shew of puritie but a vertue and therefore to be countenanced and defended from the prodigious spirits of the world and if I said barking Dogges I sayd but as Dauid did which hunts outward holinesse into Obadiahs caue that it dare not shew it selfe for feare it should be brought vpon a stage or put in verse or to some other vse to make themselues merrie withall Shall this be suffered then religion will be banished ere long and I cannot blame it if it walke in obscuritie already and dare not bee seene But is there neuer an Obadiah in the land nor Hester in the Court nor an Ahimelech at Nob to fauour their profession and protect their persons Non est meae humilitatis diotare vobis yet say as God said to the Iewes Though Israel play the harlot let not Iudah sinne Though the Temporall Magistrate sit still and say nothing yet let not Ecclesiasticall gouernours keepe silence You are the brestplate of defence the helmet of 〈◊〉 and the sword of protection as Tunc iustitia dieitur gladius ex vtraque parte acutus quia hominis defendit corpus ab exterioribus iniuriis animam a spiritu alibus molestiis For the sword of gouernment hath two edges Disciplina ad duo diuiditur ad correctionem et instructionem primum timore sccunaum amore perficitur and happy is that Church where they both doe cut You are the North winde to kill all the vermin and the South to ripen good fruit I meane your authoritie to punish the wicked and cherish the good But I forget my selfe your Lordship is wise as an Angel of God knowing best what to doe Yet giue meleaue not to teach but to pray for you considering your holy profession high place and the weighty causes you are to mannage the manifold euils you may preuent and the great good you may procure And this is all the good I am able to doe desiring the Lord to prosper your godly proceeding to Gods glory and the good of the Church To the same purpose the Lord fill your soule with grace your heart with courage your life with health and your time with length of dayes that after a militarie life ended in grace you may come to liue a 〈◊〉 life in glory Your Lordships to command in all duetie WILLIAM IACKSON To the Worshipfull Companie of Clothworkers William Iackson wisheth grace in this world and glory in the world to come Right Worshipfull IT is no small fauour of God to bee made an instrument of others good which is either by our owne free donations or by disposing of others gifts In the one is manifested our charitie in giuing of our owne and in the other our faithfulnesse in truely performing the will of the dead And to vse the Apostles words What haue we that wee haue not receiued not simply for our owne vse but for the good of others also Therefore that wee may not be found vncharitable we must giue of our owne nor vnfaithfull we must be true in bestowing of others gifts and then we shall bee twice blessed with Iacob and haue a double portion with Beniamin But to bring this home to the doores of your consciences Yea Worshipfull company of Cloth-workers for whome I in particular am bound to pray not so much for your owne donation vnto mee as your faithfull paying of that which others haue giuen for the maintenance of religion Of whom I may say as Dauid did of Ierusalem Many excellent things are spoken of thee thou Citie of God so many excellent things are done by you Yea worthy and worship full Clothworkers with Dorcas you make coates to clothe the naked with the Shunammite you prepare houses for the harbourlesse to dwell in with Obadiah you relieue the Prophets and much more of this nature which to set downe in order would both spend much paper and also a wearinesse to my hand it is sufficient God knowes them and will one day reward the same I speake not this to make you proud but as my duetie to you and to encourage others to the same And so I will conclude with the saying of the Apostle yee haue and doe well yet I beseach you to increase more and more whereby your name may bee more spread on earth and your glory greater enlarged in heauen Your Pensioner WILLIAM IACKSON TO THE READER CHristian reader I am now to salute thy vnderstanding with a few lines of exhortation be thou as willing to embrace them as they are ready to profit thee if vnderstāding be thy tutour and conscience thy lesson And here I desire but two things of thee first to reade with diligence then to marke with iudgement for thou canst haue no sicknes but here is physicke no sore but here is a plaister for it It is like Iacobs ladder one end standing on the earth the other reaching vp to heauen It begins at faith and repentance leading thee along in the path of obedience and so at the length brings thee to glory I would not that any should obiect against the author and so vse the child the worse for the fathers sakc but rather consider that the child