A commentary vpon the Epistles of Saint Paul to Philemon, and to the Hebrewes together with a compendious explication of the second and third Epistles of Saint Iohn. By VVilliam Iones of East Bergholt in Suffolke, Dr. in Divinity, and sometimes one of the fellowes of the foundation of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge.

VERSE 30.

HItherto of those at their departure out of Aegypt; now to them at their entrance into the land of Canaan. Before they were setled in it, and after.

Before, wee have two examples: the one generall of Iosua and the people together; the other speciall, of Rahab, a peculiar Citizen.

The faith of Iosua and the Israelites shewes forth it selfe by their vanquishing and subduing of Iericho: wherein consider,

• 1. The fall of Iericho.
• 2. The meanes whereby it was effected.

Not by any strength or policy of theirs.

It is not like it had many walls. In the Hebrew there is a noune of the singular number: and here the Apostle useth a Synecdoche. It was environed with a strong wall, by vertue whereof they thought themselves safe, as in a Castle: yet the wall fell, it fell down to the ground; not one piece of the wall, but the whole wall, on every part and side of the City, in so much as it lay all open, and the Is∣raelites entered in on all sides at their pleasure.

How? what winde blew them downe? so many as were pre∣fixed by the Lord.

The manner of the compassing was this. Seaven Priests went before the Arke with seven trumpets of Rammes hornes: before and after the Arke went the people armed.

The first sixe dayes they compassed the City but once: on the seventh day they compassed it seven times: at the length the Priests sounded with the trumpets, at the hearing whereof they gave a great shoute, and then on the suddaine the walls fell downe.

The Israelites enter into the Citty, spoyle it, and put them all to the Sword. This the Apostle adscribeth to faith, and indeed it was wholly the worke of faith.

1 What was the blast of trumpets of Rams hornes, to hurle downe a Citty withall?

2 The compassing of it so many dayes together might seeme childish and ridiculous: once compassing to mans judgement had beene as good.

3 All this while they make no noyse, they might not speake a word:* 1.1 which was an exercise of their faith, especially if there were any women in their company.

4 Every day they went in danger of their lives, when they went about the wals. Some might have cast downe Milstones upon them, and have brained a great number of them, as a Woman served A∣bimelech: or when they were in their procession about the City, they of Ierico might have made an irruption, and set upon them: but for so much as GOD had sayd, within seven dayes Ierico shall be yours, they believe the promise of GOD, despising all things, that might oppose themselves to it: this was an act of faith.

But why doth the Holy Ghost insist in this? why doth hee not rather say, by faith Ioshua made the Sunne to stand? that was greater then the fall of Iericho.

Some answer, because in the overthrow of Iericho, Ioshua was a type of our Saviour Christ. Iericho hath her name of Iareach, the Moone. Now the Moone in Scripture represents the world. As Ioshua made Iericho to fall by trumpets of Rams hornes: So Christ our spirituall Ioshua subdued the world by twelve men, as by twelve trumpets: but that is farre fetched, even beyond the Moone.

The Apostle maketh choyse of this, because Iericho stood in the entrance of the Land of Canaan: now we may ex ungue leonem. As their first victory came of faith, so did all the rest: by faith at the length they conquered the whole Land of Canaan. Heere we have many instructions.

1 Faith is the best weapon to goe to warre withall: not Bils, Bowes and Guns, Swords and Daggers, Muskets, Pistols, Cannons and Demi-Cannons, strong Iron Engins to undermine and scall wals withall. As Christ sayd of Mint, Cummin and Annis, these ought yee to have done, but not to leave the weightier matters of the Law undone.

So these externall weapons are to be provided, but the greatest of all is faith. All these without faith can doe little good: faith without all these can doe much good. By faith Gideon with three thousand men overcame the Midianites: by faith little David and unarmed too slew great Goliah that was well armed: by faith Iehosa∣phat put three Nations to flight, an exceeding great multitude that came against him: by faith Ionathan and his Armour••bearer discomfited the Philistims: and by faith the walls of Iericho fell downe.* 1.2 What got us the victory in the yeere 88. when the invincible Navy of the

Spanyards were on the Sea? Their ships were as mountaines to our Molehils, they in number exceeding us. Surely, it was the faith of diverse, that made us so gloriously to triumph over them. By faith one shall chase a thousand, and an hundred put ten thousand to flight. Therefore it were to be wished, that when we are to fight in battell, choyse might be made of honest Souldiers. When a muster is made, we chuse stout and valiant men, expert Souldiers, such as can handle a Sword or a Gunne well: they bee good; but Souldiers indued with faith, are the best warriers. As the heathen man sayd, he had rather have one Vlysses, then ten Aiaces: so it were better for us to have one faithfull honest godly man in a Camp, then ten Souldiers that can quaffe and swill, sweare and swagger, yea though they bee lusty men of body. Why was Elias called the Charets and horsemen of Israel? for his faith and prayers that hee made for Israel: not in regard of any bodily strength. If wee will be conquerers over our enemies, let us pray to God for faith: this will cast downe walls, subvert Citties, overthrow towers, and make us famous conquerers.

