fearfull manner plague the earth with warres bloud-sheddings tumults dearth famine and pestilence which are all signified by the red horse the black horse and the pale horse which did appeare at the opening of the second third and fourth seale So likewise undoubtedly God will severely punish all injuries wrongs and contempts done to his faithfull Embassadors as appeareth Revel 11.5 where it is set downe That If any would hurt the two witnesses with their two olives and two candlesticks whereby is signified the faithfull Preachers of the Gospel with all their spirituall treasures and heavenly light fire should proceed out of their mouthes and devoure their adversaries that is The fire of Gods wrath should consume all that had oppressed them either by mocks flouts railing slanders imprisonment or any other kinde of indignity Of this wee have a plaine example or two in the Scripture First we read how fire came downe from heaven and consumed the contemptuous Captaine and his fifty 2 Kin. 1.10 at the threatning and calling for of Eliah Secondly how two Beares came out of the Forrest 2 Kin. 2.23 and tare in pieces two and forty yonkers which mocked Elisha the Prophet of God calling him bald-head bald-head So then by these examples it is manifest that howsoever the Lord may winke at these things for a time and make as though hee saw them not yet the time will come when hee will raine fire and brimstone upon all the scoffers of his faithfull ministers and contemners of his Gospel All this is plainly declared in the first chapter of the Proverbs of Solomon where is shewed how the wisedome of God even Iesus Christ the highest wisedome doth cry aloud all abroad in the world and manifest himselfe in the open streets but yet is contemned of wicked worldlings and scoffing fools Therefore saith Christ Prov. 1.24 Because I have called and yee refused I have stretched out my hand but none would regard yee have hated knowledge and despised all my counsell therefore I will laugh at your destruction and mock when your feare cometh upon you like a sudden desolation and your destruction like a whirl-winde Then shall they call upon mee but I will not answer they shall seeke mee early but they shall not find me Here then wee see his terrible wrath and vengeance threatned from heaven against all profane contemners of Christ and his everlasting Gospel or any of the faithful â—â—â—â—â—shers and proclaimers therto â—â—â—â—hold therefore yee despisers and wonder consider well what will become of you in the end Do not think that the most just God will alwayes put it up at your hands that yee should so manifestly contemne both his word and the most zealous Preachers and Professors thereof No no assure your selves hee will bee even with you at last Hee will smite you both fideling and overthwart hee will dogge you and pursue you with his judgements and never leave following the chase with you till hee hath destroyed you and consumed you from off the face of the earth For remember I pray you what hee saith in Deuteronomie Deut. 32.41 42. If I whet my glittering sword and mine hand take hold of judgement I will execute vengeance on mine enemies and I will reward them that hate mee I will make mine arrowes drunke with bloud and my sword shall eat the flesh of mine adversaries Phil. Truely Sir we may justly feare that for our great contempt of the Gospel and generall coldnesse both in the profession and practice thereof God will take it from us and give it to a people that will bring forth the fruit thereof Theol. Wee may well feare indeed lest for our sinnes especially our loathing of the heavenly Manna the Lord remove our candlesticke take away our silver trumpets let us no more heare the sweet bels of Aaron cause all vision to faile and our Sabbaths to cease and bring upon us that most grievous and sore famine of not hearing the word of the Lord Amos 8. spoken of by Amos the Prophet Then shall our Halcion dayes and golden yeares be turned into weeping mourning and lamentation God for his infinite mercy sake turne it away from us Phil. Amen Amen and let us all pray earnestly night and day that those fearfull judgments may according to Gods infinite mercy bee held backe which our sinnes doe continually cry for and that his most glorious Gospel may bee continued to us and our posterity even yet with greater successe Asun No doubt it is a very great sin to despise the word of God and I think there is none so bad that will doe it For wee ought to love Gods word God forbid else He that loveth not Gods word it is pity he liveth Theol. These are but words of course It is an easie matter to speak good words and very many will say as