ; where wickednesse can serve for nothing , but destroying and pulling downe ; and to what then , can he say , they are like ? To speake it at once , ( as Ioab strooke Amasa ) and not to speake againe ; hee may justly say , They are like to chaffe ; for chaffe , as fully expresseth the misery of the wicked ; as a tree expressed the blessednesse of the godly ; for though the likening them , to so light a thing as chaffe , may seeme to import but a light misery ; yet being well weighed , it will appeare , that though he say not , in plaine termes , A wicked man is miserable ; yet by saying , he is like to chaffe , he intimateth more misery , than the word miserable is capeaable off . But may we not make a stand here , and question the Prophet , about his similitude ? for looke upon the wicked ; doe they looke like chaffe ? One would thinke them rather , in all appearance , to be cleane wheate ; and the best wheate too ; for they onely are flourishing ; they onely carry the price in all markets . But the Prophet speakes not , how they looke ; but what they are ; hee saith not , they looke like chaffe ; but They are like chaffe ; and before hee hath done , for all their appearance , hee will make it appeare , they are like chaffe ; and chaffe they are like to have for their similitude . Well , be it so ; Let the Prophet have his will ; and let them bee like chaffe ; what hurt take they by this ? For doth not the chaffe grow up ; and is it not brought up with the wheat ? and when Harvest comes ; are they not both reaped together ; and both together , laid up into the Barne ? and what more misery in all this , to the chaffe , then to the wheate it selfe ? all this is true ; the Prophet sees it well enough ; and therefore staies not here neither ; hee ends not with saying , They are like to chaffe ; but they are like to chaffe , which the minde scatters . For this is that which perfects the similitude ; and now let any man except against it , if he can . For , there was a time indeed , when the chaffe was united to the wheate ; and made one body with it ; and enjoyed then some priviledges , for the wheates sake , which were proper to the wheate , and nothing at all belonging to the chaffe ; and all this while , it could not justly be said , the wicked are like to chaffe ; but when it is divided from the wheate ; and is no longer countenanced by it ; when it is not borne out by the greatnesse of the wheate , against the power of the winde ; but is wholly cast off , and left alone to it selfe ; then it becomes subject , to the scattering of the winde : and then , and not till then , is it made sit , to bee a similitude for the wicked : for then , it shewes it selfe what it is ; the most contemptible , and abject thing ; the most unquiet , and restlesse thing , that is in the world ; so contemptible and abject ; that if it flie in the ayre , all men shut their eyes against it : and if it lie on the ground ; all men tread their feete upon it : so unquiet , and restlesse ; that even Caine , the man that had the first taste of this similitude , makes this complaint upon it ; I am now a vagabond in the earth : for what is his being a vagabond , but his being like chaffe ? For who knowes not , that a vagabond is properly one , that roames about from place to place , but is never in his proper place ? and how great a misery it is , to be Extra locum proprium ; out of the naturall place ; may appeare , by the striving and strugling of all naturall bodies , to attaine it ; but if any such thing be , that hath no locum proprium , as it were , no home at all to goe to ; the unquietnesse of that thing must needs bee infinite ; seeing it hath not so much as capacity of quietnesse : and such a thing is chaffe ; for , the aire is not the naturall place ; it is too heavy for that ; nor the earth is not its naturall place ; it is too light for that ; and so as having no home at all to goe to ; it must of necessity remaine a perpetuall vagabond still . And such was the state of Cain ; and such is the state of all the wicked : that the Prophet could never have met , with such another similitude , to expresse the misery of the wicked : as to say , They are like to chaffe , which the wind scatters . But here by the way , we may let the wicked know , they have a thankes to give , they little thinke of ; that they may thanke the godly , for all the good daies , they live upon the earth : seeing it is for their sakes , and not for their owne , that they enjoy them . For as the chaffe , whiles it is united , and keepes close to the wheate ; enjoyes some priviledges for the wheates sake ; and is laid up carefully in the Barne ; but as soone as it is divided , and parted from the Wheate : It is cast out , and scattered by the wind : so the wicked , whilest the godly are in company , and live amongst them ; partake for their sake , of some blessings promised to the godly ; but if the godly forsake them , or be taken from them ; then either a deluge of water , comes suddenly upon them ; as it did upon the old world , when Noah left it , and went into the Arke ; or a deluge of fire ; as it did upon Sodome , when Lot left it , and went out of the City . And even one good man , is oftentimes enough to morallize the Fable of Atlas ; and to stay the wrath of Heaven , from falling downe upon the world . For , though Abraham in good manners , would not presse God under the number often ; yet the Angell told Lot plainely , hee could doe nothing against Sodome , till hee were out of it , and farre enough from it . But though wee cannot say , that a tree and chaffe are such contraries , as godlinesse and wickednesse are , where denying the one , inferres affirming the other ; and affirming the one , denying the other , yet if they be laid together , and well examined , there will be found so infinite oddes betweene them ; that they may well passe for contraries , which come so neere to being so . For , take but a leafe , which seemes , as it were , but the chaffe of a tree ; at least , the meanest part of it ; and see , how infinitely it exceedes this chaffe , in any thing that is of value : as in entitie ; in use ; in goodnesse . For every thing hath so much entitie in it , as it hath influence from the Primum ens ; and as it is degrees removed from not being ; but such degrees we may conceive in a leafe , infinite ; in chaffe or dust , none at all : For , it is the very bottome and dregs of all being ; and if you would conceive lesse than dust or chaffe ; you must conceive just nothing ; and in this it resembles sinne ; at least , comes neerest of any thing , to resemble it . For sinne hath no influence at all , from the Primum ens ; it is no creature of Gods making ; but when the Divell would be counterfeiting God ; and take upon him , to be a maker ; hee brought forth sinne ; other creatures hee could make none : and therefore , so much as a man sinnes ; so much hee recedes from the Primum ens ; so much he approacheth to annihilate himselfe ; so much he is made a creature of the Divell ; and so much he becomes chaffe . In matter of use , the oddes betweene a leafe and chaffe , is yet more evident : For , a leafe , besides the service it doth the tree , is serviceable also , for food , for medicine , for clothing . A leafe was the first clothing of our first parents ; and ( as much as we scorne it now ) it is our finest clothing still ; for what are all our silkes , but Mulbery-leafes ; at least , by propagation ? whereas of chaffe or dust , there never was any use made , since the world was made , but onely , that by the curse of God ; it was ordained to be the Divells food . And in this also , it resembles sinne ; for ever since , God said to man , for his sinne ; Dust thou art , and to dust thou shalt returne ; the Divell hath taken , as common dust , for his common food : so wicked men , as the finest dust , for his escaedelicatae , his daintiest food ; as Esay calls them . And this , perhaps , in contracts with Witches ; makes the Divell so eager to be sucking their blood ; setting his marke upon them , as dainty morsells reserved for his owne tooth . Lastly , for goodnesse , doe wee not see , in the leafe , a kinde of gratefulnesse , and good nature ; that when it can doe the tree no more service by hanging upon it ; it then falls off , and lies as neere to the roote as it can ; warming and fatning all the ground about it ; as it were , to pay the tree , for the juyce and nourishment it had received from it : where the chaffe is so ungratefull a thing ; and of sovile a nature , that wheresoever it lights ; it makes the very ground barren that receives it ; even the ground it selfe , that bore it . And in this also , it resembles sinne ; which , though it be hurtfull , even to strangers ; as appeares by the deluge , which brought ruine upon all creatures , for the onely sinne of man ; yet it is most hurtfull to them that commit it , as it were , to its owne parents ; and this ungratefulnesse , is so generall a symptome to all vice ; that it seemes to have as large a latitude as vice it selfe : Nam cum ingratum dicis ; omnia vitia dicis . Thus the wicked have for their similitude , the chaffe ; and the chaffe hath for its persecutor the wind ; and as the wind or aire , tyrannizeth over the chaffe : so the prince , that ruleth in the aire , tyrannizeth over the wicked . This tyrannicall wind , hath not power over any thing so much , as over this chaffe ; for it tumbles & tosses it from post to pillar ; and wee may even say , it gives the chaffe , as it were , a Strapadoe : for it whirleth it on high ; and then lets it fall at leisure , to give it the longer paine . It hath no such power over our Tree ; when it comes to a tree ; it doth it more good than hurt ; more pleasure than annoyance : for , when the wind blowes ; we may justly say , The trees are then at their exercise ; for having no locall motion in themselves , they are agitated and stirred by the wind , which stirs up their vitall vigour , as exercise stirs up natural heate in the bodies of men . But the wind hath no such meaning towards the chaffe ; it comes not to exercise it , but to vexe it ; it makes it not a traveller ; but a vagabond : for if it but happen to light any where ; the least aire that moves , removes it againe : the East-wind drives it forward ; the West-wind turnes it backeward ; the North-wind crosseth them both ; that the poore chaffe , hath no standing , but to stand amazed ; it is held up , but by contrary motions ; it is of all hands , under the hand of violence ; it hath no naturall rest , but as it is naturall to it , never to rest ; it must be somewhere , yet it can be no where ; it hath a place , but no mansion ; a being , but no abiding ; no refreshing , but while the wind is weary : no resting , but till the aire be up and ready ; that as long as the aire is an Element ; and hath to doe in the world ; there is no hope for the miserable chaffe to be ever at quiet . And such is the condition of the wicked ; a gale of prosperity , hoisteth them up ; that they neither know themselves , nor where they are ; a blast of adversity blowes them downe ; and makes them teare the heavens with murmuring ; and themselves with impatience . No state , no time , no place contents them : that it may be truely said , There is no ungodly man , that is not a kind of a foole ; their being like chaffe , makes them light-headed : they are onely wittie , to shew they have no wit ; onely ingenious , to doe themselves hurt ; their braines that should rest in their heads , are alwaies a working to finde out heads of unrest ; adversity doth not please them ; because they are in a storme ; prosperity doth not please them , because they are becalmed : A meane degree doth not please them , because it leaves them in the darke : Honour doth not please them , because it sets them in too much light : Labour doth not please them , because it breakes their rest : Ease doth not please them , because it gathers rust : Life doth not please them , because it is alwaies going away : Death doth not please them , because it never suffers them to come againe . That let come what will come , the wicked make sure worke , to be never contented . Where the godly are as a cube ; tosse them and tumble them , how yee will ; yet they have a bottome still to light upon : and we may truely say , There is no godly man , that is not truely wise , their wits are alwaies imploied to finde out reasons of contentment : Poverty pleaseth them , because they have nothing to lose : Riches please them , because they have something to give : Adversity pleaseth them , because they may shew patience : Prosperity pleaseth them , because they may shew charity : A meane estate pleaseth them , because they may be quiet : Honour pleaseth them , because they may be humble : Labour pleaseth them , because it is a good exercise : Ease pleaseth them , because it is a good recreation : Life pleaseth them , because they have something to doe : Death pleaseth them , because they rest from their labours . That let come , what can come ; the godly make sure worke , to be ever contented : Let Fortune appeare in what shape shee will ; yet a godly man , is Faber fortunae suae : he can worke her , and frame her , to his owne likeing ; that the Prophet may well justifie his similitudes : The godly are like a tree , which stands fixt and immoveable ; The wicked are like to chaffe , which is scattered about . It is a miserable thing to be in slavery ; much more to be in slavery to a tyrant ; but to a malicious tyrant , a misery most intolerable . If the Prophet had onely said ; The wicked are like to chaffe , which is scattered about ; though this had beene a slavery ; yet there had been hope they might have lighted on a gentle Master : but when he saith , They are like the chaffe which the wind scatters ; this makes them in a desperate case ; they are now in slavery to a malicious tyrant ; and no possibility of any good for ever . We may observe , there are divers kindes of scatterings : it is said of a liberall man ; that he scatters abroad , when hee gives to the poore ; and it is said of a husband-man ; that hee scatters abroad , when hee sowes his seede : and these are good scatterings ; for they are waies to gathering ; though they be scatterings , for a time , yet they be gatherings in the end ; and such scattering is a blessed thing ; but the scattering of the chaffe by the wind ; is not a way to gathering ; you may as soone gather the wind in your fist ; as