may be good though the father be euill I will make no apologie in the behalfe of it for it is able to speake in the defence of it selfe And now I must make an apologie for my selfe why I haue sent this booke forth into the world one cause is in regard I was wronged by euill tongues after I had preached the same wherefore I now send it foorth to make answere for mee A second cause why I send it foorth is this because the matter therein being of great vse and a Sermon is but nine dayes wonder would not haue the funerall so soone therefore I thought good to intreate that fauour of the higher powers to put it in print And now let me intreate thy affections to embrace it and thy diligence to practise it Thus I leaue these fewe lines to thy selfe to be obeyed and thy selfe to the Lord to be glorified Thine if thou be the Lords William Iackson A Table of the parts handled in this Booke In the plow-time are handled 1 the subiect 2 property of the worke 3 propriety of the persōs 1 In the subiect 1 Why man is called earth 5. 6. 7 2 The heart to be looked too and why 8 to 11 3 Wicked sinne of meditation and why 14 to 18 4 The seuerall fallow grounds 19 to 56 2 In the property of the worke 1 The heart is cut by the law 60 to 63 2 The inward thoughts discouered 57 to 60 3 Sinne dies in vs 63 to 73 3 In the proprety 1 Man is to helpe forward his saluation why 73 to 78 2 The magistrates dutie from 78 to 83 In the seed-time are 1 property of the worke Sowe 2 matter to work on Righteousnes 3 the persons You. 1 In the matter 1 The word of righteousnes must rule vs why 84 to
87 2 How the Papists abuse the word of righteousnes from 87 to 100 3 Why the word is righteous 101 to 102 4 Of the workes of righteousnesse and how to doe them 103 to 107 2 In the sowing-time 1 How obedience seemes lost 108 2 Why thereward is not yet 109 3 Great gaine in obedience 111 4 We are to doe good to many 112 5 We are to doe the beast good 113 6 How the wicked sowe 114 7 World make obedience a labour 115 3 In the persons 1 Great men not too good to serue God 118 to 119 2 Poore not too meane to serue God 120 In the haruest time are 1 propertie of the worke 2 the manner of it 1 Generall obeydience euer rewarded 121 to 124 1 In the propertie 1 How obedience bringeth earthly blessings 125 to 127 2 The haruest of assurance of heauen 129 to 134 2 In the manner 1 All we haue is of mercy 135 2 Papists merits 136 to 137 In the consequence are 1 the action Seeke 2 the obiect the Lord. 3 the cause it is Time 1 In the action 1 We must serue God in our owne persons 139 2 That it is a labour to seeke and why 140 2 In the obiect 1 Of the name Iehouah 143 2 To seeke God in his word 145 3 The seuerall seekers 146 to 147 4 To seeke the loue of God 148 to 149 In the compelling cause 3 In the time past in it 1 The longer in sinne more cause to turne to God and why 150 to 154 2 In the time to come 1 Take time while time is and why 154 to 155 2 The continuance in seeking 156 to 157 3 How and when he come 157 4 The metaphor of the raine 158 to 159 5 Raine for teaching 161 6 Raine for abundance 162 A Table of the principall words in this Booke A A meane in words 69 Assurance of heauen here 129 Apology of the world 116 Apologie for the Church 35. 56 Adultery how committed 29 All the lawes to be executed 80 B Bishops lawfull 55. 56 Brokers 30 Blind Magistrates 82 Best good to be done 114 Boldnes of Ministers 77 Blasphemy of Papists 102 C Couetousnesse 26 Corruption of nature 16 Continuance in obedience 191 Ceremonies 39. 40 Custome in sinne 155 Church of England true Church comming of God how 157 Continuance in sinne 156 D Discipline of 3. sorts 38. 39 Death of sinne where 63 Dissembling protestants 113 Drunkennesse 19. 146 Dumbe Magistrates 82 Dead to sinne 63 Deuil cause of sinne 17. 18 Dead in sinne 152 Doctrnie of England pure 36 37 E Exchange 32 Error of Papists 132. 87 Engrosers 13 Earth for man 5. 7. 8. 9 Euill actions 66. 67 F Free will 97 Faith of our owne 75 Faith the nature of it 130 Faith only in this life 131 G Grace the power of it 72 Good to be done to many 112 God no cause of sinne 16 Gaine in obedience 111 Great men serue God 119 Good how to doe it 106 H Hypocrites 12 Heart most regarded 8. 9. 10 Heart to be rent 61 Hurt of euillworks 70 Hope of the godly 110 Haruest of magistrats 123 Ministers people 124 Haruest temporall 125 Haruest of grace 124 Heart in obedience 105 Hospitalitie 123 I Inclosers 24 Idolatry of Papists 95 Infidelity of ingrossers 24 Instruction 81 Iehouah what it is 143 Iustified how 167 K Knowledge of the word 105 Knowledge of sinne 57. 58. Knowledge of good and micked men 72 Knowledge of the heart 75 Kill sin in the heart 63 L Loue of God to he sought 148 Labour to seeke 115 Lookes wanton 29 Long in sinne 154. 