you say But both you and they in your practice doe plainly shew that you make no reckoning of it you esteeme it no more than a dish-clout I thinke if the matter were well tryed you have scant a Bible in your house But though you have one it is manifest that you seldome reade therein with any care or conscienâ—e and as seldome heare the word preached How else could you be so ignorant as you are Asun I grant that I and some others are somewhat negligent in the hearing and reading of the word of God but you cannot say therefore wee do contemne it Theol. Yes verily your continuall negligence and carelesnesse doth argue a plaine contempt Sure it is you have no appetite nor stomack to the holy word of God You had rather do any thing than either reade or meditate in it it is irksome unto you you read not two chapters in a weeke All holy exercises of religion are most bitter and tedious unto you they are as vinegar to your teeth and smoake to your eyes The immoderate love of this world and of vanity hath took away your appetite from all heavenly things And whereas you shift it off with negligence as though that would excuse you the Apostle hits you home when he saith How shall we escape if wee neglect so great salvation Reb. â— 3 Marke that he saith If we neglect Antil Belike you think men have nothing else to do but to reade the Scriptures and hear Sermons Theol. I do not say so I do not say you should doe nothing else For God doth allow you with a good conscience and in his feare to follow the workes of your calling as hath beene said before But this I condemn in you and many others that you will give no time to private prayers reading and meditation in Gods word neither morning nor evening neither before your busines nor after And although you have often vacant time enough yet you will rather bestow it in vanity and idle pratling and gossipping than in any good exercise of Religion Which doth plainely shew that you neither delight in
lusts and fleshly delights and that is the cause why you are deafe on this care I will therefore adde a word or two more out of the Oracles of God to that which hath beene spoken Pro. 6.31 〈◊〉 The wise King saith Hee that committeth adultery with women destroyeth his owne soule and so is accessâ—ry to his owne death which is no small matter For we use to say if a man hang himselfe drowne himselfe or any manner of way make away himselfe that he was cursed of God that Gods hand was heavie against him that the Divell ought him a shame and now he hath paid it him And all the countrey rings of such a strange accident when and where it falleth out and the Crowner of the countrey doth sit upon it How much more may all the world wonder at this that a man should destroy his owne soule and wittingly and willingly cast away himselfe for ever Now the holy Ghost saith The adulterer doth such an act giveth such a venture and willingly murthereth himselfe Oh therefore woe unto him that ever hee was borne for sure it is that the great Crowner of heaven that crowns whom hee will crowne shall one day sit upon it and give judgement Moreover as the adulterer sinneth against his soule so also hee sinneth against his bodie after a speciall manner 1 Cor 6.13 as witnesseth the Apostle Also hee sinneth against his goods and outward estate as the holy man Job testifieth saying Job 5â— 12 Adulterie is a fire that devoureth to destruction and it will root out all our increase Furthermore hee sinneth against his name Prov. 6.33 For the Adulterer shall finde a wound and dishonour and his reproach shall never be put away Item hee sinneth against his wife who is his companion Mâ—â—â— 14 15. and the wife of his covenant And God saith in the same place Let none trespasse against the wife of his youth keep your selves in your spirit and transgresse not Last of all hee sinneth against his children and posterity as the Lord said to David Because thou hast despised mee 2 Sâ—â— 12 1â— and done this therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house Behold I will raise up evill against thee out of thine owne house Now therefore to conclude this point wee may see how many deadly wounds men make themselves by committing of adulterie They wound themselves in their soules they wound themselves in their bodies they wound themselves in their goods they wound themselves in their names they wound themselves in their wives and in their children What man except hee were stark mad would thrust in himselfe in so many places at once The Adulterer with his one sinne of adultery maketh all these deadly wounds in himselfe and it is an hundred to one hee will never get them cured but will die and bleed to death of