The Christian gouernour, in the common-wealth, and priuate families described by Dauid, in his 101. Psalme. Guiding all men in a right course to heauen. Herewith also a part of the parable of the lost sonne. Luke 15. Both expounded and opened by Robert Horn. With the doctrines and vses thence arising. The more particular contents see on the page following.

Vses.

We see (then) what to iudge of those,* 1.1 who (though they cannot goe from God, that is, from his reach and know∣ledge,) yet loue to goe as farre as they

can from his house, where his presence is. Such are in sinne, and in the right kinde, Sinners.

Consider (therefore) when thou goest from Gods house that thou goest from God: and that, departing from his word, thou goest, as it were, into a farre Countrie from him. And, what is it to goe from God, but to runne into euill? and what to turne from GOD, but to turne vnto vanitie? Cain, when God had cast him out of Adams familie, sayd: Thou hast cast mee from thy face this day, Gen. 4.14. His meaning was, that in that familie (which was the Church then) Gods face was seene in his worship: and therefore hee tooke it for a great part of his punishment, that hee was so cast out, or rather, had so cast himselfe out by his sinne. And, shall Cains mouth condemne you, who (so ordinarily) by your inordinate wayes, depart from God, and, in contempt, from his house? ra∣ther, consider your wayes, your straying wayes, and turne your feet vnto Gods testi∣mies, Psal. 119.59.

To turne to God, is to turne from vn∣righteousnesse;

and to returne to his house & presence, from Recusancie, and other prophane absences, is to begin to be vertuous. Wouldest thou (then) be thought and accounted one that is desi∣rous to leaue sinne? set God in place, and his great power before thee: or, though thou hast long put off, wouldst thou, at last, enter the way of grace? O then, enter into his Courts, and come before his face, in the assembly of such as praise him, and call vpon his name. Let them turne from God, who meane, not onely to turne from him, but against him by raging oathes: nor onely, to turne from the graces of his house, but from all grace and goodnesse: but let vs draw neere with reuerence, who pur∣pose farre to remoue from such euill doers, and doings; and seeke his face, who haue no meaning, and would bee thought to haue none, to prouoke him to his face.

Also,* 1.2 this teacheth, where God is re∣moued; or where there is any remouing from God, there can bee nothing but sinne, or a minde to sinne. Men, at their

meales, turne out God: CHRIST cannot bee knowne at their breaking of Bread, Luke 24.30.31. Let such take heed that they doe not eate and drinke their owne damnation, or last. At their recreations, God must not be in place: or, how dare they bee so drunken in them, as they are, playing, or no better then playing, from weekes end to weekes end? while they are at their sports, they will not haue to doe vvith God: or, would they dare to speake and worke such vncleannesse, and God so neare? Such reioycing is not good: 1 Cor. 5.6. and, where God cannot bee at thy play, Deuils are thy play-fellowes. So much for this young mans first kinde of sinne: Now followeth what he did in the time of his stray-life.

[Hee wasted his goods with riotous li∣uing.] Our Sauiour hauing shewed, in this lost Sonne, what is common to Adams young men in their Fathers house, pricked with the prouender of fulnesse: as that their Fathers house cannot holde them, and that they can∣not endure with their tender soles to

tread vpon his hard pauement, so straw∣ed with Nettles and prickes of sharpe, but wholesome seueritie: here, hee sheweth what this Gallant did out of his Fathers house, in a strange and farre Countrie, where hee had more scope and libertie for his prodigall wayes. Hee wasted all, sayth the Text. The meaning is, when his lusts were his lords, so as they might commaund him in any thing, and pre∣uaile with him for any purpose; all was too little to put into their mouth, and hee must onely grinde to them, Iob 31.10. The point is,* 1.3 when man departeth from the seruice of God, doing seruice to his lusts, there will bee no spare made of Gods blessings.

