in a most divine manner at length he descriveth In the first verse that I have read The Thankfulnesse of the Church is expressed Praise waiteth for thee c. In the second an excellent benefit is set down for which God should be praised and vowes should be performed to him Praise waiteth for thee c. Praise is the proclaming of the Excellencie of any especially manifested by worthe deeds This David saieth waiteth for God The word rendered to waits signifieth properly to be silent but for the similitude and agreement of silence expectâ—â—â—â— is rendered here to waiâ—e or expect And if we so expound the word the sense is That God doth so loaden his 〈…〉 and by 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 every morning furnish such matter of Praise Thà nksgiving that praise in the Church continually as it were waiteth on to honour him If wee render the word to be silent as it properly signifieth and which our Interpreters have put on the Margent the meaning is That the benefits of God bestowed upon Sion or his Church are so great and so many that even our Praise through astonishment becometh as it were silent notable to reach to the due commemoration and esteeme of Gods bountie and benefits And indeed so it is The benefits of God toward his people are such and so many daylie and hourly bestowed upon them in generall in particular known and unknown that no minde can sufficiently conceive nor tongue utter them In him wee live move and have out being Hee maketh his sun to shyne and his rain to fall upon us Hee hath endued us with reason and understanding When we were lost he did not forsake us but even when blinded with our own ignorance and wickednesse and so his enemies Hee redeemed our life from destruction and to this effect sent his own Son which the Church now clearly knoweth to bee born and suffer and by his most perfect sacrifice to purge all our sinnes and withall sendeth his Spirit in our heart to guide us through all difficulties till we attaine to the blessed sight and joy of his Countenance Thus he compasseth and crowneth us with loving kindnesse and tender mercies for which if wee had a thousand hearts and a thousand tongues could wee give him sufficiently praise and thanks No Praise it self is forced as it were to stand here astonished and silent And the saints say with DAVID O Lord What shall thy servants say What shall we render unto thee for all thy benefits towards us But where is this waiting of praise and the admiration of it In Sion DAVID had translated the Ark of God unto Sion There was Gods Sanctuary and there was he woâ—shipped and therefore Sion here signifieth the Church of God then and in all following ages This is added for great reasons First the PROPHET signifieth that Sion or Gods Church hath reason ought to praise God beyond all others whom hee hath not chosen to be his people for Gods chief benefits are poured down upon Sion It is the perfection of beauty and out of it God shyneth Psal 87. God loveth the gates of Sion more then all the habitations of Iudah It is the City of God and glorious things ar spoken of thee O City of God saieth DAVID in the same psalme Of Sion it shall be said such and such a man was born there The Lord Himself counteth and writeth that such a man was born there saieth DAVID in the place mentioned All the true Citizens of Sion are written in the book of God even in the book of life by his own finger and nothing is so great a matter of Thanksgiving and Praise as that Rejoyce not in this saieth our Saviour that the devils are subjectunto you but rather rejoyce in this that your names ar written in heaven So then in Sion justly should praise wait for God The Citizens of it are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood and holy nation a peculiar people to set forth the praises of him who hath called theÌ„ out of darknes unto his marvellous light 1. Pet. 2. 9. Secondly As Sion should so Sion only can praise God righly Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner saieth the Wise-man Ecclesiast 15. IT standeth not so much in the words of the mouth as in the devotion of the heart He that would rightly praise must be affected with that which he praiseth truly believe it haue an inward taste feeling of it Except therfore he hath tasted seen how good the Lord is he cannot praise as he should on the other part God also looketh not so much to the mouth as to the heart of the praiser He respecteth not so much the tongue as the Conversation What availeth it to blesse God with thy mouth and blaspheme him with thy life this is an abomination and therefore it is truly said by holy August that a wicked man cannot praise God The discord of his life from his word marreth all the sweetnesse of his song of praise maketh it unpleasaÌ„t ungracious in the eares of God Thirdly As Sion should and onely can so also she will undoubtedly praise God and therefore rightly saieth the PROPHET that praise waiteth for God in her as if he would have said O Lord albeit all other men would hold their peace of thy praises yet Sion or thy church thy servants and saints will not Though other men haue not eyes to see nor minds to consider thy benefits but bury them in ignorance or oblivion yet thy own people will set forth thy praises and magnifie thy Name Hence we may clearly see how necessare is this duty of praise and thanksgiving Gods Worship standeth chiefly in this that we be not unthankefull unto him