them Lo thus you see the dangerous quality and condition of this sin Shall wee now therefore make light of it Shall wee say It is but a trick of youth Shall wee smooth over the matter with sweet words when the holy Ghost maketh it so hainous and capitall Shall wee make nothing of that which draweth downe Gods wrath upon the soule body goods name wife and children That were an intolerable blindnesse and most extreme hardnesse of heart An ancient Writer hath long agoe passed sentence upon us Basil in Epist who make so light of this sinne for saith hee Adultery is the very hook of the Divell whereby hee draweth us to destruction And another godly Father saith Gregor that adultery is like a furnace whose mouth is gluttony the flame pride the sparkles filthy words the smoak an ill name the ashes poverty and the end shame And so wee plainly see that howsoever wee regard not this sinne but flatter our selves in it yet those whose eyes the Lord hath opened have in all ages condemned it as most flagitious and horrible yea the very Heathen wil rise up in judgment against us who have spoken and written many things against this filthy and beastly vice Phil. Now indeed you have sufficiently branded the vice of adultery and laid out the uglinesse thereof that all men may behold it stark naked and abhorre it If any man notwithstanding all this will venture upon it hee may be said to be a most desperate monster For what doth hee else but as it were put his finger into the Lions mouth and as it were take the Beare by the tooth and they may well know what will follow and what they may look for Let all men therefore in time take heed to themselves and to their own soules as they will answer it at their uttermost perill at the dreadfull day of judgement when the secrets of all hearts shall bee disclosed But now one thing resteth to wit that you should shew us the speciall roots and causes of adultery Theol. There be five speciall causes of it The first is our naturall corruption for the very spawne and seed of all sinne is our corrupt nature and this of all other is a most inherent sinne as witnesseth the Apostle James saying James 1.15 When lust hath concâ—ived it bringeth forth sinne and sin when it is perfected bringeth forth death The second is gluttony and fulnesse of bread for when men have filled their bellies and crammed their paunches as full of good cheere wine and strong drinke as their skinnes can hold what are they meete for or what minde they else but adultery and uncleannesse And therefore well saith one Great nourishment and grosse food is the shop of lust The Heathen Poet could skill to say Sine Cerere Baccho sâ—igeâ— Venus without meat and drinke lust waxeth cold And to this effect the wise King saith Prov 23 â— 35 that their eyes shall behold strange women whose hearts are set upon wine and belly cheere And therefore he adviseth all men not to looke upon the wine when it appeareth red when it sheweth his colour in the cup or stirreth very kindly and that for feare of this after-clap An ancient writer saith to the same purpose Gregoriâ—s Nâ—â—â—anâ— Hee that delicately pampereth his belly and yet would overcome the spirit of fornication is like to him that will quench a flame of fire with oyle Therefore to close up this point sure it is though men pray heare and read much and be otherwise well disposed yet except they be abstemious in diet they will bee much troubled with lust The third cause of adultery is Idlenesse for when men are lazie luskish and idle having nothing to doe they lye wide open to adultery and lust creepeth into them Some Historiographers write the Crab-fish is very desirous to eate Oysters but because shee cannot perforce open them shee watcheth her time when they open themselves unto the sun after the tide and then shee putreth in her claw and pulleth out the Oyster Even so Satan watcheth
conscience will upbraid him and check him or vengeance will plague him for his deceit The feares cares and sorrowes which hee shall have shall be as it were so many sharp stones to set his teeth on edge and to vex him Wherefore in stead of meat hee shall feed on gravell and in stead of wheat on pebble stones Small pleasure is takes in the end in goods ill gotten or livings unlawfully come by For the holy Ghost hath passed sentence upon them that they shall never prosper Phil. It sometimes falleth out that they prosper for a time but as wee say The third heire shall never enjoy them For God will curse them in our posterity and our childrens children shall feele the smart of our sinnes Therefore the holy man Job saith Job 27.14 The off-spring of the wicked shall not be satisfied wiâ—â— bread