gather the chaffe , when the wind hath once scatter'd it ; it is a scattering first and last : and such scattering is a miserable thing . And wee may know the condition of the scattering , by the conditions of the scatterer : For Almes are scattered , by a mercifull hand ; and seed is scattered by a provident hand : but this chaffe is scattered by a malicious hand : the hand of Satan ; that will never leave scattering them , till he have scattered them for his own gathering ; which is the finall ; yet the endlesse scattering . And therefore it seemes well observed in Scripture ; that when the godly die , it is said ; They are gathered to their Fathers ; but when the wicked die , there is no gathering to their fathers spoken of ; but their scattering must be understood , to be first & last ; a scattering , both here , and in another World. And now , if you cannot choose but thinke it , a miserable thing , to be this chaffe ; you can as little choose but thinke it , a miserable thing , to be a wicked man : For whatsoever is seene or said of this chaffe ; is true , and more true of a wicked man. The chaffe is light , and makes no weight in the ballance ; but the wicked are lighter than vanity it selfe ; they are not worth putting in the ballance . The chaffe is not moved , but when the wind blowes ; but the wicked are moved when there is no wind at all ; they are afraid where no feare is . The chaffe hath the wind without it , that disquiets it ; but a wicked man hath the wind within him : ( his owne passions ) that disquiet him . The chaffe is an absolute abject ; and can never rise in value , but the wicked are more absolute Reprobates ; and shall never rise in judgement . The chaffe is not suffered in the heape of the Wheate ; but the Wheate shall be lesse suffered , in the congregation of the Righteous . The chaffe is persecuted but by the wind of the aire ; but the wicked are persecuted by the Prince that ruleth in the aire : The chaffe is troden under foot , but by men and beasts ; but the wicked shall be trampled upon by the Divell and his angells . If that which is spoken of the godly man , may be applied to the man Christ Jesus ; then certainly , that which is spoken of the ungodly , may be applied to the wicked Iewes : For no chaffe was ever more troden under foote ; no chaffe more scattered upon the face of the earth : that it seemes verified of them , which David speakes in another place ; Let them be as chaffe : and let the Angell of the Lord persecute them . The Prophet hath now said fully as much , as need to bee said , in proofe of his two positions ; A godly man is blessed ; A wicked man is miserable : and why then will hee use any more words ? Is it , that as a good Mathematician , hee will not onely make a demonstration ; but adde a corollary ? Or is it , that considering it is the office of a Prophet , chiefly to tell of things to come ; hee insists not upon the present misery of the wicked : but as more properly belonging to his office , he discovers the misery , they shall have hereafter ; and indeed , who but a Prophet , could have made this discovery ? Or is it , that the present misery of the wicked , as a thing , more obvious , and apparent ; he leaves to bee gathered , from the similitude it selfe ; but their future misery , as a thing lesse knowne , and more concealed ; he will not leave , to the venture of others construction ; but for more surety , will bring it in , himselfe : and therefore , as the similitude consisted of two parts ; They are like to chaffe ; and to chaffe , which the wind scatters ; so he brings in , an inference , consisting of two parts , to answer them ; They are like to chaffe : Therefore they shall not rise in the judgement ; and to chaffe . which the winde scatters : Therefore they shall not be of the Congregation of the Righteous . But is not this a strange inference ? Tho ungodly , are like unto chaffe ; therefore they shall not rise in the judgement ; for being as chaffe , they should rise the rather . For what is apter to rise , than that which is light ? and what is lighter than the chaffe ? And yet the inference , not so strange ; as the consequence , dangerous : for if the ungodly , shall not rise in the judgement : what shall then become , of two Articles of our faith ; the generall Resurrection ; and the generall Iudgement ? how will the Prophet avoide , the imputation of a Sadduce ? how will hee hold fellowship with St. Paul , who makes a solemne protestation , that He beleeves the resurrection shall be , both of iust and uniust ? Yet let not this trouble us : for both the inference , will be plainely enough justified ; and the dangerous consequence , easily avoyded . For take the inference , as it is intended ; and what can be plainer ? the ungodly , are like to chaffe ; therefore they shall not rise in the Iudgement : for , the Iudgement is as a Ballance ; but to rise in the judgement , is not to rise in the ballance ; which is a worke of lightnesse , and makes rejected : but it is a pressing downe the ballance ; which is a rising in value ; and makes accepted . And as the inference , is thus justified : so the dangerous consequence , not onely is easily avoided , but the directly contrary consequence , necessarily inferred : The ungodly shall not rise in the Iudgement ; therefore there shall be a generall Resurrection . For the Iudgement indeed , is as a ballance , to try the weight of things ; but how can the weight of any thing be tryed , if it bee not put into the ballance , and how can it bee put into the ballance , if it come not where the ballance is ? when therefore the Prophet affirmeth , that the ungodly shall not rise in the Iudgement ; is it not a necessary consequence , that they shall rise to the Iudgement ? For how can it bee tryed , whether they shall rise in the Iudgement , or no ; if they come not to the Iudgement , where they are to be tryed ? The generall Resurrection , shall bee before the Iudgement ; and therefore this rising in Iudgement ; is a rising after the Resurrection ; and so , the not rising here , no hinderance to the rising there ; but rather ensorcing that generall , that there may bee this particular . But what say wee then , to that saying of Christ ; Hee that beleeveth not , is judged already ; for being judged already , hee needs not come any more to Iudgement ? seeing none shall be judged for one cause , twice . Wee say , this is no consequence neither : For , what greater unbeleevers , than those in the Gospell , who cast out divels in Christs Name ; yet did not so much as professe Christs Name ? and yet even those shall come to Iudgement : for Christ tels , what answere shall bee made them , when they come there . How then is it true that they be judged already ? Not by the sentence of the Iudge , but by the prejudice , of their cause : and this is no hinderance , for their comming to Iudgement . If the Prophet had sayd ; The ungodly shall not rise , to the Iudgement ; the Sadduces indeed might have taken hold of this ; and iustly claymed him to bee of their side : but when hee onely saith , they shall not rise in the Iudgement ; this is no more , then St. Paul would have said himselfe , if hee had beene in the Prophets place : for who ever thought , the ungodly