yet euerye one that shalbe found written in the booke of lyfe shall be delyuered and to the same effect it is that this booke was ordained for this people to be as it were their Passeouer to auoid and escape the dayes of miserye which the Lorde did threaten to bring vpon them Prouide that the doore postes of your consciences maye be sprinckled with the bloode of the Lambe or that your repentaunce maye bee recorded in the booke of lyfe and you are sure of an euerlasting Passeouer to escape Gods most dreadfull vengeance But if you wll sée that prerogatiue which is Instar omnium in stéede of all other Then consider againe and againe of that which is written in 20. Apoc. ver 12. Wherin the glorious maiesty of our Sauiour Jesus Christ is moste truely described euen as he shall come to Judge the quick and the dead for it is said And I saw the dead both great and small staÌ„d before God and the bookes were opened another book was opened which is the book of lyfe the dead wer iudged of those things which were written in the bookes acording to their workes But now what are these bookes that shall be opened before the booke of lyfe be opened doubtles these thrée the booke of the Lawe the booke of the Gospell and the booke of Conscience First the booke of the Law shal be opened and laid before vs that it maye appeare what duetye we ought to haue done towardes God and man through loue And euen as Moyses commaÌ„ded the Leuites to put this booke in the side of the Arke that it might be for a witnes against them when they disobeyed the same Deu. 31. So shall all the workers of iniquity in the fearefull day of the Lord find this booke a swift witnes against them And if Iosias rent his cloathes and wept for wo when he heard the law red and thereby sawe how much duety was required and how little he had performed what sorrow and heauines shall compas vs about and if it were possible dissolue our teares and turne them into drops of blood When in the presence of this our seuere Judge we shall both heare and sée not onelye what we haue left vndone in that book commanded but also what we haue done therein forbidden In the meane time therefore let vs not onelye be hearers of the Law but dooers also lest then we finde Gods fauour vnrecouerable and our repentance vnprofitable Secondly the booke of the Gospell shal be opened that thereby it may appear what mercy what grace what frée pardon what remission of sinne what imputation of righteousnes and what assuraunce of lyfe and Saluation you might haue had in Christ Jesus If you had bene so happye to haue sought it by repentance and to haue laid holde vppon it by faith At the opening of this booke shall you sée before your eyes all the swéete promises and tender inuitations which our Sauiour Christ offred vnto you through preaching of the gospell to haue drawne you to repentance Then shall all the benefites of his bitter passion be laid open before your eyes and you shall sée that he was debased himselfe to haue brought you to honour that he was wounded himself to haue healed your wounds of sinne and that he died himselfe to haue saued his enemies from death and to haue purchased eternal life to all penitent sinners And as the booke of the lawe shall shewe what wee ought to haue done so the booke of the Gospell shall shewe what we ought to haue beleeued and both to one end Christ knoweth that so much more Just and dreadfull may be our Judgement O ye proude contemners of the worde of trueth consider of this you which thinke the Gospell to base for your déepe wittes haue regarde vnto it lest the time come that you repent it and féele the smart of it And as the ritch man begde of Abraham that poore Lazarus might dip but the tippe of his finger in water to coole his tormented tongue so the day may come that you will be gladâ—◠〈…〉 e in your harts that the 〈…〉 rascall aâ—d abâ—â—ct minister among vs all as you 〈…〉 â—â— vs might be suffered to bring yâ—u euen the least all drop of the water of lyfe ye a the least comfort of the Gospell to refresh your 〈…〉 〈…〉 les but it will be to late to late Thirdlye the booke of Conscience shall be opened and shewe what abhominable sinnes we haue done and committed Conscientia Codex est in quo quotidiana conscrib 〈…〉 r peccata â—aith Chrisost in Psa 50. The conscience is a booke where in a mans dayly sins are written Therfore keepe this boke well cleare froÌ„ the blots and blemishes of sinne and then the reward thereof will be so strong and substantiall on thy side y â— it is called mille testes a thousand witnesses Sillogismus practicus a conclusion of Experience Cordis scientia the knoweledge of a mans owne hart It is murus Aeneus as Horace saith a brasen wall It is maxima consolatio rerum incoÌ„modarum The greatest coÌ„fort in aduersity saith Tully nay it is ger Benedictionis the field of blessing Hort is delitiarum The garden of pleasures Gaudium An 〈…〉 