for out of doubt God will blâ—sse that onely which is got with a good conscience in the works of our calling and it shall remaine blessed unto us and our posterity Therefore the Spirit saith Pro. 2.7 The just man that walketh in his uprighâ—nâ—sse is blessed and blâ—ssed shall h s children be after him But God will â—ot blesse but curse that which is or with an evill conscience as swearing lying dissembling deceiving c. Theol. Some ancient Writers have spoken very prudently to this point For one saith Jâ—râ—â— Injusta luâ—ra breves habent voluptates longâ—s autem dolores That is August Unjust gaine hath long sorrow and short joy Another saith Eligas damnum potiùs quà m turpe lucrum illud enim semel tantum te dolore afficet hoc verò semper That is Chuse losse rather than filthy lucre for the one will grieve thee but once the other for â—ver A third saith Bernard Melius est honestè pauperem esse quà m turpiter divitem Hoc enim commiserationem illud vero reprehensionem adsert It is better to be honestly poore than wickedly rich For the one moveth pitty the other reproofe Eâ—rip Pâ—enis One of the wise Heathen also saith Wee may not wax rich unjustly but live of just things which he calleth holy things Phil. Have wee not examples in the Scriptures of such as have been punished for lying Theol. Yes for wee read how the Gibeonites for their lying and dissembling were made drudges and slaves to the Israelites Josh 9.23 2 King 5. Gehezi also the servant of Elisha the Prophet for his lying and covetousnesse together was smitten with a most grievous leprosie Acts 5.5 Annanias and Sapphira his wife for their lying and dissembling were stricken downe stark dead by the immediate hand of God at the rebuke of Peter Zophar one of Jobs friends speaking of these kind of men Job â—0 16 24. saith They shall suck the gall of Aspes and the Vâ—pers tongue shall slay them They shall slie from the iron weapons and a bow of steele shall strike them thorow Now then by all these examples we may plainly see how greatly God abhorreth lying and dissembling Phil. O therefore that we could follow the counsell of the Apostle who saith Lye not one to another Col. 3.9 sith you have put off the old man with his workes And againe Ephes 4.25 Cast away lying and speak very one the truth to his neighbour The manner of speech which the Apostle useth is very forcible implying thus much That wee should in a kinde of disdaine or detestation cast it away and throw it from us as a filthy stinking and berayed clout hanging about a mans necke which hee doth suddenly snatch away and hurle into the fire as being ashamed that ever it should be seene or knowne Would to God therefore that we were come to such a detestation and loathing of lying that we would even spattle at it and cry Fie upon it and all that use it O that wee could hate it as the Divell which is the father of it and as hell fire which is the reward of it O that we were come but so farre as the Heathen man who saith Homer Iliad â— I hate him as the gates of hell who hath one thing in his tongue and another in his heart Antil Yet for all this wee finde in the Scriptures that even some of the godly have been taken tardy in lying and yet have not sinned in so doing as Abraham Jacob Rahab the Midwives of Egypt and therefore why may not we do so too Theol. I told you before that you may not make the infirmities of Gods people rules for you to live by And further I answer that all these did offend in their lying Some of them indeed I grant are commended for their love to the Church and charitable affections to Gods people but none of them simply for lying which is a thing condemned even of the Heathen For saith one of them Lying doth corrupt the life of man and every wise and godly man doth hate lying Antil But may wee not lye now and then for advantage Theol. No verily neither is there any good vantage to be got that way For when you have made up your accounts all charges deducted and all expences defrayed your cleare gaines will be very small For by your wilfull and customary lying you gaine inward griefe and lose true joy you gain short pleasure and lose perpetuall glory you gain hell and lose heaven you make the Divell your friend and God your enemy Now then reckon your gaine Phil. I pray you let us grow towards a conclusion of this point and shew us briefly the chief causes of lying Theol. The chief causes of lying are these Custome Feare Covetousnesse The Divell Phil. What be the remedies Theol. The remedies be these Disuse Godly boldnesse Contentation Earnest prayer Phil. You have spoken enough of this vice to cause all such to abhorre it and forsake it as have any drop of grace