155 loeke vp the word 88 to 90 Lawyer a seeker 139 Lawyer little trueth 21 M Mean in words 69 Merits of Papists 93. 136 Mortifie sinne 70 Magistrates to punish sinners 78. 79. 85 Man to worke his saluation out 73 Mercie of God 133 Murmuring 52. 53 Man part with all creatures 4 Mercie of God gause of this crop 115 Mercie of God greater then sinne 154 Merchants falow ground 21 N Nature of faith 35 Nature of the wicked 15 Nature of merits 96 Names cut off 5 O Obedience seemes lost 108 Oppression 22. to 25 Obedience profitable 122 Ordinances of God 141. 142 Obedience rewarded 121. P Pleasure of sinne 18 Profit of sinne 18 Patrons 24. 25 Pride 13. 27 Profit in words 71 Pardons 98 Purgatory 90. 91 Prayer to Saints 95. 96 Plow our selues 76 R Reward not yet 109 Raine the maner of it 159 Raine for teaching 160 Rob-altar seekes 139 Kighteousnesse of sanctification 168 Righteousnesse of iustification 166. S Slanders of the Papists 102 107 Seeke in our own persons 139 Seeking of sinne 146 148 Swearing 27 Subiect of faith in vs 74 Sathan rules the sinner 17 Sleeping magistrates 80 Sowing of the wicked 114 Sorrowe how differs in the good and bad 61 62 T Trueth not to be found 21 22 Trueth in words 67 68 Tongue to be mortified 65 Translation of the word 88 to 90 Time to seeke 150 Theft of engrossers 23 Thankes-giuing 161 Time past 150 Time to come 154 V Vsury 25 100 Vse meanes to saue the sinner 77 Vnwritten verities 97 Vnmercifulnes of the Pope 99 Vlcer of sinne 152 W Workes not perfit 135 Word righteous why 101 Wicked no right to any thing 143 Wicked sinne of purpose 14 Workes of righteonsnesse 103 Word our rule 84 Whoredome 28 In commendation of the Author VErtere si agricolas terrā est nunc laude docendo Virgilius dignus laudibus esse puto Dignum hunc nostrarum quae animarū cura libellum Sit qui nostra docet vertere corda bene Alex. Bradley To my worthy friend his Celestiall Husbandry THe Husbandry which these dead leaues doe bring Thy liuely voyce did once sweetely sing That thy learned and iudicious hearers thought The Celestiall haruest to them had brought Thereby their hearts so did inflame That they desir'd to heare it once againe Io. Ga. THe ground mans heartis Gods word the plow The harrow repentance is to breake it now The seede obedience sowen in our liues The raine Gods grace whereby it also thriues Then vse it and it will bring Thee to heauen there to sing Then now Prayse God for the gaine And the Author for his paine T. H. THE CELESTIALL husbandry RIght Honorable and well beloued in our best be loued I knowe that many haue been the flowers that my brethren the Prophets haue gathered out of the garden of Gods word giuing a fragrant smell in this place so that I know not what flowers to gather to present you withall that formerly yee haue not seene Yet in this my meditation I considered of my worthy Auditors and so fitted my text accordingly Some of them being Iudges and Magistrats that fitly I might speake to them of Iustice. An other part of them being inferiour subiects that also I might speake to them of obedience In a word considering that heere are vsually auditours of all sorts I
The robbe-Altar that seekes to drinke in the goblets of the Temple and take away the Ministers sheafe that should make him bread and his fleece that should make him clothes Some of the rob-Altars find whole Churches at once and yet not so much as the sweepings will they giue to the minister But let them take heede for the stones will goe neere to choake them one day and the belles ring them a peale to hell and keepe such a shaking in their consciences that they will wish they had neuer swallowed them and then when it is too late begin to evacuate themselues of the same The Vsurer is a seeker not other mens good but his owne profit Hee seekes to lend not to enrich others but himselfe Many a yong gallant is found by the Vsurer to his cost that they could neuer find their inheritance since the Vsurer found them What say you to the Lawyer is hee not a diligent seeker but not of the Lord rather to peruert the Law and to make a poore mans case intricate For it is not for his profit quickly to finish a Cause And often we see after some good Gamaliel hath brought a cause to a period and day of sentence that one Achithophel or other ouerturnes all And before the poore man can bring his cause to an other day of sentence either his dayes or his estate is ended I would some good body would pray to God that hee would either conuert the bad of them or to send them to the deuill for a new-yeeres-gift that we may be rid of them And to adde this petition into the latanie from wicked Lawyers good Lord deliuer vs for the seeke not the Lord but our estates What should I speake of the swearer who seekes for newe oathes the proude person for newe fashions the tradesman for to deceiue the officer for bribes and the like