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.

* 1.1This teacheth that there are few vvho haue set one foote ouer the threshold of true repentance: for, how many can be brought to this first step of wisedome, wisely and with feare to looke into them∣selues, to cast vp their estate, & to reckon vpon the booke for their debts to God, which are in so many sinnes, and strange kindes of sinning against him, from their childhood till now? And while men can∣not be perswaded, nor drawne, thus to gage themselues for their faults and do∣ings, what hope is there that they will be sory for them, with a godly sorrow, to re∣pentance? Will a man that knowes not his estate, suspect it? and can he, that suspects it not, fall into thoughts about it? So, who will be truely grieued for his wretched e∣state; who neither knoweth his wretched∣nesse what it is, nor spirituall estate, how poore it is. S. Paul in the life of nature, and sect of a Pharisie, knew not that Concupi∣scence was a sin, till he beheld himselfe in the glasse of that law that saith; Thou shalt

not lust, Rom. 7.7. till he cast vp his bookes, he was aliue, that is, seemed to himselfe and appeared to others to be in very good plight and ••aking for this life, & for eternall life. But when the Commandement came, and looked vpon him, & he, by it, into him∣selfe, he found that he was no body, a dead man, sold vnto sin, and laid in the graue of a dead body, or body of death; a man wo••ully and pittifully miserable: and therefore cry∣eth out, as in great pain, to be deliuered from such a body, or from the body of such a death, Ro. 7.19.24. The Church of the Laodiceans thought her selfe to be better gold then the Touch could finde her: for, she thought her selfe to be rich and increased with goods, and to haue need of nothing, where she was wretched, and miserable, and poore, & blinde, and naked, Apoc. 3.17. But this she knew not, or cared not to know. The reason was, shee neuer en∣tred into her selfe with purpose of inquirie, and search in what tearmes she stood with God, how short shee was of the welfare and good health shee boasted of, and how neare to that desperate death which she neuer fea∣red. And this made her to boast of her righ∣teousnes, when she should haue beene hum∣bled for her sins: and to thinke her selfe rich

she was poore. Our common people at this day (and not the worst sort of them) looke no further into their doings, then that they carry some good shew of opennesse to the world. And when vvil such be sorie for their imperfect and hypocriticall righteousnesse? And for desperate and bold sinners, they dare not (like bank-rupt debters) looke with any eye of particular search, into their poore and vvretched life, lest they be tormented too soone, or, (as the diuels cryed out) before their time, vvith sorrow and horrible feare, Mat. 8.29. And vvhen vvill such come to repentance, that they may be saued? vvill they not rather blesse themselues in their heart, saying; they shall haue peace; vvhen the Lord vvill not be mercifull to such, Deut. 29.19.20. Let all Pharisaicall Papists consider, vvho must needes be farre from repentance, seeing, by resting in themselues for saluation, they affect to be ignorant of that poore estate, vvherein the best are borne, that by man are borne of a woman. For, though they be, and be borne poore in Grace, and corrupt in Nature, as all that came from Adam, are: yet they so conceit themselues of a supposed vvealth of naturall righteousnes abiding in them, & of works of

merit, proceeding from them, that they can neuer truly know how miserable, how wret∣ched, how naked, and how nothing they are in themselues, that they may be beholden to him onely for all their spirituall increase, who giueth liberally to all, and reprocheth no man? Iam. 1.5. It is the feeling of a disease that maketh vs so to desire the cure of it, and so to esteeme of him that can cure it: and it is the feeling of misery that maketh mercy to be mercy: for, till we feele our misery and weake estate, we will boast as he of whom it is said; There is, who maketh himselfe rich and hath nothing. Prou. 13.7.

An admonition to Christians (that would* 1.2 be truely repentant) to reckon vvith them∣selues for their life past, particularly, and vp∣on speciall bill, at night before they goe to bed, or in the morning before they rise from bed; and not generally, and in grosse onely, as most do. It is the exhortation of the god∣ly, in the Booke of Lamentations, that men would search & try their wayes, and so turne to the Lord, Lament. 3.40. that is, that they would not sleightly and runningly goe ouer their sinnes, but pausingly and with standing vpon them, seeking euery sin, as with a can∣dle, till they finde it, if it be to be found, and

trying it by the touch of Gods Words, when they haue met with it, that they may come to amendment. This is to turne to the Lord, when we (first) turne out Sin, and euery sin; when wee sit downe and account with our selues (impartially) for euery disobedience, that wee can remember, bee it in greater or lesser euils or, when we consider our wayes, and hauing run along goale of foolish vani∣ies, such as Ephraim ••an, & this lost Son after him; doe, with Ephraim, smite vpon the thigh, and, with the lost Sonne, come to our selues, for our returning to God, and for the healing of all our errors past, that the Lord may haue mercy vpon vs, and receiue his lost Sonnes in our conuersion. Ier. 31.18.19. &c.

As (therefore) the lost Son here, so at the end of our stage, such as he ran, we must (if we will repent soundly) come to our selues; & in particular words, thus say to our selues, (as * 1.3 a zealous Preacher sometimes taught)

In such a place, at such a time, and in such a company, I wr••tchedly and desperately of∣fended GOD; my good conscience, and the consciences of Gods children, by talking filthily, by swearing horribly, by drinking excessiuely, and by ••ailing damnably, & bit∣terly, against Gods word, and his Ministers.