saieth holy August in his book of the spirit and latter chap. 11. when God first made the world he sequestred one day of every week as for his service so particularly for a thankfull remembrance of the benefit of Creation Under the law he appointed one day in the month to wit the first which was the feast of the new moone for a thankfull remembrance of the benefit of conservation of the world he ordained the feast of the passover for celebrating the benefit of bringing his people out of Egypt The feast of Pentecost for remembring the benefit of giving the Law The feast of Tabernacles for remembrance of protection in the wilderness and commanded that yearly the first fruits of the land should be offered to him be way of thanksgiving Thus under the law the duty of thanksgiving was most necessare and acceptable to God Under the gospel now I may say it is yet more necessar The proper sacrifice of ChristiaÌ„s is the sacrifice of praise thanksgiving every wher vehemently urged in the new Test Our blessed Lord did institute the blessed sacrameÌ„t of his body blood giving thanks and for this end that we may give thanks to God as for
hearing of the name of Peace incontinently cryed out What maketh you to cry said that holy Father I haue said nothing on these words I have not yet expounded them and yet ye cryed out at the mentioning of peace This shewes that ye loved it and love it yee could not unlesse some way ye did see it and see it with the eyes of the body yee cannot but it hath an invisible beautie which ravissieth the heart when it is presented to it and what shall I say of it saieth he I cannot I am not able to expresse the goodnesse and the beautie of it so writting on this psal he saith that every man albeit he could not reade had this verse by heart Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unitie Before we proceed Let us mark hence a lesson verie necessar for these times namlie that if all brethren should be so carefull to keep unitie as a thing most good and most pleasant then especiallie ought Christians so to do and Christians who are of the same religion They are called are most truly brethren they haue one Father to wit God they haue one mother the Church one Lord one faith one baptisme And therefore above all others should keep the unitie of the spirit in the bond of peace Ephes 4. 3. Hence our Saviour before his death said to them A new coÌ„mandement I give unto you That ye love one another Hereby shall all men know that yea are my disciples if ye love one another Ioh. 13. 34. 35. and praying for them before his death he said Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us Ioh. 17. 20. 21. To this effect he said unto them My peace I giue unto you my peace I leave with you Ioh. 14. 27. yea for this end he dyed that he might gather together in one the children of God that were dispersed So the blessed Apostles recommended nothing more then unitie and peace S. PAUL saieth 1. cor 1. 10. Now I beseech you brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that yee all speak the same thing and there be no divisions among you but that yee be perfectly joyned together in the same minde and in the same judgement 2. cor 13. be of one minde live in peace the God of love peace shal be with you So Philip. 2. If there he therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies Fulfill yee my joy that ye may be like minded having the same love being of â—ue accord of one minde Accordingly all good Christians have ever thought the unitie and Peace of the Church to be a thing most precious and oâ— the contrar Schisme division to be most pernitious Brotherly love saieth TERTULL is the treasure of Christianâ— And in the 39. of his Apolog. he saieth That Christians in his time called themselves brethren and did beare such love one toward another that the Pagans astonished therwith used to say Behold how the Christians love one another are ready to die one for another So S. August upon this psal saieth That the ordinar salutation of Christians in his time was Thanks be to God and when the Donatists did laugh at this S. August asked at them If a Christian had not good reason to thank God when he did see his brother well with whom he was one in Christ On the contrar Schism or breach of Vnitie in the Church they highly condemned It is an hudge Cryme saieth Optatus Milivitanus and yee your selves cannot deny that it is an evill in the highest degree saieth he to the Donatists against whom hee was reasoning S. August in his first book against the Epistle of Parmenian chap. 4. calleth it A sacriledge that exceedeth all crimes and in his 2. book of Baptisme against the Donatists chap. 6. he saieth That they did heall men indeed of Infidelity Idolatrie but did wound them more deadly with Schism The punishment of Shism saith he was greater then of idolatrie for Korah Dathan and Abiram who made Schism among the people of God were swallowed up quick by the earth opening her mouth to receive them to carry them down quick to the pit S. Cyprian in his book of the unitie of the Church saieth That the blood of Martyrdome cannot expiat the sinne of Schism which sentence Chrisost on the 4. of the Ephes citeth approveth and with great vehemencie in other words ther condemneth this sin Euseb in the 6. book of his historie and 37. chap. reporteth a letter of S. Denys of Alexandria wherin he writteth to Novatus who then perturbed the peace of the Church