so that as the Apostle saith all seeke their owne but not the Lord. Yet there are a fewe which seeke the wayes of the Lord with Iosia pure in heart with Nathanel vpright in life with Zacharias and shall bee blessed with Abraham These are they which say with Samuel speake Lord for thy seruant heareth and with Esaiah here am I send me Whom this verse concernes Duc me summe Pater altique dominator olympi Quocunque placuerat nulla parenda mora est Assum impiger fac nolle comitabor gemens Lead me great Lord King of eternitie Euen where thou wilt I le not resist thee Change thou my will yet still I vowe subiection Thus the children of God are resolued to seeke the Lord howsoeuer the wicked are bent to seeke their owne Eth Ichouah a word more The Lord that is the loue and fauour of the Lord such a seeking Dauid speakes of Seeke yee my face thy face will we seeke O Lord. This is that the Church prayeth for saying Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth that is shewe me the signes of his loue for it is not the least fauour of God to loue vs and therefore saith Christ. If any man keepe my word my father and I will loue him As if the loue of God were the summum bonum chiefe good and so it is For it is causa causarum the cause of causes and causa cansati the cause of the thing saying of Christ God so loued the world that he gaue his sonne to redeeme it So that Gods loue is the cause of our redemption so the Church sings First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him that loued vs and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee washed vs. And as it is the cause of all good so it is the life and ground of faith and repentance for wee beleeue and repent not because of the iustice of God but the mercy of God So saith Dauid there is mercy with the Lord therefore wee feare him for that faith without the feeling of Gods loue is carnall securitie and that repentance without the feeling of mercy is desperation And as it is the life and ground of faith and repentance so it is that which makes the conscience at peace with God as saith the Apostle Then being iustified by faith we haue peace with God If a man had Achithophels pollicy Samsons strength Absoloms beautie Felix his honour Salomens wisedome and Belshazzars kingdome yet all would not make peace in the conscience if Gods loue be wanting Make the vse of it thus is it so that we should seeke the loue and fauour of God then miserable is the condition of those that prouoke the Lord to anger God is saide to be a consuming fire fire is a denouring and mercilesse element if it be before vs nothing more comfortable if vpon vs nothing more deuouring nothing more cold then lead if it bee melted nothing more scalding Nothing more mercifull then God but if hee be mooued nothing more fearefull and consuming for as the loue of God is the cause of all happinesse so his wrath is the cause of all confusion Secondly let this worke vpon you as an exhortation to make you seeke this loue and fauour of the Lord. O that you were sicke of loue that prayer might bee your physicke and faith your hand-maide this would bring long life to your dayes and happinesse to your soules if you could once say with the spouse ani te dodi vedodi li 〈◊〉 my well beloued and my well beloued is mine Foelix illa Conscientia in cuius corde c. Happy is the conscience of that man in whose heart this loue of God is for st Deus pro nobis quis contra nos if God be for vs who shall bee against vs. And thus much briefely for the obiect whom we are to seeke namely the Lord. The compelling cause THere is an appointed time for all things saith the wise man which being done in their time are like apples of gold with pictures of siluer A thing so pleasing to God that hee commends it in the dumbe creatures the Storke knoweth her appointed time and the swallowe obserues the season How much more then doth God looke for it at our hands as my text saith ve-gneth and time it is first in regard of the time past and secondly in regard of the time to come First of the time past which is lost and not to bee recouered againe Arte cannot produce it where it is to come nor reduce it when it is gone It was painted like an olde man with long haire before and all bare behind to shewe that wee are to make vse of it when it is before vs. For all the time that God hath giuen thee shall be required at thy handes how thou hast spent it Time is not our owne but the Lords and giuen to vs for his vse therefore doeth God call vpon vs for the spending of this time in his seruice as here in my text for it is time because many