should rise , in the Iudgement ; who are sure to fall in the iudgement ? seeing their Iudge ment shall bee to condemnation ; and not to deliverance . To rise to the Iudgement , is to be brought to publique tryall : and this is the generall Resurrection , that we beleeve ; but to rise in the Iudgement ; is upon tryall , to come off with credit ; and by the sentence of the Iudge , not onely to be iustified , but advanced : and who ever beleeved ; this rising to belong to the wicked ? It is therefore well observed by One ; that St. Paul cals the resurrection of the Iust , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : to shew , that every one shall have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : to bee raised up ; but none but the Iust , shall have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : to bee raysed up , and be exalted . And indeed , in this kinde of rising ; how can any of the ungodly rise ; who have so many standing ready to pull them downe ? Cain cannot rise here ; and with him , no murtherer , nor malicious person ; for if he but offer , to come in place ; the wounds of Abel , fall a bleeding afresh ; and cry out for vengeance . Saul cannot rise here ; and with him , none that trust in the world ; and distrust in God : for though the witch of Endor , could raise up Samuel to Saul ; yet shee cannot here raise up Saul to Samuel . Dives cannot rise here ; and with him no glutton , nor covetous person ; for the blisters of Lazarus are rising upon them ; and keepe them from rising . Simon Magus cannot rise here ; and with him , none guilty of simony or bribery : for Simon Peter , hath stopped all their rising with this , Thou and thy money perish together . The like may be said , of all other ungodly ones , as many as the chaffe , can challenge to be like it ; that it is no hard matter , to prove the Prophets saying , true : it is impossible it should bee false ; The ungodly shall not rise in the Iudgement . But may wee not draw the similitude ; and will not the similitude draw the wicked into a further degree , of not rising in Iudgement ; than this , now spoken of ? For , cast both wheate and chaffe into the ground ; and after a few daies , you shall see the wheate rise flourishing up ; and rise up daily more and more ; till it come to a fit ripenesse , to be brought into the Barne : but you shall never see more of the chaffe , then to lie dead in the place ; sweltring and mouldring in its owne corruption . And this is even intimated , in the similitudes themselves : For in the similitude of the godly ; the Prophet first expresseth passion ; and then , action : First , the Tree is planted ; and then , it brings forth fruite : but in the similitude of the wicked , he expresseth nothing but passion ; They are like to chaffe , which the winde scatters : and seeing , the wicked are like to chaffe , in which there is nothing , but passivenesse ; how should they rise in the Iudgement , which is a worke of activenesse ? But will not this bring us againe , into a relaps , of denying the generall Resurrection ? Not at all . For though the chaffe cannot rise , by any principle of motion , it hath in it selfe , as the Tree doth ; yet it may bee raised up , by the working of the winde : so though the wicked cannot rise , by any seed of life , remaining in themselves , as the godly shall ; yet they may bee raysed up , by the helpe of some outward operation . The godly , have Semen spiritus , sowne in their hearts by faith ; They are Members of Christs body ; They have this promise made them by Christ ; that hee will raise them up at the last day : and therefore their rising shall be a rising to Iudgement ; and a rising in judgement ; but the wicked have no such semen in them ; They are no partakers of Christs body ; They have no such promise , made them by Christ ; and therefore their rising shall be to Iudgement ; but not in Iudgement ; Their rising shall be by a violent dragging by some other ; it shall not be a voluntary motion of their owne ; it shall bee by infirmity of passivenesse : it shall not be , by any strength of activenesse ; it shall bee by the power of Christs Resurrection ; It shall not bee by participation of Christs Ascension . And so , the Prophets denying , the rising of the ungodly in judgement ; is no Negation , of their rising to Iudgement , and therefore neither joynes hands with the Sadduces ; nor shakes hands with our beliefe ; nor yet opposeth St. Pauls protestation . And as there shall be a generall Iudgement ; in which the ungodly shall not rise ; so after the Iudgement ; there shall bee a particular congregation of the righteous , in which sinners shall not stand . And indeed , what society can there bee , betweene a tree , and chaffe ? or who can thinke it fit , that trees and chaffe , should bee made companions ? and as there is no reason , that the ungodly , having made others , by their counsell , to fall here ; should rise themselves , in judgement hereafter ; so there is no reason , seeing the righteous could not bee suffered to stand here in the way of sinners ; that sinners , should bee suffered to stand hereafter , in the congregation of the Righteous . And here now a multitude of reasons , seeme assembled , as it were to make it good ; that sinners neither can , nor ought to stand in this assembly . It is a congregation ; which none can make but the righteous : for sinners are all rebels ; and would make it a rout . It is a Court , where all must be neate and cleane ; and so are none but the righteous ; for sinners are all lepers ; and would make it a spittle . It is an assembly of such onely as are chosen , and come when they are called ; and such are onely the righteous : for sinners , are all intruders ; and scorne to come , at any ones call . It is a company that makes a communion ; and that can none doe but Saints ; for sinners seeke every one their owne ; and are all for themselves . They must be some , hands ; some , feere ; some , head ; yet all members of one body : and so are only the righteous ; for sinners are dismembred members ; they would be all , head ; yet cannot all , make a body . They must be all Gods friends ; at least , such as he knowes ; and such , are onely the righteous ; for sinners are all meere strangers , and aliens from God. Indeed before the Iudgement , the wheate and the chaffe , made both but one heape : but after the Iudgement , the wheate is received into the barne , and the chaffe is cast upon the dunghill , and scattered about . Before the Iudgement , the ungodly and the righteous , made both but one assembly ; but after the Iudgement , the righteous make a City by themselves , which is the new Ierusalem ; into which , no sinners shall bee suffered to enter ; The righteous shall be taken , with the Bridegroome , into glory : and the ungodly with shame , shall be shut out of dores . For the Iudge hath a Fan in his hand , to winnow the chaffe from the wheate ; and to separate the ungodly from the righteous : and this is his fanning ; when to the comfort of all comforts , he shall say to the godly , Venite benedicti patris ; Come ye blessed of my Father ; and to the terrour of all terrours , shall say to the wicked ; Ite maledicti in ignem aeternum . Goe yee cursed , into