In such a priuate place, on such a day, and in such a corner, in the darke, I committed fornication, or adulterie, closely, when the walles couered mee, and no mans eye sawe me•• I made no conscience of a Lie, where I might be beleeued, if it had beene for an aduantage, & to saue my credit; and as little conscience to defraud my simple brother, where I might doe it cunningly & without blame.

On the Lords Sabbath, when others w••nt to Gods house, I went directly to an Ale-house, or from Prayer to Playes, and from the Sermon to the Stage. The time, that was giuen mee for repentance, I abused to sinne, and can giue no good account of time, that is pretious, and should be redeemed, Eph. 5.16. For, how haue I redeemed it; that is, bought it out of Satans hands, and the hand of sinne, for good employments? or, how (rather) haue I wasted and powred forth the good houres of time to vaine pleasures, to idle talke, to much sleepe, & wantonnes? If God should account with me for yeres, I can not with comfort answere him for day••s: nor well for one day in a yeere, well and holily spent in good duties. O, how many Items may be found written in Gods Books of pro∣uidence & last iudgement, for pleasures, and

sports, and fleshly daliances, and worldly couetousnes; & scarce a line seene registred in the same for any good exercise, wayes, and doings of good report? Thus should euery Christian make a kinde of backe rec∣koning with the compassing of his wayes. Thus should he retire himselfe for the due consideration of his life past; and hauing opportunitie, in secret, beate his sins vpon his naked conscience by aggrauation, and say: I haue not onely sinned, but most trai∣terously, obstinately, carelesly, continually, and rebelliously sinned, and am not only a sinner, but a most filthy leper and sinner: not an ordinary offender, but a stubborne offendor, and disloyall person; whose whole nature, soule and body, will and affections, minde and iudgement, words and deeds, are onely euill, and perfectly euill, and continu∣ally so, Gen. 6.5. Thus (no doubt) the lost Sonne came to himselfe, and thus (without doubt) must we come to our selues, if we will come home with him, confesse with him, and triumph vvith him. So much for the worke of his minde: the words of his lips follow.

[How many hired seruants of my Fathers haue bread enough?] This yong man consi∣dered,

that the meanest seruant, his Father kept, was in better case then he: for, he was wel prouided for, hauing bread enough and to spare, where he had nothing. And this made him, looking homeward, (it is like) with teares in his eyes, and repentance in his heart, for his former lewd life, to say, how many hired seruants of my Fathers? &c. as if he had said, this necessitie that I am in, is caused by my selfe, who forsook the house of plenty for this land of dearth, & my Fathers house, for the house where the dead are, Pro. 9.18. Euery one there is prouided for, and I perish with hunger in my absence thence.

This being his meaning,* 1.4 the thing taught is, God prouideth all things necessarie for those that serue him. Dauid neuer found it otherwaies, and therefore saith, he neuer saw the righteous forsaken, Psa. 37.25. as if he had said, he neuer saw any long destitute, or vn∣prouided for, who followed righteousnesse, and serued the Lord. S. Iohn sheweth, that they who followed Christ, were fed, though Christ wrought a miracle of Loaues and Fi∣shes, to feede them, Ioh 6.9.12. And how did God feede his people fourtie yeeres in the vvildernesse, when they could not plow the Earth, did not he plow the Heauens for

bread? and vvanting ordinarie food, had they not Angels food? for the Wheat of the Land, the Wheat of Heauen? Psa. 78.24.27. the Text saith, it rained downe Manna, v. 24. and they had meat enough, ver. 25. Elijah was zealous for the Lord, and his altars: there∣fore, when men would not feed him, the Rauens fed him, 1 Kin. 17.6. and when men forsooke him, an Angell looked vnto him, 1 Kin. 19.5.6.7. Did God forget the widow of that Prophets son that feared the Lord, and died in some debt? did he not strangely prouide for her by Elisha, and so, as she had enough both to pay her debt, and to finde her selfe and her children vvith the ouer∣plus? 2 King. 4.1.7. To be short: of all the righteous it is sayd, they shall not be confoun∣ded in the euill time, and in the day of famine they shall be satisfied, Psa 37.19. that is, who∣soeuer is ashamed, they shal not take shame, and vvhen others are famished, they shall haue enough. Thus, nothing shall be wan∣ting to them that serue God: the reasons are: First, God hath promised to feed al his ser∣uants, Psal. 37.3. Now, God will doe what he promiseth to doe; for, he is faithfull: and can doe what he will; for, he is Almightie. Secondly, Gods seruants depend on his pro∣mise,

and take his word for their vvhole estate: their eyes are vnto him, Psal. 123.1.2. and their repose is in his prouidence: and vvill he cause their eyes to faile? Iob 31.16. Thirdly, if it be a iust thing that the Master of a Familie should prouide for all he hath in his familie, vvhether the children of the house, or seruants in the house: will not the iust God count it as iust and fitting for him to doe as much for his Familie and house∣hold: to wit, for the familie of his Saints, and the household of Faith.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vse 1.
• * 1.2

  Vse 2.
• * 1.3

  M^r. Dent, in his Ser∣mon of Repen∣tance.
• * 1.4

  Doctr.