or spark of Gods feare in them but as for them that are filthy let them be more filthy Now I pray you speake your judgement of the seventh signe of condemnation which is drunkennesse Theol. It is so brutish and beastly a sinne that a man would thinke it should not neede to be spoken against but that all reasonable men should even abhorre it and quake to thinke of it For it is a most swinish thing it maketh of a man a beast it taketh away the heart of man from all goodnesse as witnesseth the Prophet Hosea chapt 4.11 saying Whoredome wine and new wine take away the heart For what heart what stomach what appetite can whoremongers and drunkards have to any thing that is good either to heare or read the word of God or to pray or to meditate in the same Alas they are farre from it far from God and farre from all grace and goodnesse Joel 1. â— Therefore the Prophet Joel saith Awake ye drunkards weepe and howle ye drinkers of wine Yea the mighty God of
4. Antil 〈◊〉 18. But how answer you this God willâ— not the death of a sinner therefore he hath predestinated none to destruction Theol. God wils not the death of a sinner simply and absolutely as it is the destruction of his creature but as it is a meanes to declare his justice and to set forth his glory Antil God did fore-see and fore-know that the wicked would perish through their owne sin but yet he did not predestinate them unto it Theol. Gods prescience and fore-knowledge cannot be separated from his decree For whatsoever God hath fore-seene and fore-known in his eternall counsell he hath determined the same shall come to passe For as it appertaines to his wisdome to fore-know and fore-see all things so doth it appertain to his power to moderate and rule all things according to his will Antil What doe you call prescience in God Theol. Prescience in God is that whereby all things abide present before his eyes so that to his eternall knowledge nothing is past nothing to come but all things are alwaies present and are they so present that they are not as conceived imaginations formes and motions but all things are alwaies so present befoâ—e God that he doth behold them 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 and perfection Antil How can God justly determine of mens destruction before they have sinned Theol. This objection hath been answered in part before For I told you that God condemneth none but for sin either originall onely or else both originall and actuall For howsoever he doth in himselfe before all time determine the reprobation of many yet he proceeds to no excecution till there be found in us both just desertâ— and apparent cause Therefore they deale unsoundly and foolishly which confound the decree of reprobation with damnation it selfe sith sinne is the cause of the one and only the will of God of the other Phil. Well Sir sith we are so far proceeded in this question by the occasion of this mans objections and cavile I pray you now as you have spoken much of reprobation and the causes thereof so let us heare somewhat of election and the causes thereof and shew us out of the Scriptures that God hath before all worlds chosen some to eternall life Theol. Touching the decree of election there are almost none that make any doubt thereof therefore small proofe shall serve for this point Onely I will construct it by one or two testimonies out of holy Scripture First the Apostle saith Blessed be God Ephes 1.3 even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ as hee hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that wee should be holy and without blame before him in love You see the words are very plaine and pregnant for this purpose Another confirmation is taken out of the eight chapter to the Romans in these words Those whom hee knew before did he also predestinate to be like to be like to the image of his owne Sonne that hee might be the first-borne of many brethren Phil. Which be the causes of election Theol. The causes of election are to be found onely in God himselfe For his eternall election dependeth neither upon man neither yet upon any thing that is in man but is purposed in himselfe and established in Christ in whom we are elected This is fully proved in these words Ephes 1.5 6. Who hath predestinated us to be adopted through Jesus Christ in himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of his glory wherewith he hath made us freely accepted in his beloved Where we see the Apostle telleth us that his free grace and the good pleasure of his will are the first motives or moving causes of our election Phil. But the Papists fetch the first motive of election out of mans merits and fore-seen workes For