why are the children of God in such contempt and pouerty and the off scouring of all things to this day as we see Eliiah was persecured and the false prophets fauoured Michaiah sinitten and the lying prophets honoured Diues rich and Lazarus poore Wherunto answere is made that it is no safe concluding because they possesse them not they haue no right vnto them For by the same argument wee may conclude they haue no right to the kingdome of glory The argument is thus framed Whosoeuer are not in possession of glory haue no right to it But men liuing vpon earth possesse it not Ergo Those that possesse not glory haue no right vnto it The like argument may be framed concerning earthly blessings Those that possesse not riches haue no right thereto The righteous possesse them not Ergo Obedience hath no right thereunto The maior of both these syllogismes is false For possession of a thing doth not argue aright thereunto no more doth not possession argue no right But as a man which hath bought land payd his money writings being made deliuered vnto him hath right to the land though he possesse it not So the godly haue right to them though they possesse them not Besides this it may be the time is not yet come when God will giue vs these things Ioseph was in prison before he came to honour Iacob serued many yeeres before he had his riches Dauid was persecuted before he came to the kingdome Daniel in the denne before he was one of the gouernours Mordecai sate at the gate before he came to preferment And all these in the state of grace long before they came to taste of this haruest Againe there may bee some cause knowen to God why he doth not giue these things generally to his children Why Abraham was rich and Lazarus poore Dauid a king and Mordecai at the gate Surely there is great difference in the natural qualities of men and such an antipathie there is betweene the same and riches that often they steale away our hearts from obedience and therefore God as a wise father giues not what is our right but what is good for vs. I must not forget the wicked which neuer sowed the seed of righteousnesse yet reape they this earthly haruest as fast as the godly and with carying this crop into their barnes the deuill is often conuayed into their hearts There is no more difference betweene Iudas and them then this Iudas had the bag and the deuill in it These haue riches and the deuill with them For vnto the impure all things are impure Their meate apparell riches and honour are cursed vnto them For hee that sayd What hast thou to doe to take my name in thy month and hatest to be reformed saith also What hast thou to doe to take this crop into thy possession And yet who prospers so as these who so beautifull as Absalom so rich as Nabal so honourable as Haman who flourish so well as the sonnes of Belial And yet with Iudas they do but bag vp to their owne confusion He that is much honoured in the way at the end of his iourney is damned and as it were through a faire pasture hee passeth to a prison who by the prosperity of this life present goeth to destruction and confusion This is the end of these men and how can it otherwise be seeing they liue by robbing the Saints of God Zeuxis was a true embleme of these that looking on a picture brake out into a laughter which brought him to the graue in mirth and so died These men haue a day of mirth their life is in the noone of pride but their Sunne shall set in darkenesse and their seeming ioyes shall bee turned into true eternall woes Therefore seeing they haue got the houses of God in possession and the inheritance of the holy ones into their handes let them bee as sparing as may bee to themselues and very liberall to others that seeing they must bee arraigned for theeues and goe to their owne place with Iudas their iudgements may bee more easie This is for the temporall and terrene haruest now followes a spirituall and more comfortable to the soule namely the assurance of saluation with the fruites therof as peace of conscience and ioy in the holy Ghost It was Zacheus his honour that Christ came to his house and it is our comfort to get his promises into our hearts This haruest is so needfull that we cannot be without it for while we are without this we want true ioy the conscience still crying out what shall I doe to be saued But now the good Christian falles hard to worke comes closse to the corne of Gods promises layes hold thereon with the hand of faith and cuts it downe with the sickle of confidence brings it home into the Garner of his soule thrasheth it out by meditation and feedes vpon it by application to his consolation And thus farre doeth the word of my text leade me for kitsru which comes of katsar signifies to licke vp Obserue that the children of God are assured of the kingdome of glory while they liue in the kingdome of grace holy Iob had made such a seede time that in the ende hee came to reape this haruest to his comfort I knowe saith he that my redeemer liueth And thus all the godly can say to the ful assurance of glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Iohn now are we the sonnes of God and can say with Paul Christ Iesus liueth in vs and therefore if this earthly tabernacle were destroyed we haue a house eternall in the heauens Thus the childe of God can speake with confidence of assurance of glory while he liues in the kingdome of grace The Apostle saith God hath sealed vs to the day of redemption not so much that he might knowe vs as that wee might knowe our selues to bee his for here wee either receiue or loose life eternall Which thing being so needfull made Salomon to say in the person of the Church Bring mee O King into thy chambers and that this is the true reading obserue the wordes in the originall habiani hammaelaek chadarau which words are in the Imperatiue moode in the originall let the King bring me but fitly put into the Indicatiue moode in the English the King hath brought me yet howsoeuer it shewes the truth of this doctrine for if in the Indicatiue mood it sheweth that it is if in the Imperatiue moode then it sheweth that it must be For no man shal follow the Lambe in glory which hath not followed him first in grace Will you now know the reason thereof hearken then to the trueth of God which telleth vs that wee are iustified by saith now the nature of faith is to assure our hearts of the certainty of his promises First in regard of the nature of faith which is not only historicall to beleeue the
that is heauen they are all vnworthy For Quid Junt merita omnia ad tantam gloriam What are all our merits to so great glory To conclude neither our works before or after iustification are any cause that is efficient of this haruest but the mercy of God which as it had the initiating in grace so it hath the consummating in glory Non in nostris recte factis sed in tua bonitate situm est It lieth not in our well done deedes but in thy goodnesse O God Returne we home to our selues where wee shall finde great cause of thankefulnesse while the worke is so small and the reward so great Do we deserue nothing and yet inioy so much Then learne with Dauid to say Non nobis Domine sed nomini tuo da gloriam Not vnto vs Lord but vnto thy Name giue the glory And this is one principall end why saluation is not of workes but of mercy that God might haue all the praise for Hee hath chosen vs in Christ to the praise of the glory of his grace We may all vse the saying of Bernard When I was ignorant he instructed mee when I erred hee reclaimed me when I stood he held me vp when I fell he raised me when I came to him he receiued me O quid retribuam c O what shall I giue vnto the Lord for all his fauours What Euen with Dauid take the cup of thankesgiuing and drinke hearty draughts to the Lord. This thankesgiuing consisteth in three things First In cordibus nostris in our hearts for to loue him as saith Moses And now what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to loue him 2. In operibus nostris in our works to honour and glorifie him by obedience 3. In verbis nostris in our words to giue praise and thankes vnto him There is another vse to bee made of this seeing our workes are not perfect not to sit downe in the chaire of content but to adde somewhat to the building as Peter saith To increase in grace and knowledge The Apostles case must be ours We are not yet perfect and therfore must endeuour our selues vnto that which is before And as the man said to Christ Increase my faith So Lord increase our faith Lastly this vndeserued loue of God to man should be a copy to our hands and a sputre to our feete to teach vs to shew the like loue to our brethren though they deserue not the same at our hands Which duety was taught by that parable of the seruaunt which had so much forgiuen him ought from the consideration thereof to forgiue his fellow seruant God is gone before vs Happy are we if we follow after and yet cursed if we stay behind And thus at the last I haue passed from the precept to the consequent The second part of the Text is the Consequent FOr it is time to seeke the Lord till he come and teach you righteousnesse God neuer giues an exhortation but addes a reason to moue vs to imbrace the same as sometime of iudgement Thou shalt not take the Name of God in vaine for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse c. Sometime of mercie as Honour thy father and thy mother that thy dayes may bee long c. And here you see this precept not to want his reason Which part I haue formerly viewed vnder two generall heads First by an argument drawen from their negligence for it is time to seeke the Lord. Secondly by an argument drawen from the benefit thereof till he come and raine righteousnesse to you Obserue in the first branch first the action Seeke there is the property of the worke Secondly whom the Lord there is the