wherin he saith That all incommodities should be suffered rather then the peace of the Church should be rent Nay saith he the 〈◊〉 that is suffered for hendring the Division of the church is no lesse yea in my judgement is greater then that which is suffered for 〈◊〉 sacrificing to an idol for in this saieth he a man profiteth but himself but in that he profiteth the whole Church Hence S. August so much praised that blessed Martyre S. Cyprian in his 〈…〉 of 〈◊〉 against Donatists chap. 18 and in many other places for that he would not separate himself from the societie of other good Christians notwithstanding he differed from them in judgement anent the rebaptising of them who wer baptised by hereticks God saith he permitted him to fall into â—n errour that his pious humilitie might be known and might serve for a medicine both for that age and for posteritie If Cyprian saieth he being a Bishope of so great a Church as Carthage was and being a man of soâ—great learning eloquence cowrage worth every way bad separated himself how many had followed him how glorious a name had he purchased to himself among men there had been more Cyprianists then Donatists but hee was not a Child of perdition but a Child of peace Hee did not see the Trueth in that point but God permitted that that we might see in him that which was better then that Trueth even Charitie for that Trueth without Charitie would not have saved him but Charitie without that Truth obtained to him through the Mercie of God the Crowne of Martyrdome and so the cloud of errour which creeped in his bright soule was banished away by the brightnesse of his blood as it were shade for the love of Christ I proceed now to the following words It is as the precious oyntment upon the head c. Here by two excellent similituds the PROPHET sheweth the beautie goodnes of brotherly unitie and love The first is taken from the sacred oyntment that was poured on the high Priest at his consecration which
hearers because of new they were againe instructed the mysteries of christian religion For it was presumed that they who had so grievously fallen had never rightly learned these heavenly mysteries and therefore were taught againe especially concerning the terrour of GODS Iudgements against sinne that they might the more willingly undergo what was injoyned them This done they were received to their repentance wherein for diverse years somtimes for seven more or lesse according to the greatnes of their offence they were exercised with most laborious works of humiliation and mortification TERTUL in the 9 chap. of his book of repentance saieth That they did humble themselves in sackcloth ashes they did lye prostrat upon the ground they did nowrish their prayers with fasting they did weep mourne and cry to GOD and did humblie beseech pastors and all faithfull people to pray for them S. CYPRIAN speaking of this same matter sayeth to them that had fallen That it behoved them to pray earnestly to passe over the day in sorrow to spend over the nights in mourning and teares to humble themselves in sackcloth aud ashes to despise the garment of the body since they had cast away the garment of Christ and to despise the food of the body since they had eaten at the table of the devil they thought not that such works of humiliation could merite any thing at the hand of GOD but they were injoyned as means appointed by GOD to promove unfeigned sorrow and detestation of their sinne which men after great faults especially do not ordinarly attaine unto without those exercises of fasting prayer and humiliation They were injoyned as means of mortifying those carnall lusts whereby they had been stirred up or whereby thereafter they might be stirred up to offend God and as expressions of their sorrow for their sinnes and just indignation against themselves because of their sinnes that so God through Christ might be moved to have pitty upon them that good christians might be assured of their unfeigned conversion and that all who did behold might be edified by their good example as they had been before offended by their fall When all this was done they were not yet admitted to the participation of the holy sacrament of the Body and Blood of our LORD but after a good space of time wherein they had given full proofe of the trueth and sincerity of their conversion Neither was it only those of the meaner sort who did subject thēselves to these ecclesiastical bonds two christian Emperours submitted themselves thereunto The first was Philip the first christian Emperour of whom ye may reade in the sixt book of Eusebius his ecclesiastical historie That when he would have come to the participation of the holy mysteries the bishop to wit Fabianus debarred him refusing to admitt him therunto because of his lowd life till he had made satisfaction by publick repentance which he yeelded unto The second was the glorious Emperour Theodosius He as ye may reade in the 5 book of Theodoret his ecclesiasticall historie 17. chap. after a great murther committed at Thessalonio◠by a rash commandement of his being come to Millane wher S. Ambrose was bishop and intending to enter into the Church and communicat was encountred by S. Awbrose without the Church who freely told him of the grievousnes of his sinne and that though he was an Emperour yet was subject to him who is the LORD of heaven and earth and that those whom he had killed were partakers of that same nature