m The ioy of Angels Habit 〈…〉 m Spiritus sancti The habitation of the holy Ghost saith Hugo de Anima Lib. 2. Cap. 9. But suffer this booke to be 〈…〉 and â—â—lluted with sinne and what is it then It is formidinis mater saith Chrisostome the Mother of all feare It is confusionis tabula saith August It is the table of confusion And of all other bookes in the world you can not abyde to look into the book of your guilty consciences This made the Father I meane Adam a crâ—epâ—ish in Paradice and this made him say Abscondi me Gen. 3. This made the sonne I meane Caine a runnagate and so restlesse that hee durst abide noe where for feare his throat should be cut Gen. 4. This made Ionas conuey him selfe into the bottome of the shippe thinking there to hyde him selfe from the booke of his owne Gauled conscience This made Iudas betake himselfe to the halter because he coulde not abide to see the abhominable treacherye hee had committed against the innocent bloode of Jesus This made Ecebolus that turne cote heretike to cast him selfe downe before the Church and to detest him selfe saying Calcate me in sipidum salem Trample vpon me vnsauorye salt that I am Now then if it be such a feareful horrible thing to looke into the booke of a guilty conscience in this life what shame and confusion shal ouerwhelme vs in the lyfe to come when nothing shall be concealed when all pleates and wrinckles shall be vnfolded when al couÌ„sels and secrets shal be discouered when there is not an idle word of our tongues or a wicked thought of our herts that shall escape our accompt and when all our falts shall appeare vppon record
Judgement For otherwise as nothing els brought Philippe to his deaths wound but because he wold not hear the cōplaint of Pausanias And as nothing wrought that maine confusion vpon the Lacedemonian estate that neuer could be recouered but onlye their slacknes in hearing poore mens causes So indeed nothing more fretteth the hartes or astraungeth the minds of poore mē then delaying of their causes from hearing Which is doubtlesse a great faulte in our Courts in England both ecclesiastical ciuil that it is so long before poore mens causes can come to hearing Indeed some times I know they are the longer by meanes of their careles and couetous Lawyers careles of their cause and couetous of their money for they can tell how to spin or rather to spill a cause to draw it out like a thréede from tearme to tearme vntill their clyents coats be thréed bare and their purses money bare And therefore to be plaine I lyke not this same Ad idem in proximum which is so much vsed among the Ciuilians nor these same néedeles and trifling Demurrars which are so ordinary among the cōmon Lawyers for both these proue many tymes to be the very bane and murrain of many a good mans right But let a mans cause runne thorow all the delaies and pikes that the cunning of any drawlatch can deuise yet vnlesse he make earnest and great meanes to haue it heard it shal neuer be hearde vntill doomesday Be wise then ye Judges of the earth and learne to be forewarde ready to heare of him which one day shall Judge you all and suffer not good mē to be discouraged or poore men to be eaten out of all they haue thorow your delayes If you doe you shall finde that the Grand Judge him selfe will make no delay to rewarde you therafter to measure his vengeance accordingly Lastly the Lord heareth the voice of the penitent nay the very breath and the least thought in his heart tending to repentance And therfore it is said If any man be a woorshipper of God and doth his will him doth he heare Ioh. 9. Now this is his will euen your holynes 1. Thes 4. And he willeth not the death of a sinner but that he should be conuerted and liue And besides this very thing is warranted vnto vs in this Scripture why they did no soner wish wel in there harts but the Lord heard it We cannot so say of any mortall Prince his subiectes may speake and cry and call long inough and yet if they be not within his hearing they are neuer y ◠nere And therfore this is a flat dash to that peeuish reason of the papists which tell vs that as a mortall Prince must be laboured vnto by meanes and mediatours so must the Lord our God be solicited by Saints and Angells Alas there is no proporcion in this comparison for God only is himself Scrutator Cordis the searcher of our harts we cannot do it but by meanes And what iniury or rather villāy is it to make him in his hearing of no more capasity or excellency then a mortal creature And so let this suffice for our first encouragement to drawe vs on to repentāce for that the Lord vouchsafeth to hearken and hear all them which haue but any motion of so happy a purpose Of the second Comforte ANd a booke of remembrance was writtē before him c. Let vs now in these words consider of that which was a second cōfort encouragemēt for this people to procede in their repentance