everlasting fire . And when Christ the Iudge hath once said the word , there can bee no tarrying ; they shall presently be parted , they must presently part ; and so be parted , and so part ; as never to stand together , never to come together any more for ever . But seeing the future misery of the wicked , shall consist in two maine points ; in poena Damni , & poena sensus : in paine of losse , and paine of sense : why would the Prophet speake here , of onely their poena damni , as their not rising in Iudgement ; and their not standing in the Congregation of the Righteous ; but speake nothing at all , of their poena sensus ? when yet to speak of their pain of sense ; would make us more sensible of their paine ; and more readily assent to the Prophets assertion , that wicked men are miserable ? Is it , that he would not goe further , than the line of his similitude would leade him ? and he saw , that his similitude would not reach to Poena sensus ? For , how can chaffe , which is a thing without life or sense , be able to expresse a misery , in which there is life onely , that there might be sense ; and sense only , that there might be paine ? Or , is it , that indeed it needed not ; seeing the paine of losse , is misery enough to make a hell of it selfe ; and able to bring upon the wicked , as much as Christ affirmed ; even weeping and wailing , and gnashing of teeth . For , if ever misery deserved weeping of eyes ; if ever losse deserved gnashing of teeth ; this is the misery , that they shall not rise in the Iudgement ; by which , they shall never come to see the blessed face of God ; and this is the losse ; that they shall not be of the Congregation of the Righteous ; by which they shall for ever be excluded from all society with Saints and Angels . Ahasuerus asked Haman , What should be done to the man , whom the King would honour ? and Haman supposing himselfe should be the man ; made answer , Thus and thus shall be done unto him ; but when the King appointed Mordecai to be the man ; and himselfe the man to see it executed ; Oh , what torment , what anguish and vexation , did then surpize the soule of Haman ; to be himselfe thus basely imployed ; and the man hee most scorned , so highly exalted ? Such , and infinitly greater , shall be the torment and anguish of minde to the wicked , when rising to the Iudgement , they shall not rise , in the Iudgement ; but they which sate before in the chaire of scorners ; shall now be scorned themselves ; and to disgrace them the more , God himselfe shall turne scorner ; as it is said , God shall laugh them to scorne ; and have them in derision . And now let the great men of the world , please themselves ; and thinke it a happinesse , that they can rise in honours ; can rise in riches and estimation in the world ; yet alas , what is all this , if they faile of rising in the Iudgement to come ? Let them please themselves ; and thinke it a happinesse ; that they are honoured in all companies where they comel ; and have the solace of all the good fellowship the world can afford ; yet alas , what is all this ; if they faile to be admitted into the Congregation of the Righteous ? This rising in Iudgement , is that high glory , whereof Christ shewed a patterne , to St. Peter and Iohn , in his transfiguration ; so high , that they were faine to be carried up into a mountaine to see it ; so glorious , that it put them into extasies to behold it ; and yet but the lower Region of this rising neither : but when Saint Paul was taken up into the third heaven ; where he might see much more than Peter and Iohn could see upon the mountaine ; hee then saw so much glory as made him afflicted to expresse it ; and could not expresse it , but by afflictions ; the afflictions of this life , are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed , not all the afflictions of the Prophets ; of whom it is said , They were stoned ; they were sawne asunder ; were slaine with the sword ; not all the afflictions of the Martyrs , of whom some were broyled upon Gridirons ; some rosted upon Spits ; some broken in pieces upon Racks and wheeles ; put all together ; and confined upon one man , yet can never make him worthy of the glory that is to come . And how then , O my soule , canst thou avoid the extasie of Peter and Iohn , but to thinke of this ? how canst thou give David cause to say : Why art thou cast downe , O my soule ; and why art thou so disquieted within me ? for this rising there , will make ample amends , for all the fallings that can be here ; for though it be a great fall , to be laid low in the earth ; where the wormes shall eate this flesh of thine ; yet it will be a greater rising , to be raised up into the mount , where thy body shall be made like to Christs glorious Body ; and though thou maist say of thy selfe now , as Saint Paul said : O wretch that I am , who shall deliver mee from this body of death ? yet when the time of this rising comes ; it shall be said of thee ; even of thee , O my body ; as was said of Mordecai ; Thus shall be done to the man whom God will honour . This Congregation of the Righteous ; is that new Hierusalem , of which it is said ; Great and glorious things are spoken of thee , thou City of God. Great and glorious indeed ; for if wee conceive in our mindes , the happinesse of a City , where there are millions of millions of Citizens ; yet all , as loving mutually together , as David and Ionathan ; where there is Holinesse , immaculate ; Peace , inviolate ; Joy , ineffable ; Pleasure , inexpressible : No time , but Eternity ; no Place , but immensity : no noise , but of Musicke with songs of Allelujah : no sicknesse , but of love with the Spouse in the Canticles : no motions , but of mildnesse , where the Lambe is the leader : no words , but of wonder , where the Angells are silent ; where God is All in All ; and all and every one in God ; this Congregation , is that City : but because no tongue can so well expresse it , as his , whose eyes did cleerely behold it ; heare St. Iohn in his owne words ; God shall wipe away all teares from all eyes ; there shall be no more death ; neither sorrow , nor crying ; neither shall there be any more paine ; there shall be no neede of the Sunne , nor of the Moone ; for the glory of God shall lighten it ; and the Lambe shall be the light thereof . Now therefore , O my soule , Why art thou cast downe ; and why art thou so disquieted within mee ? What though thou flie as a bird , to the mountaines ? what though thou dwell a while in the Tents of Mesek ? this Congregation will make amends for all ; not onely for Iohn Baptists desolatenesse in the wildernesse ; but even for Iobs despisednesse on the dung-hill . We may well be contented to serve a Prentiship here ; so we may come to be free of this City hereafter : here wee sweepe Kennells , there shall weare Crownes : here we are militant , there shall be triumphant : For Christ the crucified is our Captaine ; and God our glory . And now we may see , there was no need at all , why the Prophet should aggravate the hell of the damned , by adding their sense of paine ; seeing no bottome of hell can be so deepe as this , to be barred for ever , from this rising in Iudgement ; and to be excluded for ever , from this Congregation