iniquitie which is the only cause of all this disorder If people did live well and orderly they would be the neerer their eternall crownes but living loosely aâ—d not following the precepts of good life which they know they wax colder and colder in Gods service and so by peeces doe fall away from him How can this life be loved having so many bitternesses and being subiect to so many calamities and miseries Yet the reward of patient perseverance is so greate that it sweetens all these miseries and breeds comfort in the most discomfortable accidents Signes of the coming of our Saviour II. PART I. WHen you shall see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of by Daniel the Prophet standing in the holy place he that readeth let him vnderstand then they that are in Iewrie let them fly to the mountaines and he that is on the house top let him not come downe to take any thing out of his house and he that is in the field let him not go back to take his coate and woe to them that are with child and give suck in those dayes This was literally spoken of the Jewes and as a signe of the destruction of Hierusalem when for punishment of their not receiving the holy of holyes to wit our Saviour the holy places of the temple where polluted with things which they did abominate and were signes foretold them by Daniel the Prophet of further desolation from which our Saviour advised them to make hast to fly for so they would escape much miserie which those who remained in Hierusalem would be put vnto Mystically Abomination of desolation signifies all kind of wickednes which when we behold practised in the world without respect to holynes either of place or person it is high time for them who are the true servants of God to fly to those mountaines of which the Psalmist speakes I have lifted vp my eyes to the mountaines from whence help will come vnto me my help is from God who made heaven and earth To those eternall mountaines from which God doth wonderfully inlighten our harts and not stoop downe to worldly comforts which will deceive vs. In which times of wickednes and temptation it is dangerous to be with child that is still to be purposing and not to bring forth our purposes to effect to be fearefull to professe that openly which we firmely beleeve to be allwayes giving suck and not feeding out soules with solide vertues II. Pray that your flight be not in winter or on the sabboth for there shall be then greate tribulation such as hath not beeÌ„ from the beginning of the world till now neither shall be and vnlesse those dayes had been shortned no flesh should be saved but for the elest the dayes shall be shortened In winter it is hard to travell vpon the Saboth the Jewes were forbid to travell By these similitudes he adviseth vs to pray that strong temptation doe not then come vpon vs when we are cold in devotion or remisse in our conversation aÌ„d that death doe not rush in vpon vs when not being prepared for it we would fayne fly when we can hardly walke VVherfore wilt thou put of thy purpose till to morrow Rise and instantly begin The tribulation of that day will be most grievous when we shall have before vs another life behind vs our wicked or â—epide conversation within vs pangs of death without vs a world too much beloved to leave willingly Blessed is he that hath the houre of his death allwayes before his eyes and doth dayly dispose himself to dye Other tribulations also and vexations in the world are many and grievous and would be more intollerable were it not that God hath care of his elect aÌ„d doth also heare their prayers towards the mitigatioÌ„ of theÌ„ III. For towards our comfort in the most violent persecutions even of Antichrist himself of whome much of this is to be vnderstood and in what ever afflictions he tells vs that a hayre of our head shall not perish And doubtlesse as to those who are convented before the Magistrates he promiseth to give mouth and wisdome which all their adversaries shall not be able to resist and gayne-say so to every body he will give proportionable graces and not suffer vs to be tempted above that which we are able Specially if we have recourse to him by humble prayer and reâ—ignation to his blessed will When a man of good will is afflicted then he vnderstands that God is more necessarie for him without whome he perceives he can doe no good Signes of our Saviours coming III. PART I. IMmediately after the triâ—ulation of those dayes the sunne shall be darkened and the moone shall not give her light and the starres shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be moved and vpon earth distresse of nations for the confusion of the sound of sea and waves men withering for feare and expectation of what shall come vpon the world Our Saviour desirous to find vs prepared for his coming foretells vs what will become of the world that he may restraine vs from loving it The sunne will be darkened c. For the day of judgement being at hand and men to appeare in another world the whole fabrick of this world will be dissolved by peeces the light of the sunne and moone being no more needfull after the end of all flesh on earth nor the influences of the starres the bounds of the sea will also be broken vp and it will come roaring over the land as its proper place in which occasion people living at that time will be in huge distresse not knowing whether to runne to save themselves and the more because it will come sudainly vpon them as a theese in the night for when they shall say peace and securitie then shall sudain destruction come vpon them as vpon the incredulous in the dayes of Noe in the generall deluge all which may be applyed to the last