That it was acceptable to the Lord we perceiue by his attentiue fauour in hearing them But now you shall vnderstand that it was very honorable besides And y ◠he doth vouchsafe them the rarest welcome home to his mercye and grace that euer was heard of for he caused a booke of remembrance c. And to what end Surely that it might for euer be remembred how much he deliteth in al penitent sinners which assone as euer they forsake sin he will embrace honor in his bottomles and abundant mercy Also that it might neuer be forgotten that howe great and how generall soeuer the corruption was yet they were the people which became penitent and turned vnto the Lord at the preching of Malachi therefore some cause why all posterity should be encouraged not only to follow their example but also to haue them in Admiration It shall be expedient that here we consider first what is ment by the booke of remēbrance then to whom it doth apertaine For this book of remēbrance it is very strange We read of certaine stones of remembrāce which being ingrauen with the names of the children of Israell and set in golde Aron was to weare that he might remember them to Godwards And we finde that there was a sacrifice of Remembrance made by fire for a sweete sauour vnto the Lord to signifie that God will not forget him that offereth it Leuit. 2. And we vnderstand of a Saboth of Remembrance to be obserued and celebrated for a memorial of the blowing of Trumpets and of the Jubile Leuit. 23. And who can be ignorant of Absalons piller of remembrance which he erected because he had no sonne to kepe his name in memorie But what this booke of Remembrance should importe that wee doe not so easelye perceiue Surely some learned wryters are of opinion that hereby we are to vnderstand this booke of Malachies prophecy Which because it was writtē at the Lords appointment was doutles written before his face and because it can not be red openly in the congregation without recitall of this their conferrence therefore it may be termed iustly a booke of remēbrance Euen as the gospell it selfe is a booke of Remēbrance in respect of that which Marie Magdalen did to our Sauiour Christ for wheresoeuer this gospell shall be preached through out all the world there shal this also that she hath done bee spoaken of for a memoriall of her saith Christ Jesus himselfe Math. 26. And in this sence it doeth maruelouslye approue and confirme the authority of this booke of Malachies Prophecy as beeing written in his presence and at his appointment But by the censure and in the Judgement of the most learned and godly writers that I haue red there is another meaning to be vnderstoode by the booke of remembrance For thereby is signified the booke of lyfe wherein the righteous are written and whereof we read Exod. 32. Psal 69. Apoc. 3. And it is ment that therein the Lorde did write their names presently vpon their repentance for a memoriall thereof And that you may sée in what stéed it wil stād you to be writen in the booke of the Lordes Remembraunce and to be remembred in the booke of lyfe consider first of that which is set downe Daniell 12. ver 1. And thereby may you perseiue that albeit there fall out such a tyme of trouble as neuer was since the worlde beganne
against vs euen in the bookes which we our selues haue caried in our owne bosomes Alas alas who shall endure it and not desire that the déep may swallow him vp or that the mountaines maye couer him or that the hilles may fall vpon him Haue a â—are then good people and an eye to your bosome booke I meane the conscience the verye register of all your secrets Now all these bookes being opened the booke of the Law to show what wee ought to haue done The booke of the Gospell to shewe what we ought to haue beleeued and the book of our owne consciences to shew what abominable sins we haue committed that we haue neither by loue satisfied the Law nor thorow faith relyed vpon the gospell what followeth Then shal the booke of lyfe which is here called the booke of Remembraunce be opened wherein the Lord hath set downe vpon record whatsoeuer good thing we haue done for the obtaining of the crowne of lyfe and the auoiding of the snares of death and namely these foure things First the Names of all Gods Saints and seruants and this is apparant by the wordes of Moyses Exod. 32. 