of the Righteous . And so all this goes on upon the score still ; to make up the full measures of the blessednesse of the godly ; and of the misery of the wicked ; that no Art can shew Principles so irrefragable ; Positions so infallible , as these of the Prophet ; A godly man is blessed ; A wicked man is miserable . But how happens this sudden alteration in the Prophet ? he was so reserved at first , and made so dainty but onely to name a Righteous man ; that hee would not doe it , though it were to bring him to inherit blessednesse ; and now on a sudden , he brings them in by troupes ; a whole Congregation of the Righteous at once ? Is it not , that he durst not presume to use the name of Righteous ; till it were first determined of in the Iudgement ? and till they had their station assigned them amongst the Saints ? not only because it cannot till then be knowne whether any such Title be due or no ; ( for who knew Iudas for any other than an holy Apostle ; till Christ discovered him to be a Traitor ? Or who knew the seven thousand that bowed not their knees to Baal ; to be no Idolaters ; till God , by his owne mouth made them knowne to Elias ? ) but because indeed , the name of Righteous , can by no right be given to any , till they be tryed , and have their approbation in the Iudgement : to make us know , that righteousnesse stands not so much in merit , as in acceptance ; and though many may be so qualified , by delighting in the Law of God , as to inherit blessednesse ; yet till by the Iudge , they be pronounced Righteous ; they cannot rightly claime the Title : and therefore David , who is no Herald to decide mens Titles ; would not use a stile , that might not be due ; and as little would detract from it , being once adjudged . All the Prophet hath hitherto said ; seemes to be but bare affirmations ; only words that we must take upon his word ; but now comes in a word of authority ; this rationall particle , ( for , or because ) a little word , but of great command ; which in all this Psalme , hath not been seene till now , and now , that it is come ; we cannot well tell , why it is come : we know it brings a reason with it ; but cannot easily finde , where this reason should lie . For , if we take the reason , as it seemes to lie ; the ungodly shall not rise in the Iudgment ; because God knoweth the way of the Righteous ; is it not as unreasonable a reason , as if one should say ; a Malefactor shall be punished , because the Iudge knoweth another to be an honest man ? and who would ever looke for such a blind reason from a Prophet ? But is it not , that the Prophet hath a good opinion of our understanding ; and therefore trusts us to supply that , which by the Law of contraries , may plainly , or rather must necessarily be inferred ? for having said ; therefore the ungodly shall not rise in the Iudgement ; nor be of the Congregation of the Righteous ; he leaves us to supply ; therefore the godly shall rise in the Iudgement , and make a Congregation by themselves ; and then the reason stands ready , to tell wherefore ; For the Lord knoweth the way of the Righteous . But if this be a reason , to make the godly rise in the Iudgement ; because God knoweth their way ; why is it not then , as well a reason , to make the ungodly to rise in the Iudgement , seeing wee are sure , that God knowes their waie as well ? and if Gods knowing the way of the righteous , be a sufficient cause to exclude the wicked ; why is not his knowing the way of the wicked , as sufficient a cause to exclude the Righteous ? Here , perhaps , we must be faine to doe , as Astronomers feigne to doe ; make use of certaine Phaenomena ; not that such things be indeed ; but that wee may conceive them to be ; for the better helping of our capacities . As to conceive that there is in God ; ( as to the purpose here ) a twofold kind of knowledge : Scientia cognitionis , & scientia dignationis ; that , common to God with men ; this , proper to God alone ; that , simple and without influence or operation ; this operative , and bringing blessings with it . In scientia Cognitionis , God knowes the wicked so well ; that makes him say , In scientia dignationis , he knowes them not ; but his scientia dignationis , is as a linke , that drawes with it the whole chaine of Gods goodnesse ; for , whom hee knowes , he regards ; whom he regards , he preserves ; whom he preserves , he blesses ; and with this kind of knowing , God knowes none but the Righteous ; and therefore none but the righteous can have these blessings to rise in the Iudgement ; and to be made a member of the Congregation of the Righteous . And now the Prophets reason is found where it lies ; The godly shall rise in the Iudgement , because God knowes their way , In scientia dignationis ; but the ungodly shall not rise in the Iudgement ; nor be of the Congregation of the Righteous ; because , although God know their way in his scientia Cognitionis ; yet in his scientia Dignationis , he knowes it not . But did not the Propher give a sufficient reason before , why the godly shal rise in the Iudgement , and make a congregation by themselves ; when he said ; They are like a tree ? seeing a tree hath boughes and branches aspiring towards heaven ; united in one roote , and making one body ? but this perhaps , as being but a reason drawn from the similitude ; the Prophet counts but a similitude of a reason , & takes it but upon a liking ; the true reason , and which he insists upon , is this , which hee alledgeth here : For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous . For this indeed , is the true reason of all the blessings , that are or ever shall be to the godly ; all their praises that went before ; Their delighting in the Law of God ; their exercising themselves in it ; and whatsoever else ; they are good conditions necessarily required in them that must make this congregation ; but the true cause and reason of making it , is this which the Prophet brings here ; because the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous . For though it were a good likely reason , to say , The godly shall rise in the judgement ; and make a congregation by themselves : because They are like a tree ; yet it may be asked , what makes them like a Tree ? Godlinesse indeed procures them to bee made like a Tree ; but what makes them ? For that which makes a thing , is a superiour cause , to that which procures it , to bee made : and this superiour cause , the Prophet alleadgeth here ; For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous . And though it were a likely reason to say ; The ungodly shall not be of the congregation of the righteous ; because they are like to chaffe , which the wind scatters ; yet it may be asked , what makes them like to chaffe ? Wickednesse indeed , procures them to bee made like chaffe ; but what makes them ? Here the Prophet is silent , and saies nothing ; and by saying nothing , seemes to acknowledge , there is nothing to be said ; wickednesse both procures them to be made like chaffe ; and makes them like chaffe ; they are both their owne ruine ; and their owne ruinousnesse ; God in this kinde , hath no hand at all in it ; it is all their owne doing ; Perditio tua ex te O Israel . And may not a reason also be