say they God did fore-see who would repent beleeve and doe well and therefore he made choice of them Theol. But they are greatly deceived For I say againe and againe that there is nothing in us which did ever move God to set his love upon us and to chuse us unto life but he ever found the originall cause in himselfe as it is written Rom. 9. Hee will have mercy upon whom hee will have mercy and whom hee will hee hardneth And againe It is neither in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Deut. 7.7 The Lord himselfe also testifieth that hee did chuse his people not for any respect in them but onely because he loved them and bare a speciall favour unto them 〈◊〉 then it is a certaine truth that Gods eternall predestination excludeth all merits of man and all power of his will thereby to attaine unto eternall life and that his free mercy and undeserved favour is both the beginning the midst and the end of our salvation that is to say All is of him and nothing of our selves Phil. Whether then doth faith depend upon election or election upon faith That is whether did God chuse us because we doe beleeve or whether doe we beleeve because we are chosen Theol. Out of all doubt both faith and all fruits of faith do depend upon election For therefore we beleeve because we are elected and not therefore elected because wee beleeve As it is written Act. 13.41 So many as were ordained to everlasting life beleeved Antil If men be predestinate before they be borne to what purpose serve all precepts admonitions lawes c. It sorceth not how wee live For neither our godly or ungodly life can alter the purpose of God Theol. This is a very wicked and carnall objection and sheweth a vile and dissolute mind in them that use it But I would wish such men to consider the end of election which is that we should lead a godly 〈◊〉 As it is plainly set down in the first chapter to the Ephesians ver 3. where the Apostle saith God hath chosen us before the foundation of the world But to what end that wee should live as wee list No no saith hee But that wee should be holy and unblameable before him Againe he saith Rom. 9.16 Wee are predestinate to be made like the image of his Sonne that is to be holy and righteous For most certaine it is that wee can judge nothing of predestination but by the consequents that is by our calling justification and sanctification For when once we feele the work of grace within us that is that wee are washed by the new birth and renued by the holy Ghost finding in our selves an unfeigned hatred of sinne and love of righteousnesse then are we sure and out of all doubt that we are predestinated to life And it is even as much is if God had personally appeared unto us and whispered us in the eare and told us that our names are taken and written in the
keepe his Sabbaths Avoide all the signes of condemnation and labour after all the signes of salvation Above all things take heed of sinne for that is the very out-throat of the soule and of all goodnesse Tremble therfore and sin not for if you sin mark what followeth Six great dangers in sinne God seeth His Angels beare witnesse The Conscience pricketh Death threatneth The Divell accuseth Hell devoureth You see then that sinne is no scar-crow or jesting matter Every sinne that a man committeth is as a thorne thrust deep into the soule which will not be got out againe but with many a sigh and many a sorrowfull Oh oh Every sinne is 〈…〉 Iron â—er 17.1 and the point of a Diamond upon the conscience and shall in the last day when the Booke shall be opened accuse us and give in evidence against us Note this If a man commit sin with pleasure the pleasure posseth away but the conscience and sting of the 〈◊〉 abideth and tormenteth deadly but if a man doe well though with labour and painfulnesse the paine passeth away yet the conscience of well-doing remaineth with much comfort But the best end of sinne is alwaies repentance if not in this life then with we and was when it is doe late Therefore take heed in time take heede I say of sin for Six most hurtfull effects of sinne Sinne hardens the heart Heb. 3.13 Sin gnawes the conscience 1 Sam. 25. Sin fights against the soule 1 Pet. 1.11 Sinne brings forth death James 1.15 Sinne makes ashamed Rom. 6.21 Sin procures plagues of body and soule Deut. 28. Behold therefore the evill effects of sinne For this cause Zophar the Naâ—mathite speakes very wisely to Job saying Job 11. When thou shalt life thy face out of thy sin thou shalt be strong and shalt not feare thou shalt forget all sorrow thou shalt remember it as the waters that are past Where Zophar pleinely sheweth that the avoiding of sinne is our strength and