32. If thou wilt not forgiue theÌ„ I pray thee race my name out of the booke of lyfe which thou hast written And Daniell praieth that the wicked may be raced out of the boke of lyfe and that they may not be written with the righteous Psal 69. So that as Assuerus had his booke of rememberaunce wherein the names of such as had don him hye seruice at any time wer vsually written and as he finding that Mardocheus had discouered two traitours which sought to laye violent hands vpon the King caused him to be honored by putting on his owne rich apparel and by wearing his royall crowne vpon his head Ester 6. In lyke maner our heauenlye King séeing the good that we haue done for the supplanting and subuerting of the enemies of his trueth will he not recorde our names in his book will he not giue vs the rich robes of his innocencie and the royall crowne of his euerlasting glorye Read you the 2. of the Re and you shall see that the Lord doeth professe this fauour Very notably he tolde the Church of Ephesus that heknew her workes her labor and her patience c. And so he tolde the church of Smirna the Church of Pergamus and the Church of Thyatyra that he knew not onely what yet they had done but also did remember and recite in particuler their good reckoning with them for the one and promissing to rewarde them for the other Secondly in this booke of Remembraunce we shall finde written the teares of our affliction and therefore Dauid saith Thou haste counted my wandrings put my teares into thy bottle are they not in thy register Ps 56. 8. Can there be a greater comfort then this when wee are brought to the stake to bee burnt or to the sworde to be cut as flesh to the potte or to the wilde horsses to be torne in a thousand peeces Let the butcherlike tirants glut their hartes by making ashes of our bodies or foules meat or dogs meat of our flesh what care wee They can not scrape our teares out of the booke of Remembrance nor race our bloode out of the register of lyfe Thirdly In this booke of RemeÌ„brance we shall finde written the works of our compassion for so much doth the wordes of our Sauiour Christ importe Math. 25. Who shall say to them on the right hand Come ye blessed of my Father inherite ye the kingdome prepared for you froÌ„ the fouÌ„dation of the world for I was an hungred ye gaue me meat c. Then shall the righteous aunswer him and say Lord When sawe we thee anhongred c. Then shall he answer and say Verely in asmuche as you haue done it to one of the least of these my brethren ye haue done it vnto me And so much doth the woordes of Iob import Cap. 31. ver 35. Where he saith that the Almighty will witnes his pitty towardes the poore albeit his enemy should write a booke against him And so will he doe for vs If wee giue but a cuppe of colde water for his names sake we shal not lose our rewarde We see that Princes haue their bookes of Subsidies of Beneuolence of priuye Seales wherein they set down whatsoeuer good they receiue at the hands of their Subiects by free gift or vpoÌ„ lone or lending And so it is with our heauenly potentat I warrant you if you releeue the poore he sets it down in his book for a subsidy or a beneuoleÌ„ce don to him if you lend to the poore needy he sets it downe for a priuy seale lent to him he will become your debter and sée it discharged to the vttermost Therefore ye rich men out with your subsidie extend your beneuolences and send abroad your priuye seale money the Lord will not forget it he will not faile but set it downe in his booke of Remembrance And heere right Honorable and beloued in the Lord I cannot but put you in minde of a necessary Beneuolence and a Christian subsidy to be supplyed in respect of the Godly preachers called and appointed for this place which as you know is vsually and best furnished with learned men from both the vniuersities But how hardlye and vnwillinglye they ar drawen hither it is but to wel known And why because they are faine to come at their owne great coste and charge which can not stand with their poore and small abilitye For I speake not for my selfe and otherâ— my brethren which thankes be to God are prouided for sufficiently to do any seruice appliable to our calling without beeing chargeable to you But for fellowes in Colleges and other poore students in the vniuersities men of rare knowledge and singuler guifts which being enioyned to supply this place are not more often sent for then commonlye they refuse to come And for my parte I cannot greatlye blame them for why should they labour and haue no hyre Or tread out your corne with the Oxe and haue their mouthes musted No man is hound proprijs stipendiis militare to make warre at his owne charge Why should not he that preacheth the Gospell liue of the gospel Or why should not they which sowe spirituall things reape your temporall things Might it therfore please you the right honorable the Lord Maior and the readâ— the right worâ—â—â—â—full your brethren and Maieâ—â—trats of thâ— famous cittie of London â—â— imparâ—â—â—ou 〈…〉 berality and yeâ—rly contribution in 〈…〉 〈…〉 I knowâ—â—â—oâ—e learned 〈…〉 godly Bâ—shop which in my hearing hath not onely promised before 〈…〉 but 〈…〉 ed before God to giue a good portion forâ—â—er towardes thiâ— so good a purpose 〈…〉 I am sure it will bee aâ— freelye and thorowlye performed make triall when you please And albeit perhaps you will not preâ—ent him yet the cause being so reasonable and important I hope