conceived thus , why the ungodly can never come to bee of the congregation of the righteous ; because the ungodly and the righteous , goe two contrary waies : the righteous goe a way , that God knowes ; and the wicked goe a way that God destroyes : and seeing these waies can never meete : how should the men meete that goe these waies ? and to make sure worke , that they shall never meete indeed ; the Prophet expresseth the way of the righteous , by the first linke of the chaine of Gods goodnesse , which is his knowledge ; but expresseth the way of the wicked ; by the last linke of Gods Iustice , which is his destroying : and though Gods Iustice and his mercy doe often meete ; and are contiguous one to another ; yet the first linke of his Mercy ; and the last linke of his Iustice , can never meete : For it never comes to destroying , till God be heard to say , Nescio vos : and Nescio vos , in God ; and Gods knowledge , can certainely never possibly meete together . But why doth the Prophet say ; The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous ; and saith not rather , The Lord knoweth the righteous ? why saith hee ; The way of the ungodly shall perish ; and saith not rather , The ungodly shall perish ? Is it not , that hee saith not , The Lord knoweth the righteous ; because in another place it is said , There are none such for him to know ; but hee knoweth the way of the righteous ; and what is this way , but he which said , Ego sum via , veritas , & vita ; I am the way , the truth , and the life ? and the Prophet might well say , that God knoweth this way , seeing Christ saith ; that none knoweth it , but he ; None knoweth the Father , but the Sonne ; and none knoweth the Sonne , but the Father . But what is this to us ? That if we be engrafted into Christ , who is this way ; then God in knowing this way , knowes us that are engrafted in this way ; and this way indeed must God know us , or not know us at all ; for if he know us not in Christ ; in our selves , wee are sure he can never know us . Or is it , that the Prophet saith not , God knoweth the righteous ; but the way of the righteous , perhaps least men , for doing one or two good deedes , in all their life , should claime to bee righteous ; and for such righteousnesse , claime acquaintance with God ; and so indeed , God might have acquaintance enow : seeing no man is so wicked , but hee may sometimes have good thoughts ; and doe good deeds : but this will not serve : it must bee a way of righteousnesse , before God will know it . Abraham had forsaken his Countrey , and sacrificed his onely sonne , with his owne hands ; in obedience to God : before God came to say of him , Nunc cognovi te : and therefore it is not a turne or two that will serve the turne ; it must be an exercising , day and night ; a continuall walking in the Law of God , that must make it a way , for God to know . Indeed this way , is something of a strange condition ; for sometimes , much and long walking , will not make it a way ; and sometimes againe , a turne or two will doe it . Sometimes the giving of all a mans goods to the poore ; will doe but poore good : and sometimes the giving , but of a small mite , will have no small might in it : sometimes the giving ones body to bee burnt , will have but cold entertainement : and sometimes the giving but a cup of cold water , shall bee counted a hot service . Saul seemes to have walked long in a course of godlinesse ; and yet with all he could doe ; hee could not make it a way , for God to know : where the Thiefe on the Crosse , fetched , as I may say , but a turne about ; and he made such a way of righteousnesse , that Christ presently knew it ; and tooke notice of it . It seemes the matter is all , with what feete we walke : for if we walke , with the feete of the body onely : ( if there be no other goodnesse in our good deed , but onely the outward act of doing it ) wee may walke long enough , before we make it a way of righteousnesse for God to know ; but if wee walke with the feet of our hearts ; ( in faith and love ) then , perhaps , small walking may sometimes serve : for the heart indeed , is a hard treadder ; it leaves prints behinde , that will not easily be gotten out ; and with these feete of the heart , the good Thiefe walked ; or else , he could never have made a way of righteousnesse , for Christ to know , upon such a suddaine , as hee did . Howsoever , when it is once made a way ; whether with much walking , or with little , yet God presently knowes it ; and knowing it , delights in it ; and as in the garden of Eden , will walke in it himselfe ; and then indeed , it will be a full measure of blessednesse ; pressing downe ; and running over : For if In the presence of God , there be fulnesse of ioy for evermore : how pressing downe ; how running over , must that joy he ; where we enjoy his presence , not onely as walking by us ; but as walking in us ? And if the Prophet had said , the ungodly shall perish ; and not the way of the ungodly ; it would have made us all afraid ; we could hardly have found eight persons to put into Noahs Arke : for the best that are , have a spice of ungodlinesse ; enough to taint them , with the name of ungodly : but this is the measure of Gods mercy ; pressing downe , and running over ; that he will not suffer it to be a way of perishing , unlesse it be a way of ungodlinesse first . And here the godly may take this comfort by the way ; that it is not , their slippings , or treading awry ; which may be by ignorance , or infirmity ; that can make with God , this shipwracke of perishing : it must bee a way of ungodlinesse ; which is not usually made without much walking and exercising , without resolute intentions and endeavours ; without set purposes , and persistings ; that if a man be sure he is free from these ; he may then be confident , he is safe from perishing . And though this way of the ungodly , and the way of the righteous bee very unlike ; yet they are like in this ; that this way also , is not made sometimes with much walking : and sometimes againe , it is made with a turne or two : for David walked in adultery , and murther , a whole yeare together : and yet it made not a way of perishing ; because hee had the teares of repentance , to wash away the prints of the steppes ; and charity to cover them . But Iudas walked but a turne or two ; for any thing we know ; and it made a way , that made away himselfe ; because hee neither washed it with repentance , nor covered it with charity . Howsoever the way bee made with much walking , or with little ; yet if once it come to be a way of ungodlinesse ; there is no way then but perishing ; all the world cannot save him ; he shall never be forgiven in this world , nor in the world to come . And here againe is the measure of Gods Iustice ; pressing downe , and running over ; pressing downe , because it presseth downe , to the bottome of the bottomlesse pit ; and running over ; because it runnes for ever . For then the way of the ungodly is said to perish ; when there is no way left to save them from perishing : for such and so desperate , is the state of the ungodly , in the state of ungodlinesse ; that no way is left them , either for helpe , or hope : For wherein , should they hope for