day of every particular man for that vpon the carelesse comes also very sudain and very terrible when neither sunne nor moone nor starre nor any worldly thing will be any comfort to them but rather a discomfort to think how they vsed the benefit of them and a whole sea of anguish will overwhelme them and thought after thought as wave after wave oppresse them Watch therfore because you know not what houre the Lord will come II. Then shall appeare the signe of the sonne of man in heaven and then shall all tribes of the earth bewayle and they shall see the sonne of man coming in the cloudes of heaven with much power and maiestie And he shall send his angels with a trumpet and a greate voyce and they shall gather together his elect from the foure winds from the furthest part of heaven to the ende therof The signe of the sonne of man is the Crosse which then
vniversalitie of spirit professe themselves to be ready to assiste all nations and confine themselves with in no bounds of countreyes or persons or pious imployments by which they may any way advance the salâ—ation of thier Neighbours to the end that having once opened thier mouth and hart to God in this vniversalitie they doe not aftervvards relent aÌ„d our of pusillanimitie or self love streighten the bouÌ„ds which they have once promised should be none at all IV. O blessed Apostl who couldst say I most gladly will bestow and will myself more over be bestowed for your soules though loving more I am loved lesse How well didst thou Follow the example given thee by thy Saviour who bestowed vpon vs all that which we have and himself moreover in â—o large and loving a manner as to man is incomprehensible and is so slenderly rewarded by vs labour and miserie and much watching hunger and 〈◊〉 and much fasting cold and nakednes could not streighten thy love not whatsoever danger of thy life be a means to inlarge this spirit in the harts of those who have dedicated themselves to the like imployments The height of the charitie of our Lord. I. THe height of the charitie of God and of our Saviour is the supetexcellencie of his love for love being two fold one by which we love because we doe or may receive benefit the other by which we I ove to benefit it is evident both that this second is the more excellent and that the love of God â—ovvards vs could not have the imperfection which the first doth involue Let vs love God because God hath first loved vs sayth the beloved disciple which considering before we were we could not love is of itself apparent and considering to what end he loved vs to wit to communicate himself to vs first by sayth then by cleere sight and inioyment of his glorious self we may take a scantling according to our weake apprehension or dull affection of the excellencie of his love tovvards vs seeing nothing can be more eycellent then to see and injoy God All that we see or heare of in the world was created for our benefit yet all that is nothing compared to one minute of time what then to an eternitie of injoying God O if thou hadst seen the eternall crownes of saincts with how much glorie they now exult who were contemptible and not thought worthy to live c. II. A second degree of excellencie of the love of God is that which the Apostle doth reflect on and with reason doth dilate himself vpon it to wit that not only when we were nothing but when we were synners when we were enimies when we were weake and infirme full of vlcers and sores he loved vs and was beneficiall vnto vs when we deserved his hatred he did not only not execute it to the full vpon vs as we miserable creatures are wont to doe vpon one another but spared vs had compassion on vs releeved vs. God commendeth his charitie towards vs in that when we were yet synners Christ dyed for vs This is charitie which surpasseth all knowledge and all conceite of man for as the same Apostle discourseth A body can scarce be willing to diâ— when of necessitie he must or when by justice he is condemned perhaps for a good cause or for defence of that which is right a body may dare to die but for his enimie for one that taketh away his good name and as much as is in him his life who is there that would thinke of offering himself to die O my God in this thou shewest thyself to be God that is all goodnes and all love give me grace to love thee at least for this thy love and die that I may not die by syn III. Yet a third excellencie is to be reflected on which the same Apostle suggesteth to wit that God did not spare his owne Sonne but delivered him for vs all In the infinite treasure of his divine knowledge and goodnes there could not but appearâ— divers means to expresse his love and exercise his mercy towards vs yet this offering itself as the most convenient in all respects he did not spare it though the most pretious jewell of his heavenly Cabinet the neerest and deerest treasure of his divine breast but gave it for vs and who are we You are bought with a greate price it is reason we should glorifie and beare God not in our minds only but in our body also in our harts in our tendrest affections and let nothing have place where nothing can be spared from him who sparing not his owne Sonne gave vs all things with him and in him more then all what can the world give thee with our Iesus He that findeth Iesus findeth a greate transure Th. a K. l. 2. c. 8. n. 2. How we are to imitate the superexcellencie of the love of God I. PART I. TO love God to benefit him more theÌ„ allready injoyeth is impossible we may notwithstanding comply with the excellencie of his love by wishing him all the good which he hath and being 〈◊〉 glad that he is as he is which is the part of a frend