A GODLY SERMON preached at Paules Crosse the 31. day of October 1591. By VVilliam Fisher Master and Keeper of the Hospitall of Ilford in Essex Prouerbs 22. verse 3. A wise man foreseeth the plague and hideth him selfe But the foolish runne on still and are punished Seene and allowed ¶ Imprinted at London 〈◊〉 Edward Allde for Edward Aggâ—…â—â—92 Malachi 3. verse 16 17. 16 Then spake they that feared the Lord euery one to his Neighbour and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a booke of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought vpon his name 17 And they shall be to me saith the Lord of Hosts in that day that I shal do this for a flock and I will spare them as a man spareth his owne sonne that serueth him THis Scripture was denounced by that Prophet whome the Lord sent to giue a farewell to his people for Malachi was the last Prophet in Israell and after him there was noe moe vntill Iohn Baptiste came It is thought of some that the Lord in his wrath and in a iuste Judgement against Israell would not vouchsafe them any moe Prophetes after Malachi either to 〈…〉 forte them in their distresses or to call vppon them for the amendment of their liues But of other some it is supposed that there was not so great a misery ment against them as a misterye for their good which was this that they should the more instantly and feruentlye looke for longe after the King of Prophetes Jesus Christ him self But howsoeuer it was of this I am well assured Malachi performed his function so fully and so faithfully that he was reputed generallye to haue béene an Angell sent downe from Heauen rather then a man borne and bred vpon the earth Not so muche because Malachi doth signifie an Angel as that his doctrine did showe an Angellike spirite and did woork an Angellike effect Gregorye 1. being Bishop of Rome when he sawe certaine English children brought thether to be solde asked of what countrey they were it was answered Angli Englishe children where vpon the alluded thus Immo Angeli qui vultu nitent vt Angeli Nay rather they are Angelles for that in countenaunee they shine and shew them selues to be Angels So we may say of Malachi he was no question a maÌ„ and his name being Malachi not Malach doth importe no lesse by the termination therof And Epiphanius by good proofe â—â—es warrantise thereof yet looke we vpon the perfourmance of his office function and then we shall finde that non solum vultu sedctiam spiritu nitet vt Angelus not onely in countenaunce but also in spirite he doth shine lyke an Angell For therein he bewrayed an Angellike parte farre passing humane operation otherwise he would neuer haue wrought such a sudden and straunge conuersion in suche a senseles and generall corruption wherin both Priest and Prophet were far from all signes of grace and not neare any hope of remorse But sicut populus sic Sacerdos Imo sicut populus sic Sacerdos as the people were so were the priests For the priest they dispised the name of the Lord and yet they said wherein haue we despised thy name ver 6. Chap. 1. They offered vncleane bread vpoÌ„ the Alter of the Lord and yet they said wherein haue we polluted it Verse 7. Chapter 1. they sacrificed the corrupt the blinde the lame the sick such as they durst not present to a mortall Prince yet they thoght theÌ„ good enough for the Lord of Hostes who is a great King ver 14. chap. 1. They were out of the way they caused many to fall by the lawe they brake the couenant of Leui ver 8. chap. 2. They defiled the holynes of the Lord and maried the daughters of a straunge God ver 11. chap. 2. To be shorte they said that euerye one that dooth euill is good in the sight of the Lord and he deliteth in them ver 17. chap. 2. And nowe for the people did not the Lorde himselfe charge accuse them that they were soothsayers adulterers false swearers detainers of the hirelings wages oppressours of the widowes and the fatherles ver 5. chap. 3. such Atheists that they said it is in vaine to serue God ver 14. chap. 3. Such Mammonistes that they would néeds know what profit they should haue by kéeping his Commandements ver 14. ibi And such rakehels that they counted the proude blessed and the tempters of God worthy to be aduaunced ver 15. chap. 3. In which ripenes and outragiousnes of their sins Malachi was presentlye sent to denounce Gods heauy Judgements and Indignation against them which hee so throughlye executed that thereby he not only ripped vp ransackt their coÌ„sciences but also persed their soules and deuided their spirites with the two edged sworde which came out of his mouth in somuch that they spake c. Now in this scripture we haue chéefelye to note two points 1 A blessed conference and mutual prouocation of the people for the amendement of their lyues Then spake they c. Secondly a thréefolde comforte and encouragement which the Lorde gaue them to procede in their Repentance 1. Because