obiect of our labour Thirdly why For it time there is the compelling cause The Action SEeke this comes first to our hands according to our former diuision The perambulation of a Christian is from East to West from North to South to seeke the Lord in the streetes of contemplation and meditation Not with Diogenes with a candle and a lanterne searching the streetes of Athens but with our whole hearts with Dauid to seeke the Lord. We must not thinke that God will follow vs with his blessings if wee flee from him as Ionas did For as God seekes vs so he puts into our hearts a preuenting grace to seeke him The rich man goes not with his almes to the poore mans house rather the poore man comes to the rich mans gate The Lord is rich enough and needes none of our labour yet we cannot haue his blessings without paines for if we will finde we must seeke Heauen is not gotten with ease neither is saluation brought and laid at our doores No the kingdome of heauen comes not by obseruation and a contemplatiue speculation Diligence that industrious workemaster must make our calling and election sure For Nemo volens malus nec inuitus foelix No man is euill with his will neither is any happy against his will Let not this obseruation slippe without your vse we cannot haue the parts of saluation performed for vs by an Atturney God requireth euery man to performe these things in and by himselfe other mens faith will doe vs no good neither is there any thing that doth more hurt then doing these things Non perse sed per alium Not by himselfe but by another as many great men thinke to go to heauen by their Chapleins by whom they are religious in this life by them also they thinke to be glorious in the life to come And often wee see when the Chaplein is out of doores grace is not to bee seene in the Parler and godlinesse may not stay within doores Surely a man may as well see to walke by another mans eyes as to goe to heauen by another mans workes The question shall not bee What haue they done but What hast thou done Therefore you that intend to seeke the Lord and weare the liuery of Christ must lay aside all your nicenesse and bid idlenesse the mother of mischiefe adue and put on the armour of God and fight the Lords battels in your owne persons Seeke This duetie is set out in Scripture by many epithets Paul calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a race to shew what speede is to be made in the way of saluation Againe he telles the Philippians that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a worke to shew what paines we are to take in the meanes of saluation And Christ calles it a seeking and sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeke which agreeth with the word in my Text Lidrosh to seeke and is the same in the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew the difficulty in finding Obserue that heauen is not gotten but with great labour and paines taking Qui cupit optatam cursu contingere metam multa tulit fecitque miser sudauit alsit Hee that desireth first to touch the marke taketh much
ages had beene spent in sinne euen from the dayes of Ieroboam till the dayes of Hosea notwithstanding all the Prophets exhortations Esaiah cried Ieremy wept Amos roared and yet are they still in sinne which for qualitie were great and for countenance long and therefore time it is to seeke the Lord. Therefore the longer we haue continued in sinne the more cause haue we himselfe Wash thy heart Ierusalem and this is drawne from the continuance in sinne How long shall wicked thoughts remaine within thy heart and how long wilt thou goe astray The like argument is vsed by Peter for he saith it is sufficient that wee haue spent the former time in sinne Thus long continuance in sinne must be an argument vnto vs to cause vs the more willingly to turne to the Lord. First propter gloriam Dei for the glory of God For by how much the more we are wicked and sinfull by so much the more is Gods mercy seene in the pardon therof As Moses saide if thou pardon this sinne then shall thy mercy appeare And there is nothing wherein Gods mercy doeth more manifest it selfe then in this and the greater the sinne is the greater is his mercy which forgiues it Secondly propter nostram consolationem for our consolation for the more sinnefull the more iudgements are prepared What is to bee done now to flye with Ionas from the Lord that is not the way with the fish to leape out of the panne into the fire but with the prodigall sonne to returne to the Lord that wee may not come into that place of torment The Lord hath two heraulds of conuersion and obedience namely mercy and iudgement promises and threates aut sequeris aut traheris either drawing vs or following vs and vse is made of both wherein it will not bee amisse to borrow Horace his verse Oderunt peccare