with him and made according to the Image of GOD aswel as he With what eyes saith he can thou behold this temple or how can thou trade upon this holy ground how can thou stretch out these hands embrued with blood or open that mouth which hath commanded so much innocent blood to be shed to receive the sacred Body and Blood of Christ depart therfore said he and adde not a new sinne unto thy former sinne but accept of these bonds wherewith he that is LORD over all hath commanded thee to be bound for these bonds have a power to put away the disease and to restore health unto thee againe The good Emperour hearkned unto him and returning did give himself to mourning and humiliation after he had been excercised thus eight moneths the feast of the nativitie of our Saivour was come in which he begane most grievously to mourne and weep being demanded of one of his chief courteours Ruffinus why he did so alace said he you understand not the evils wherein I am Servants and beggers have accesse to the House of GOD but I am debarred both from the Church Heaven For I remember that sentence of our Saviour Whatsoever ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven Afterward when he was admitted by S. Ambrose the historian saieth That when he entred into the Church he did not stand nor kneel praying but that he did fall down upon the ground saying these words of DAVID My soul cleaveth unto the dust quicken thou me according unto thy word and began to strick his face and to rive his hair and to water the ground with his teares If so great so glorious an Emperour disdained not in such a manner to submitt himself to ecclesiasticall censure is it not strange that every one almost now who is any thing in their own eyes disdaineth to embrace this remedie which Christ hath appointed for grievous offenders S. AUGUST speaking of this purpose saieth in the 49. Sermon of his book of fifty homiles Let no man say I will transact secretly betwixt God and my self I shall have sorrow in mine heart c. Then saieth he The keyes of the kingdome of heaven were given in vaine and in vaine it was said whatsoever yee binde on earth shall be bound in heaven Shal a Senator saieth he be ashamed to do that which the Emperour Theodosius did shall a craftsman or a merchant be ashamed to do that which so glorious an Emperour did I come now to the other sort of excommunication whereby men are bound This is the greater excommunication which is a most fearfull and dreadfull anathema eurse By it a man is wholly separated from the communion of the faithfull in meetings in prayers and in all other sacred fellowship such an one is fully cast out of the Church and cut off from the body of Christ as a rotten and corrupt member by reason wherof he is subjected to unspeakable evils For if he be so cut off from Christs Body he can no more be partaker while he is in that estate of the vitall and saving influence which cometh from Christ the HEAD Being separate from the Body of Christ he can no more have his Spirit then a member of the body cut off from the rest can be quickned with that soul which giveth life to the rest of the body and if a man have not the Spirit of Christ he is not his Such an one
have read out of all the foure Evangelists The unlearned unconsiderat READER might think That the Evangelists agree not well in relating this Historie but if wee compare them together wee shall find a very sweet harmony and that the cause of the apparent disagreement is only that one hath that which another wanteth Now according to them all this is the Historie Our LORD being arraigned before Cajaphas and his Councell the night before his death S. Peter having followed him to the HALL of the high Priest and having twice denyed him there is now the third time assaulted First about the space of an houre after his second deniall one cometh to him and affirmeth confidently or strongly as S. Luke telleth us and confirmeth his saying with this argument That he was of Galilee where Christ for the greatest part conversed and whence the greatest part of his disciples were By occasion of this some others standing by as S. Matth. and S. Mark importeth urge him in like manner Of a truth say they this fellow was with him for he is a Galilean and his speech bewrayeth him to be such an one There was but one language in the land of Canaan to wit the Syriack at that time but there was a diversitie in the pronunciation and manner of speech betwixt the Galileans and others as there is in our own or any other country betwixt them that are of diverse provinces Notwithstanding of all this S. Peter standeth to his deniall In the meane time There cometh a servant of the high Priest a kinsman of his whose care Peter had cut off as we learn from S. Iohn and he pressed the Apostle more perempterly Did I not see thee in the garden with him saieth he as if he would have said How darest thou refuse how canest thou deny Did I not see thee with these eyes of mine with him in the garden Here the Apostle being brought to a perempter perceiving himself to be in great danger and fearing that he should be arreigned aswell as his Lord and exposed to the cruelty of the Jews aswell as he hee is not content simply to deny him but he doeth it with oaths execrations swearing and cursing that he knew not the man that he did not so much as know what they said Now immediatly while hee is yet speaking the Cock croweth the second time as S. Mark telleth