he hearkened and heard them 2. For that he caused a booke of Remebrance to be writen c. 3. Because hee gaue them the promise of his mercisull protection And they shall be to me in the day c. 1. Pars. THen spake they which feared the Lorde c. So mightie and effectuall were the Prophets woords in the heartes of as manye as feared the Lord that by and by thereupon they conferred about the reformation of their lyues and spoke euery one to his Neighbour as by the circumstance we gather to this effect Deare Neighbours we haue often and desperatly prouoked the Lords wrath against vs and needes must wée grant our selues guilty of all the crimes whereof Malachi doth accuse vs. What shall we doo then We are now called to repentance both by the voice of Gods vengeance saying I will come now to you in Iudgement and I wil be a iust witnes against you ver 5. chap. 3. and also by the voice of his mercy saying Returne to me and I will returne to you ver 7. chap. 3. All this notwithstanding shall wee still runne on with remorse Why then the wrathe of God must néedes come vpon the children of disobedience Therefore let vs humble our selues vpon the lowest pauement of vnfained repentaunce that it may repent him of his purposed vengeaunce To this end and in this sense they spake euerye one to another Whereby right Honorable and dearelye beloued wee may sâ—e and obserue not onelye that the feare of the Lord is a wel-spring of life to auoid the snares of death for so saith the wise man Pro. 14. But also that y â— word of God is sharper then any two edged swoorde and pearceth cutteth wheresoeuer it commeth euen to the hard bones and marrow
God will stirre vp your harts not to be long or much behinde him And in trueth I â—â—â—â—der that this noble Cittie of London hath not heretofore looked into this want and had â—are to supply it 〈…〉 in there is no charitable wâ—â—ke almost vndoâ—â— or at the least vnprouided for You haue sundry not able frâ—e schooles founded in this Cittye where by you giue â—uâ—ture to the rude and learning to the ignorant You haue many goodly hospitals endewed wherein yoâ—â—eâ—e me and allowe Phisick to the 〈…〉 â—â—rgerâ— to the sore meate to the hungry drink to the thirsty cloaths to the naked houseroom for the h 〈…〉 ourles and good and godly education to Orphanes and infants And you haue store of faire and sweete Conduits wherebye you spare not for any coste to conuey water into euery place almost of this populus citty Yea there cannot be a fountaine heard of or a deuise thought of to yeelde store of water but lyke good and careful gouernours your hands are in your purses to laye out what so euer it will cost And will you bestow nothing vppon the blessed Pypes and sugred Conduites which bring you the water of lyfe You cannot bring water a quarter of a myle to the Cittie without your own great charges And doo you thinke it reason that the water of life should be brought you 40 or 50. myles at other mens charges Consider but of the excellency thereof and thinke but of the happines of these our daies wherein wee may haue it either for loue or money The waters of Sylaris in Lucania maketh soft things hard as a wand laid in it all night wil be as hard as a stone by the morning But the water of lyfe will make hard thinges soft as your hard stonye heartes it will turne into tender fleshy hartes The water of Sinnesana in Campania maketh mad men wise and sober and so this water chaungeth worldly folly into Heauenly wisedome The water of Clytumnus if Oâ—enor shéep being neuer so blacke vse to drinke of it it wil make them as white as the driuen snowe So this water albeit sinne hath made you as blak in soule as any Ethiopian is in bodye yet it will wash you and purge you and make you cleane and white And as the water of Bethesda when it was moued by the Angell cured them which stept into it whatsoeuer disease they had So this water will cure and recouer al the infirmities of your sicke soules if ye step into it and embrace it when Gods ministers moue it and poure it out before you To be shorte as Varro writeth of Zame a fountaine in Affrica that it runneth with such sweete singing noise that thereby bothe men and beasts are allured to drinke of it So the waters of lyfe running and falling in this publik and famous place through such learned pipes and gratious Conduites as comes from the Vniuersities are moste pleasant and of maruellous force to allure all men bothe cleane and vncleane to taste of them and to hath their sinfull soules in them Wherefore the vertue and excellencie of this water being so singuler and soueraigne as you haue heard I hope it will not grudge you with all spéede to prouide that it maye haue moste frée and plentifull passage to this Cittie thorow your Christian relief and lyberalitye I am not the first that hathe moued this sute but you may be the first that euer tendered it or prouided for it