the committing of it our woâ—â—â—ing according to that of Solomon Proâ— 2â— 1â— The way of the Lord is the strength of the upright man Therefore wâ—â—â—e in the way of God and take heede of the wayes of sinne for God punisheth every sin his way some one way and some another and no sin can escape unpunished For because God is just therefore hee must needs punish sin in all men though in divers manners as the wicked in their owne persons the godly in Christ Beware of it therefore and flatter not your selfe in your sins Remember how every disobedience and every transgression hath had a just recompence of reward Nâ—â—â— how God in all ages hath pâ—â—â—hed the breakers of his â—â—w â—â—od 32.10 God hath in all ages matched the cause with the effect that is sin with the punishment of sin The Israelites for breaking the first Commandement in making other gods were often smitten by the hand of God â—â—v 10.2 Nadab and Abibu the sons of Aaron for the breach of the second Commandement in offering strange fire upon Gods Altar were consumed with fire Numb 15. Hee that blasphemed and transgressed the third Commandement was stoned to death Num. 15.52 Hee that brake the fourth Commandement in gathering stickes on the Sabbath was likewise stoned Absalom transgressing the fift was hanged in his owne haire 2 Sam. 18. Gâ—â— 4.15 Cain transgressing the sixt in slaying his brother Abel was branded with the marke of Gods wrath Gen. 34.26 Sichem the son of Hamor transgressing the seventh in defiling Dinah the daughter of Jacob was slain by Simeon and Levi the sons of Jacob. Jos 7.25 Achan sinning against the eighth Commandement in stealing the wedge of gold and the Babylonish garment was stoned to death Ananias and Sapphira sinning against the ninth in lying and dissembling Act â—5 6 were suddenly smitten with death Ahab transgressing the tenth Commandement 1 〈◊〉 21.24 in coveting and discontentment was devoured of dogges Or if you will have originall sinne therein onely forbidden then infants are therefore punished with death Rom. 5.14 Thus wee see there is no dallying with God but if wee sin wee are as sure to be jerkt for it as the coate is on our backe Therefore let us not deceive our selves nor make light of sinne for sin is no scar-bug and wee shall one day finde it so And howsoever wee make light of some sins yet in very deed all sin is odious in the sight of God yea all sin is hainous and capitall in this respect that it is against a person of infinite being it is against God himselfe it is against the highest Majestie For the greatnesse of the person offended doth inhaunse and increase the greatnesse of the sinne As for example If a man rail at a Justice of Peace he shall be stocked if he cast at one of his Majesties privy Councell he shall be imprisoned but if hee raile at his owne Majestie hee shall be hanged So then you see how a sin is increased by the dignity of the person offended Now then sith all mortall Princes are but dust in the sight of God and hee is a person of infinite and incomparable Majestie how hainous and how slagitious a thing is it in any wise or after any sort to sin against his most royall and sacred person Well then to grow to some conclusion this I doe advise you as to shunne all vice so to embrace all vertue as to put off the old man so to put on the new man Remember often and alwaies what shall become of you after this life where you shall be forty yeers hence in Hell or Heaven Looke well to that in time and therefore to live that you may live alwaies Consider often is your serious cogitation Nine profitaâ—le consideratiions What you have been What you are What you shall be What God hath done for you What he doth What he will do Gods judgements past Gods judgements present Gods judgements to come Awake at last and take care for your salvation Sâ—â—â—s no longer in sinne lest yes perish eternally For verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtlesse there is a God that judges the earth Psal 58 1â— And this is the best counsell I can give you Asun Your counsell is very good I pray God give me grace to follow it and so to live that I may please God and go to heaven in the end Theol. You must take heede you speake not these words of course and for fashion sake having no settled purpose in your heart to follow those directions For there be numbers that can skill to give good words but they will doe nothing They thinke they highly please God with their good words and that God will take them for payment as though God regarded words They would faine goe to heaven but they will take no paines they will leave no sinnes they will not forget their lusts and pleasures They would