us and Jesus turning him about looked upon S. Peter Whereupon he remembred and called to minde the words of Jesus How hee had said Before the Cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice and thinking upon this he went out and wept bitterly This is the Historie in order In it there are two particulars chiefly considerable First his Fall or sin secondly his Rising or repentance For clearing the first Wee shall consider first his sin secondly the grievousnesse of it and Thirdly shall shew you what use should be made by us thereof But before we enter into these particulars yee are to understand that some have excused or extenuated this sin of Peter that either they thought it no sin or a very small one but this is well refuted by S Jerome If saieth he we affirme that Peter denied not Christ then we give Christ the lie who said Before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny mee thrice To this same purpose holy August in 66. Treatise upon Iohn If Christ spake trueth whereof to doubt is impietie then PETER indeed denied Christ Let us not accuse Christ saieth he to defend Peter let humane infirmitie acknowledge its sin for in him that was Trueth is self there could bee no lie S. Peter himself acknowledged both the sin and the grievousnesse thereof he refuteth his defenders his tears are witnesses against them Let us come now to the first point and consider his sin what it was First in that he denied the LORD he sinned against Trueth and that two wayes first because he denied that he knew him whom indeed he knew very well Secondly because hee break his promise to his Lord which was That he would not deny him though he should die for him 2. He sinned against faith For the commandement wherby we are tyed to beleeve bindeth us not only to beleeve inwardly but also outwardly to confesse For with the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnes and with the mouth coÌ„fession is made unto salvation 3. He sinned by perjurie calling 〈◊〉 God and desiring him to bear witnes to his lie 4. He sinned by cursing and wishing all kinde of mischief to himself if he spake not trueth All these wayes he sinned in this his third deniall Now let us consider the grievousnesse of his sin For clearing of this point consider first That he many wayes offended before his deniall First there was in him too great confidence of himself and over-weeâ—ing of his own strength Hence when our Lord. Joh. 13. 36. Said Thou canst not follow me now he answered Lord why cannot I follow thee now I am ready to go with thee both to prison and to death and againe Though all men should â—e offended at thee yet I will never be offended Secondly there was a kind of misbeleeving the words of our Lord for he forewarned him of his fall and yet he would not take heed unto it Thirdly he neglected that commandement Watâ—h and pray that ye enter not into temptation For the spirit indeed is readie but the flesb is weak He was sleeping sound when he should have been watching and praying Fourthly when he followed Christ he followed him coldly a far off did not cleave to him neatly ferveÌ„tly as his true follower should have done Fiftly by entering into the HAL of the High Priest amongst his enemies he did cast himself into danger without necessity or any calling Thus many waies he procureth his own Fall which aggravateth his sin Secondly There are many things concurring in his sinne which doth greatly aggravate it First he not only denied Christ but also he denied him with oaths againe and again and not content with this he cursed and anathematized himself if it was not so as he said The word used in the original signifieth that he wisheth himself to be an Anathema which is as much as one that is accursed execrable and unworthy of the communion of good men and that is devoted and appointed for â—ell The word which the Syrian Interpreter useth signifieth to destroy and abolish in the old Testament coÌ„monly signifieth A thing devoted to God which cannot be redeemed but must needs be abolished and destroyed So the Apostle by this anathematizing or cursing wished all mischiefs to himself both to his body and soule which is no lesse then eternal condemnation Neither did hee simply curse this way but hee did it vehemently as the word used by S. Matth. importeth Suppose there had been no more This cursing was a grievous sin God oftentimes even in this life hath
declared his Wrath against it by dreadfull judgements In this kinde we have a notable example in Eusebius his ecclesiastick Hist 6. book and 8. chapter There he reporteth that three wicked men had conspired against Narcissus Bishop of IERUSALEM in the time of the Emperour Severus who was a man of singular holinesse but somwhat severe These wicked persons fearing to bee censured by him accuse him of Vncleannesse to perswade men to beleeve them did use fearfull curses and impreeaâ—ions against themselves if they spake not the truth The first of them wished that he might be burnt The second wished that his body might rot be consumed The third wished that he might be blinde if it was not true which they spake Notwithstanding of all this the people were so perswaded of the holinesse of their Pastor that they beleeved them not And in the meane time ere it was long the judgement of God came upon these three The house of the first took fire and in it hee and his familie was burnt The second fell into a grievous disease which