two and fifty poundes a yere would bountifully performe it a good parte whereof as I haue toulde you a Reuerend and moste learned Bishoppe meaneth to yeld And if you would vouchafe to ioyne with him and to lay out the rest and so make vppe the somme out of your common treasurye for the cittie you should not onely be thankfully remembred in this place vnto the worlds end but also this good woorke of your compassion shall be recorded in the booke of the Lords Remembrance and at the last day you shall reap the frute of your well doing finde that with such sacrifice God is highlye pleased Lastly in this booke of Remembrance shall be written the sorrow and remorse of our penitent and broken harts And hereof what better testimony then this present Scripture The Lord caused a booke of Remembraunce to be written c. It is doubtles a great and gratious fauour when the Lord sayeth At what time soeuer a sinner shall repent I will blot his wickednes out of my Remembrance Ezech. 18. But this passeth and is with out all comparison that he will make a memoriall of it and write a booke of Remembrance of our repentaunce and recorde it in the booke of lyfe So that with Israel we shal not onelye escape all euill or the greatest euill in this lyfe but also at the last and most deâ—adfull time be tide what shall come the day of the Lord neuer so glowmingly sound the trumpet neuer so fear fully arrise the dead neuer so sinfully approch the deuils neuer so fiearsly smoake the mountaines melt the hilles tremble the earth vanishe the sea flash and flame the whole vnâ—uersall worlde neuer so furiously yet this shal be our comfort and refuge that we haue repented vs of our sinnes and that our Repentance is of record and written in the booke of the Judges remembrance And so to come to the next obseruation in this comfort Seing the Prophet in plaine termes saith that this booke was written for them that feared the Lord and thought vpon his name let all the woorkers of Iniquitye which forget God and put farre from theâ— the euill day which saith in their hartes tush God hath forgotten hee wil not sée it which are at their leagues with death and at their bargaines with hell let them all stand backe and know that there is no place for their names in this booke And why the Lord himself yeelds the reason Whosoeuer sinneth against me I will put his name out of my booke Ex. 32. And againe I will make their rememberance to cease from among men No No Ieremie telleth them plaine enough where they shal be writen euen in the dust or in the earth Ier. 17. and why because they haue forsaken the Lord the fountaine of liuing waters Therefore let them write their names vpon their owne stately houses and vpon their sumpteous tombes and Sepulchers no man will controll them But it is their JudgemeÌ„t to be scattred lyke the chaffe before the wind Psal 1. To be withered lyke grasse before the Sonne Psal 37. and to melt or consume lyke waxe before the fire Psal 68. that is to be forgotten and to be raked vppe and buried in the forlorne ashes of all obscuritye and obliuion And yet their punishment shall not be forgotten I warrant you for that is written and set downe in another kinde of booke then we haue yet spoken off I meane the blacke booke of Gods most bitter vengeance wherof Ezechel speaketh Chap. 2. Which
indeede is written within and without and there is nothing written in it but lamentation mourning and woe For alas howe should they lament and mourne and bewaile their cursed condition when because they are not founde written in the booke of lyfe therefore their owne consciences shall accuse them all creatures shall be suffred to exclame vpon them The Judge himselfe shall condemne them to be cast into the lake of fyre the blessed Angels shall thruste them out of Gods presence and the vgly deuils shall thereupon arrest theÌ„ for firebrands of hell And so to conclude this point I can say no more but onely wish with Iob. cap. 19. That my words were written in a booke and Ingrauen with an Iron pen in lead or in stone for euer id est in the harts and minds of you all so many as are here present whether they be like vnto a booke id est learned and wise and well able to instruct others or like vnto lead id est dui through grosse ignoraunce or like vnto stone id est obdurat and hard euen through sinne and wickednes yet the Lord graunt that the Iron penne of his ingrauing Spirite may imprint depe in your harts and soules the somme and effect of all that I haue spoken touching the booke of Remembraunce and that you maye esteeme with your selues how fearefull a thing it will be to fall into the handes of the Lorde at the last daye because your Repentaunce is not of Recorde nor written in the booke of his gratious Remembraunce Of the third Comforte ANd they shall be vnto me saith the Lorde for a flocke c. In these words the Israelites are mightely encouraged to procede