2 How meane soever the meanes be, let us by faith depend on GOD. What were Rams hornes to blow downe the walls of Iericho withall? what were pitchers and three hundred men, to vanquish the Midianites? what was a stone in it selfe against a great mighty Gy∣ant,* 1.3 that was armed from top to toe? what was clay and spittle, to open a blind mans eyes withall? The power of God is seene in weakenesse. Though the instruments bee weake, Hee is strong, that worketh by them. What is Preaching, if we looke on it with a carnall eye, to cast downe the holds of sin, to overthrow Satan, to bring men to the kingdome of Heaven? yea the foolishnesse of preaching too, as the Apostle calleth it. If our Preachers were flaunting oratours, if their Sermons were such eloquent orations as Demosthenes's and Tullies, it were something: but shall a rude kinde of speaking ac∣companyed with the power of GODS Spirit, save soules? I verily, because GOD hath appointed it, and it pleaseth him to worke by it. The breath of CHRISTS mouth overthrowes Antichrist: and wee, though silly weake men, shall overcome immortall Divels: wee shall bee more then Conquerers, through Him that lo∣ved us.

3 Walls, as yee see, are no strong munitions. An horse, sayes the Psalmist, is a vaine thing; so an high and mighty wall is a vaine thing, unlesse GOD be the keeper of the wall. The townes of the Canaanites were walled up to the Heavens: yet they were made even with the earth. The tower of Siloam fell. Ierusalem, as Iosephus writeth, was compassed about with three walls. A threefold thred is not easily broken: much more a threefold wall. Yet all these three walls were rased to the ground, the Citty taken, and the Iewes mise∣rably slaine. There bee some that make gold their hope, and the wedge of gold their confidence: and there be some that make walls their hope; but they bee weake pillars to leane upon. There bee two

walls which wee may be bold to trust unto: a good conscience, and God Almighty: hic murus aheneus esto, nil conscire sibi: They whose consciences doe not pricke them for sin, may bee bold in the middest of all dangers, even as bold as Lions, as Salomon speakes, and they that have bad consciences, shall be afraid of their owne shadowes.

The other wall is God Almighty. I will be unto thee, sayes Hee to Ieremiah, as a brazen wall against all thine enemies: and the Lord, as it is in Zechary, will be as a wall of fire round about Ierusalem. Let us not provoke GOD by our sinnes,* 1.4 and wee shall bee safe within paper walls. Let us exasperate him by our sinnes, and walls of stone, nay walls of Iron shall not defend us from our enemies. The pro∣verbe is, that hunger breaketh through a stone wall: but I am sure, sin will breake through any wall. As the moth eats the garment: So sinne will eate through the strongest wall that is, and call in our ene∣mies after it. Therefore if we will be secure, in our houses, Towns, Citties and Castles, let us be at peace with GOD, and serve Him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our lives.

It is sayd, that Iericho was compassed about seven dayes: Now one of those seven must be the Sabbath; therefore some works might be done on their Sabbath day, and so on the Lords day now. Here we are to distinguish: some are our own workes, and some Gods works; our owne workes are the workes of our calling, and the workes of our Nature, which are sinnes; both these must cease on the Sab∣bath day; wee may not goe to plow and Cart on that day, much lesse may wee kill, steale, commit adultery, bee drunken on that day.

But as for GODS workes, they may bee done on that day: and they are either extraordinary and immediately commanded by GODS owne voyce, as this was, the compassing of Iericho on the seventh day; or mediately and ordinarily prescribed and set downe in the Word, and they bee the workes of mercy. Christ healed on the Iewes Sabbath day: Hee defended His Disciples for rub∣bing the eares of Corne on that Sabbath day: An Oxe or an Asse might be plucked out of a ditch on the Sabbath day: Wee may visite the sicke, make gatherings for the poore, we may quench a fire, we may fight with our enemies, if wee be urged and there bee necessity: for in all these and the like cases, that rule must take place, I will have mercy, not sacrifice.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ioshua 6.10.
• * 1.2

  1 Sam. 14.15.
• * 1.3

  Iudg. 7.16.
• * 1.4

  Zach 2.5.