consumed his bodie away The third considering the vengance of God that had come upon his fellowes is brought to repentance confesseth publickly the whole matter shed tears so aboundantly then and afterwards that he lossed the sight of his eyes So the curse of every one of them fell upon themselves Thus we may perceive that the Apostle his cursing did much aggravate his sin Secondly the matter which he denied with oathes execrations was most great and important It was no lesse then his LORD and SAVIOVR even he to whom before he had said Lord whether shall we go from thee for thou hast the words of eternall life and we know and are sure that thou art the Christ the son of the living God Thirdly he who denied this was no mean person but a great and prime Apostle which aggravateth the offence it was Peter whose name Christ had changed and whom he had called Peter to signifie that the strength and firmnes of a rocke should be in him It was Peter who had been so familiar with his Lord had seen him worke so many miracles and had wrought miracles himself in his Name Peter who had been with him in mount Tabor had tasted there the heavenly joyes had heard this voice from heaven Thou art my well beloved son c. Peter to whom the Father had revealed this That Jesus was the son of the living God Math. 16. And to whom our Saviour said To thee will I give the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde upon earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth shall be loosed in heaven Fourthly In this his denial appeareth great pusillanimitie weaknes and distrust of God for at the first assault of a hand-maid and doore-keeper he denyed That he knew Christ Behold saieth holy AUGUSTINE The most firme pillartrembls whollie at one small blast of the aire Where now saieth he is thy former confidence and bold promises where now are these words I am ready to follow thee both to prison and to death Is this to follow thy Lord to deny that thou knowest him Is this to lay down thy life for him to deny him at the voice of a damsell for preserving thy life how strangely is thy voice changed now and yet thou art not brought unto publick thou art not presented yet before kings or governours thou art not yet put to the rocke or torture It is not a scribe or pharisee or priest or souldier or executioner that demandeth of thee but a woman a servant and a doore-keeper Thus we see there was in him exceeding great weaknes and feare Lastly There was a kinde of obstinacie in his sinne for he denyed and swore againe and againe and the third time There was betwixt his second and third deniall about the space of an houre wherein the had time to recollect his confounded thoughts and to call to minde what he hade done that he might have repented or at least might have eschewed a new sinne but notwithstanding of this he continued still unmindefull of Christ and what he had done Thus we see his sinne in many respects was grievous which we have discovered not for the reproach of that great and holy Apostle God forbid but that we may learne these uses from it Which the spirit of God would have us to learne which is the third point propounded by us The first use that we should make of this fall of the great Apostle is we may perceive clearly in it humane weaknes infirmitie how great it is and how little it should be trusted unto This great Apostle was by nature fervent and veâ—ement and had received many excellent graces and priviledges from Christ as we said before yet when he trusteth to much in himself and is for triall and humiliation left to himself he falleth and that most foullie He that assured himself of victory before the fight trembleth now before the sound of the trumpet he that should not have denied Christ although the sword had been at his throat denieth him now at the voice of a damsell The like we may see in DAVID who was a man according to the heart of God and yet fell both in adulterie murther This should teach us all humilitie feare and watch fulnes and to trust in nothing but in God and his Graceâ— S. Peter himself learned these things by his fall When our Lord after his resurrection asked him whether he did love him more then others did he did not preferre himself to any but was content to expresse his own sinceritie saying LORD thou knowest that I love thee So in his 1. epist 1. chap. He saieth That we are kept by the power of GOD through faith unto salvation and in the 5. chap. of that epist he giveth this exhortarion to all Be sober be vigilant for your enemie the devil goeth about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devoure Let us in like manner learne to be humble and to feare and watch If the strong pillars and mighty cedares be so shaken and so soone what may become of us who have scarce grace rooted in our hearts in the day of our temptation What is man without the Grace of God saieth holy AUGUSTINE in his 124. Sermon of time But that which Peter was when he denied his LORD yea suppose thou had never so much grace yet thou hast this treasure in an earthen vessell thou art like to a rich ship full of precious wares that is tossed in the sea and in danger to be swallowed with the waves or to dash upon the rocks Be not therefore high minded but feare Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Remember that S. PAUL hath said Worke out your saluation with feare and trembling And that he himself did beat his body down and kept it in