Lust is a great spender; it is one of those three things, or worse rather then all those three things that will not be sa∣tisfied; and the fourth that sayth not, It is enough, Prouerb. 30.15. By it, Adam lost Paradise and himselfe. Gen. 3.11.23. the lusting Israelites lost Canaan, by meanes of it, Numb. 11.5.6. and 14.23.30. and Solomon lost his wisedome, and had (almost) lost GOD by his lusts,

1 King. 11.4. Absalom did not onely loose all grace, but good nature and shame, when hee went into his Fathers Concubines, in the sight of all Israell, 2 Sam. 16.22. Also, the Gentiles that followed their lusts, how vvere they left of God and common honestie? Rom. 1.24.26.27. Likewise, Christians, so farre as they were followers of their lusts•• how vntowardly, how negligent∣ly did they follow God? the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, how did they commaund and carie them from the seruice of God, to the base seruice of sinne, 1 Iohn 2.16. From whence are warres, saith Saint Iames, but from the lusts that fight in your members? Iam. 4.1. Gal. 5.17. as if he had said, this, that you are so vnquiet in your selues, and passionate against o∣thers, hath no other cause, but your owne distempered affections, quarrel∣ling alwayes about somewhat that you would haue, or doe, toward your profit, or pleasure, or vvorldly credit: and these disorder all the wheeles within you, ma∣king them to runne by their poyse and

weight, vvithout any stop of content∣ment. What prophaneth Gods Sabbath•• so much, as the lust of couetousnesse, or lust of vvantonnesse? For, eyther for our owne markets we neglect and loose Gods markets: or, wee vnserue God to serue our bellies, dancing to the pipe, when vve should dance before the Arke,

The lust of vvhoredome, how doth it vvaste the substance, and destroy the soule? Pro. 6.26.32. & 29.3. or, like a fire, that deuoureth all to destruction, Iob 31.12. vvaste both body & soule? Pro. 5.9.10. & 6.33. He that feedeth among the Lillies, abhorreth such vncleane Goates.

The lust of drunkennesse, vvhat vvounds procureth it, vvhat stripes, and scratches, and desperate stabbes? Prou. 23.29.30.

The lust of daunces, and lustfull af∣ter them, how doe they martyr their bodies, and fill the soule vvith vvicked∣nesse? They who cannot serue God with patience, one houre on the Sabbath, can serue the Deuill with delight halfe the day, & some part of the night of the Sabbath, which they take vp such lusts.

Meane while, whose Martyrs bee such? Gods? or the Deuils? vvhose day keepe they? Gods? or the Deuils day? and, to whom do they dedicate their Sabbaths? to God? or to the Deuill? making them dayes, not of holinesse, but of their lusts? Thus it appeareth, that the wicked, in their life of lusts, make no spare of Gods blessings, and may further appeare by these reasons. The reasons.

The first, may bee taken from the contrarietie that is betweene such lusting ones, and Gods faithfull ones. For, as the true Christian giues all to God, so the carnal man giues all to his lusts, Pro. 13.4. Ezech. 23.5.6.11.12. &c. Prou. 7.18. & 31.3.4. Rom. 13.14.

Secondly, they that are lusts seruants, will doe any thing at lusts bidding: and, what did this lost Sonne with-hold from his lusts which he serued? They that are taken with the net of the whorish woman, will they not, for her sake, bring all to a morsell of bread? Prou. 6.26. This yong man, in a like matter, brought all to no∣thing. Shall I need to goe into a farre Countrie for examples? doth not our

owne Land so full of whoredomes, so poore by vvhoredome, and other lusts, on which so many haue consumed all, their soules and all, giue too plentifull vvitnesse to this truth?

Thirdly, all things are vile to that a man doth most affect: for, if wee loue God best, what will vvee not doe for him? Phil. 3.8. and, if we loue the world best, vvhat vvill vve not take from God to giue to it? Parents loue their owne children best; and therefore they lay vp for them, and not for strangers. So they that most affect, and best esteeme of vile and stinking lusts, vvill sacrifice euery precious thing to them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vse 1.
• * 1.2

  Vse 2.
• * 1.3

  Doctr.