helpe ? Compassion will not helpe them ; for The Lord will laugh them to scorne , in his high displeasure . Mediation will not helpe them ; for God hath sworne ; though Noah , Daniel , and Iob should speake for them , yet he will not heare them . Time will not helpe them ; for they shal perish everlastingly . Place wil not helpe them ; for they shall fall into a bottomelesse pit . Death will not helpe them ; for they shall call for death , and it shall flee from them ; that they may live to be tormented , with the worme that never dies . And here now , for very pitties sake , let me put all poore soules in minde ; that they bee carefull to remember that warning of Christ ; Agree with thine adversary , while thou art in the way : for whiles we are in the way ; there are waies left , to keepe us from perishing ; There is a way of compassion ; For God delights not in the death of a sinner ; but that he should turne from his wickednesse and live . There is a way of Mediation ; not of the men Daniel and Iob : but of the Mediatour betweene God and Man , Christ Iesus . There is a way of repentance ; for if a sinner repent him of his sinne ; God will put away his sinne out of his remembrance . But if it once come to this , that the way of the ungodly doe perish ; alasse then , there is nothing left , but woe upon woe : no way left for helpe : no way left of hope ; nothing to be talkt of ; nothing to be thought of ; but perishing ; not onely whilst the world en dures ; but not when the world it selfe shall perish . The Prophet gave a good reason before , why there shall be a congregation of the righteous ; because God knoweth the way of the righteous ; but why would he give no reason here , why the way of the ungodly shall perish ? For to draw a reason from the law of contraries ; as to say ; Because God knoweth not the way of the ungodly ; will not serve : for Gods knowing , may well be a strong reason ; seeing it is a strong cause : a cause that is operative ; and that to many degrees : For whom God knowes , hee regards ; whom hee regards , hee preserves ; whom hee preserves , he blesses : but what cause can Gods not knowing be ? for what operation can be in a Negative ? yet so it is ; Gods not knowing , workes by not working : for whom he knowes not , he regards not ; whom he regards not , he preserves not ; and whom hee preserves not , they presently fall , and perish of themselves . And the Prophet had great reason to give a reason there , because it was an Effect , that needed a cause ; but hee had no reason to give a reason here ; because it is an Effect , without a cause , without a cause Efficient , though not Deficient : and why then should hee give a reason , why the ungodly shall perish ; seeing God not knowing them ; there can be no reason given , why they should not perish . When it is said , The way of the ungodly shall perish ; the wicked take occasion by these words , to conceive a hope , as wicked , as foolish ; that if the way of the ungodly shall perish ; then the ungodly shall have no way to stand in ; and if they have no place to be in ; then they shall be no where ; and if they be no where , then they shall not be at all ; which is as much as they desire : for it never troubles them , not to be at all ; so they may be sure , not to be troubled at all . But this is a conceit , not onely vaine , but wicked ; for by perishing , is not meant , an utter annihilating , and dissolving into nothing ; but they are then said to perish , when they are forsaken of God , and delivered over into the hand of Satan . For when the Iudgement is once past , and the chaffe separated from the Wheate ; then there shall be a new heaven , and a new earth ; but the old Hell shall continue still ; and there the ungodly , and their way shall lie ; For in the new earth , there shall be no way , for either the ungodly to walke in , or for sinners to stand in ; but all , shall be Holy ground ; and no feete shall walke , or stand there ; but such onely , as have put off the shooes of corruption ; or rather indeede , as have put on the shooes of incorruption . The Prophet in the beginning of his Psalme ; noted in the wicked , a triplicity of sinning : Walking in the counsell of the ungodly ; standing in the way of sinners ; and sitting in the chaire of scorners ; and here in the end of his Psalme , hee noteth a triplicity of their punishments ; They shall not rise in Iudgement ; they shall not stand in the congregation of the Righteous ; and their way shall perish : and it may be thought , when the scorners heard ; they should not rise in the Iudgement ; this never troubled them ; for they care not for rising ; they are well enough as they are ; they have a chaire to sit in ; and they scorne to rise . And when the sinners heard , they should not stand in the Congregation of the Righteous ; this did not much move them neither : for they like better , to be by themselves , in the way of sinners ; than be bound to keep company with such precise fellowes : but when the ungodly heare , that their way shall perish , and that they shall not have that way to walke in ; this strikes them dead ; their hearts are cleane done ; and now would they be begging of Abraham , to send Lazarus to their fathers house , to warne their friends from following their courses , for feare of their curses . And may it not now be truely said , that the Prophet hath performed both his prizes , 'to the full ? for as before , he did not leave a godly man , till he had brought him to receive his portion in heaven : so now , he hath not left a wicked man , till he hath brought him to receive his portion in hell . For , the wicked have a portion too ; though they were better be without it ; a miserable portion , to have misery for a portion ; yet so the Prophet in another place calls it ; this is their portion ; Fire and Brimstone ; and a stormy Tempest . And now we may indeed say , the Prophet hath well ended his taske ; and wee might say , happily ; but that he ends it miserably : for he hath delivered his Psalme , as it were , in a tragicall forme ; making it to beginne with blessednesse ; and to end with perishing ; but yet he hath so framed it ; that we may easily reduce it , by helpe of the Law of contraries ; into a more Comicall forme ( if I may so speake ) making it to begin with misery ; and to end with blessednesse : and this perhaps , will be a forme more capable of a Plaudite from our hands ; and of an Io Paean , from our toungs ; and may thus be framed ; Miserable and wretched are the men , that have walked in the counsell of the ungodly ; and have stood in the way of sinners ; and have sate in the chaire of scorners ; but have no delight in the Law of the Lord ; nor in his Law will exercise themselves , either day or night : and they shall be like to chaffe , which the wind scatters . The godly are not so ; but they are like a tree , planted by the waters side ; which will give its fruit in its time : the leafes also shall not wither ; and whatsoever they doe , it shall prosper . Therefore the godly shall rise in the Iudgement ; and ( parted from the wicked ) shall make a Congregation by themselves : For , the Lord knoweth not the way of the wicked ; and the way of the godly shall be established . FINIS .