boni vertutis amore Oderunt peccare mali formidime penae The good from offence vertues loue doe detaines The euill to offend feare of paine doth restraine These are two good schoole-masters the one serues a free horse the other a dull iade Where Gods mercy will not alure there his iudgements must compell and therefore the greatnesse of our sinne should cause vs the sooner to seeke the Lord that so we may escape the greatnes of his iudgements Here giue mee leaue to cut the vlcer of this sinne in the wicked which haue not drunke their fill of iniquitie and yet you may see the vlceration of these men The saying of Dauid is reuiued againe Fourtie yeeres long haue I been grieued and yet still doe they continue in sinne to heape wrath vpon wrath Sinne is said to be darkenesse and tenebrae commeth of tenendo to hold for the wicked are held with the chaine of sinne that they thinke creation a fable incarnation infallible redemption improbable election vnprofitable resurrection vnpossible And then it followes that there is neither heauen nor hell so that Ede bibe lude post mortem nulla volupt as Eate drinke and be merrie for after death there is no pleasure Thus doe they diuulge their Satanicall suggestions These speake stoatly walke proudly and liue wickedly therefore high time to leaue it O that there should be any soules so traduced by any infernall spirits their reason so blinded their vnderstanding so darkened and their saluation so endangered as still to remaine in sinne Surely these sinners are in a dead sleepe of finne that neither Aarons belles Solomons songs nor Isaiahs trumpet can awaken them Thou hast smitten them yet haue they not felt it If the wound be such that it neuer causeth smart if it neuer ake nor grieue it is but dead flesh and to be cut off Therefore it is to bee feared that these are gone too farre downe to the chambers of death There are but seuen steps to the bottome and they are on the last The first Importabile cumbersome then graue heauie then leue light then insensibile past feeling after this comes delectabile delight and ioy then followes defiderabile desire to finne and the last step is defensibile defence of sinne And here are the men of this age making an apologie for sinne as drunkards with a weakenesse in the head gluttony with good fellowship adultery with a tricke of youth couetousnesse with good husbandry and murder with manhood Such are the prodigious sinners of our time that they haue some cloake to put on sinnes backe and are themselues become a fit dish for the Deuils table For Sinne is the gate to death but to defend sinne is the next steppe to bell And seeing these are going with Iudas to their owne place let mee speake one word for their farewell which is that seeing they could find no end of sinning while they were here they shall haue no end of torments when they are there their curse shall be proportioned there answerable to their sinnes here For for euery ounce of vanitie they wall haue a pound waight of torment Cursed of God whose curse is Poenarum inflictio the punishment of affliction cursed in themselues which is conscientia cruciamen the torment of conscience cursed of the deuils which is Poenarum executio the execution of punishment and cursed of the damned which is Poenarum aggrauatio the augmentation of punishment Thus they shall turne from Snakes to Addars from both to Scorpions and from all to the vnquenchable flames Then will they crie when it is too late And here I cannot but tell you what Herodotus tels me of one that came to the water and played with his pipe but the fishes would not dance then he castin a net and tooke them out and layd them on the ground and then they could dance but the man made this answere when I played you would not dance but now you dance I will not play There is a good morall to bee made of it for God hath piped and mad a melodious sound in the preaching of his word offering his mercies vnto vs but we would neuer dance after this pipe Wherefore when wee would dance God will not play but answere vs thus when I pro ered mercy you refused the same now you seeke mercie I will denie it And therefore seeke the Lord for it is time in regard of your continuance in sinne And here let neither the greatnesse of sinne nor the long continuance in the same hinder our turning to God for were our sinnes as crimson yet shall they bee as snowe saith the Lord. And how can it goe ill with vs when there are infinite mercies to finite sinnes His mercies are deeper then Hell broader then the Earth and higher then Heauen Therefore obserue for your comfort your persons are not so wicked nor your sinnes so great but you may see the like entred the gates of heauen Art thou a drunkard looke vpon Lot Art thou a murderer looke vpon Dauid Art thou a swearer looke vpon Peter Art