in their repentaunce with a mercifull promise of the Lords protection wherein most gratiouslye he giues theÌ„ warrantise of two things First that they shalbe to him for a flock c. Who woulde not repent and bee obedient to the voice of the messengers of the Lord that might thereby become so happy as to be his flocke yea or a shéepe of his flocke A rare encouragement exceding farre the royaltye of all Princes and the Maiestye of all Emperours For as the Lord hath freelye chosen to him selfe of all the trées in the woode one Vine of all the flowrs in the garden one Lyllie of all the depthes of the sea one Riuer of all the buildinges on the earth one Syon of all the foules of the aire one Doue of all the cattell of the earth one shéepe and of all the Nations of the world one people So this people is his flocke and this flocke is his church and this Church is not Synagoga id est qualiscunque Congregatio any kinde of assemblye yea common riffe râ—ffe or disordred but it is more properly and worthily tearmed Eâ—â—le 〈…〉 id est Coetus ordinatus a Goodly assembly Ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euocare for the manner of the Athenians was when they woulde haue the people assembled to heare the sentence of the Senate to send foorth a cryer to call vpon theÌ„ and so to â—uâ—l them out from the rascal sorte of the people And here vpon the Apostle translated the word to their purpose and gaue the Church it selfe that tearme because it is Caetus Dei praeconio verbi a regno saâ—hanae ad gratiam salutem in Christo Iesu eâ—ocatus An assemblye or flocke of God with the voice of his woorde called or câ—lled from the kingdome of sath 〈…〉 to grace and Saluation in Christ Jesus This is the way then beloued in the Lord â—â— become y e shepe of Christ his flock so to be reputed and taken to do as Israell did id est obey his voice and heare his worde My shepe know my voice Ioh. 10. And Moyses had incharge to tel the Israelites thus much from the Lord that if they wold here his voyce in deed kéep his couenaÌ„t then they should be his flock or chief tresure aboue al people Ex. 19. let this then stand â—or one of the most happiest prerogatiues of the flock of Christ that it is will be assembled at the sounde of his heauenlye worde from the rascall hearde of goates The voice of Gods worde makes his people flocke and throug together lyke shéepe to the folde Another prerogatiue of this flock is that as it is coÌ„uented and assembled by the call of the worde so it is continued and kept together thorow vnity and christian loue which is the bond of perfection This is like the folde that coopes vp the shepe together and keepes them from wandring and stragling It is lyke the band that preserues the shese or faggot from shattering Vnus Pastor vnum Ouile There is one sheepehearde and one flocke or sheepefolde And therefore in the behalf of Jesus Christ our head shepehearde I beséeche you and for your owne saluations sake I require you and charge you al to take heed how by scismes and sects ye seeke to scatter the flocke of Christ lest you bring it from Ouile to Hedile and from Hedile to Canile from a shepefolde to a hearde of Goates and from a heard of Goates to a keÌ„nell of dogges Alas alas it was not lawfull to break a bone of Christes naturall bodye but hée that breaketh the peace of the Church breaketh the verye backebone of his misticall body And it was as vnlawfull to part or deuide so muche as his vnseamed cote But they which practise to deuide the Church what do they else but teare his cote off his backe and rent in sonder his tender harte Wherefore as nature forced the right mother to abhorre the deuiding of her owne childe 1. King 3. So the Lord graunt that grace may make vs all forbear to deuide the sweete Spouse of Jesus Christ the common mother of vs al Nature I say made the mother to abhorre to deuide the child and can not grace make the childe aborre to deuide the mother A third prerogatiue of the Lords flocke is that it is sustained and fostered after the best manner that may be possible For Dauid saith The Lord is my shepheard therfore I shal waÌ„t nothing Psal 23. And againe He shall feede me in a greene pasture and lead me besids the waters of comforte By the greene pasture we are to vnderstand the woorde of trueth Quod manet in aeternum Esay 40. For this alwayes flourisheth and neither the heat of Sommer can scorch it nor the colde of winter freese it And by the waters of comforte he meaneth the graces of the holye Ghost according to that which is written Io. 7. Hee that beleueth in me out of his belly shal flow riuers of the water of lyfe Fourthlye this flocke is sure to be guided and directed by the Lordes owne hand Hee shall lead mee in the pathes of righteousnes saith Dauid Psa 23. And againe Thou art with me thy rod and thy staffe comforte me By his rod he meaneth such correction as it shall please