to an other frend that is superiour to him And we may dilate our thoughts and affections of this nature congratulating him his Eternitie his Immenâ—itie his Omnipotencie his Bountie his perfection in all kinds and professing ourselves to be hartily glad that he is so This is the expression which the Seraphims doe make who assist before the throne of God covering thier feete as short in conceiving or affecting so greate perfections but yet stirring vp one another to prayses such as they are able repeating Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God of Hosts full is heaven and earth of thy Majestie II. To this Kind of love belongs the desire that all the world should know him and serve him and the sorrow that he is offended and that we are so short of vnderstanding what he is and of loving him as he deserves let vs therfore say with the VViseman Glorifying him so much as you can be will yet exceed and wonderfull is his magnificence Blessing him exalt him so much as you can for he is greater then all prayse Exalâ—ing him put forth all your strength be not wearied for you shall not comprehend him Many things are hidden greater then these for we have seen few of his works To this also belongs the desire of even being with God in Prayer and in other services belonging to him not for the benefit which comes to vs by it though it be greate but because he deserves to be continually attended and served which was the ground vpon which our Saviour retired himself so often to Prayer and spent whole nights in it and when he was but twelue yeares old answered his Mother did you not know that I must be about those things which are my Fathers
points enough both for beleefe and practise which might have averted them Prayse God for all and have confidence in him c. The Mysterie Of the Mysterie of the most Blessed Trinitie I. A Principall effect of the coming of our Saviour into this world was the declaration of the Mysterie of the most Blessed Trinitie hidden even from the Iewes though the chosen people of God and not mentioned but in very darke and hidden resemblances But our Saviour did openly proclayme it specially after his resurrection commanding his Apostles to baptize all nations in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost as three persons equall in all things and one in name that is in povver auctoritie and essence wherin we have cause to admire and adore the force of the light of the holy Ghospell by which our Saviour intending to abolish the beleefe and worship of many Gods brought in by the craft of the divel working vpon mens corrupt affections and desires established the beleefe of one true God yet so that they should beleeve in that one essence three persons equall to one another though vnder Appellations which according to our meane expression might signifie inequalitie it being impossible for vs to conceive the divinitie cleerely as it is â—ayth therfore must supply that which reason cannot comprehend and with reverence submit to what our vnderstanding cannot reach Adoring equally in three and one the Omnipotencie Eternitie infinite knowledge and goodnes and all Perfection the Immensitie the Immutabilitie the Beautie the sanctitie of God contayning all and more then we can imagin by the help or comparison of all creatures and all most perfectly and with out multiplicitie in one II. Adore the Father as the incomprehensible source of the divinitie with out beginning and of all things created in time when he thought fit to give them a beginning Adore the Sonne who being equall to the Father vouchsafed for our sakes to take vpon him our humane nature to instruct vs by word and example and by his sacred blood shed vpon the crosse to wash avvay our synns and open vs avvay to the eternall inioying of God by perseverance in his commandments Adore the Holy Ghost as the mutuall and recipâ—ocall love of the Father and Sonne the Auctour of our love tovvards God the cause of our adoption by his grace infused and by himself inhabiting in our soules the spirit of truth which leadeth vs into all truth and by his heavenly lights disperseth the clouds of darknes and facilitates our way to heaven by his heavenly vnction III. Adore all three in one one in nature one by consent one in operation Begge of him that we may be one with him by submission to him and to his blessed will one by constant fayth one by never decaying love one by operation esteeming ourselves in all our woâ—ks as instruments of his divine pâ—wre and goodnes and so disposing ourselves in thought and action that we may not differ from him in the least which he of his goodnes grant Amen The obligation which we haveto love God I. PART I. SO soone as Moyses had declared to the people of â—srael that God was one he instantly inferres the commandment of loving him Heare Israel our Lord God is one Lord. Thou shalt love thy Lord God wiâ—h thy whole hart c. And our Saviour in his answer to the lawyer tells vs it is the greâ—test and the first commandement and with reason ought we to think so and accordingly apply ourselves to love him For as we were worse then beasts if we did not love those who are beneficiall to vs much more if welove not God from whom we have absolutely all that we have The law therfore of nature doth impose this vpon vs so soone as we come into the world vpon which account S. Thomas and other divincâ— doe hold it a greate offense if so soone as we come to the vse of reason in our Childhood we doe not turne ouâ—â—arts to God with loving acknowledgment that he is ouâ— creatour and Lord. And the holy Text infinuates as much presently after the commandment saying And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy hart and â—hoâ— shalt 〈◊〉 them thy Children to wit that they may knovv thier duty in time II. It is also the first commandment in dignitie and excellency for it hath the highest obiect that can be to wit God and the noblest way of service to wit for love not for feare of punishment oâ— hope of reward but riseth vpon consideration of his greate excellencie With in himself and greate goodnes tovvards vs. And besides it gives vs the greatest excellency that we can attayne vnto in this world and prepareth farre greater in the world to come for as by loving base things we become base and contemptible so by loving God and other things as they belong to God we become â—onoâ—rable in the â—ight of God and men and there can be no greater honour and excellency imagined then that to which those have risen who have loved God in perfection Iâ—I It was like wise first in the intention of the lavvgiveâ—s all other commands and directions and indeed all the works and wonders of God which he hath shevved vs tending finally and properly to this that in thought word and deed we should expresse our love to him for how could any thing subsist if it had not been thy will or been preserved if not called by thee Thou sparest all because they are thyne â—o Lord who lovest soules As he therfore did and doth all things out of love so is it expected from vs that all should proceed from love and further more as in the naturall love of one an other we must not only not shew aversion from the thing which our srend doth not synfully love but even observe his wayes of proceeding much more ought we to love that which God loves and commands because we love him and he loves vs for which reason the Apostle sayth The fullnes of the law is love even of our neighbour because we love him for God IV. It is the greatest command because most necessarie of all other precepts as with out which no other iâ— thoroughly avaylable or â—â—â—ly commendable Foâ— the feare of God is but an introduction to love and some way or other must be perfected into some degree of love els it will fall of the effect we desire and how many things doth the Apostle reckon which are nothing with our Charitie If I have the tongues of Angels if Prophecie if Fayth if knowledge if I give my goods to the poore if my body to the fire and have not Charitie it avayleth me nothing On the other side it doth set an inestimable price vpon the least of our actions when ever they are done for the love of God so that with out it all with it nothing is lost V.
see no more such effect we say it is dead In which respect charitie or the love of God being the life inherent in our soules S. Gregorie sayth that the proofe of charitie is the exhibition of the worke and our Saviour himself He that bath my commandments and doth keepe them he it is that loveth me our Saviour in nature of a Phisitian cometh to vs to strengthen this life by the cordiall compound of his owne pretious body and blood delivereâ— vnto vs vnder the shapes of bread and wine that by the devout receiving we may both breath out the superfluous and corrupted humours remayning after our purgation and cure and with more rigour apply ourselves to the exercises of Christian dutie to which by his charitable assistance we must concurre first by giving time to the working of this heavenly receite by some little recollection and not instantly ingulfe ourselves in our wonted worldly affayres and secondly by renewing our good purposes in his presence and begging of him that he will blesse them and those most in which we feare we shall have most difficultie to accomplish towards which also we may justly expect he will suggest some speciall remedie to a willing mind Intertaynment of our Saviour as he is our Redeemer I. THe word Redeemer doth import that the redeemed being once eâ—ther free or in the power of one cometh to be subiect to another and is bought out of that subiection so was man by his creation wholy Gods and being left free as to his will he fell by synne vouÌ„ltarily into the possessioÌ„ and powre of the divel and as his captive and prisoner was loded with a thousand miseries and egged on dayly from one synne to another till dying in synne he should be eternally condemned to the prison and paynes of hell fire and no power vnder God being able to rescue him the Sonne of God our Saviour offered to pay his ransome and to give him againe his freedome wherby he might remaine in Gods possession perpetually by his owne free choyce as well as he was by nature and come to inioy the happines which God had layed vp for him The price where with he was ransomed was the body and blood and life of our Saviour layed downe for vs vpon the crosse i this very body and blood and life himself doth here present vs in the Sacrament that we may make a gratefull oblation of it to our heavenly Father as the price of our redemption in particular and represent vnto him with ioy and thanksgiving our freedome to serve him proâ—essing that we will never give way to any other to possesse vs. II. This benefit of our redemption will appeare in a better light if we consider the miserie of the slaverie in which we were or are by synne And first by synne from reasonable creatures we turne vnreasonable and the longer we continue in synne the more vnreasonnable we become not vnlike the man mentioned in the Ghospell whose habitation was not among men but in the fields and dens among beasts and beastly company â—aked having lost all shame and could not be held within any compasse but ranged about breaking through all bonds of the law of God and man and being possessed by a legion of Divels did not vnderstand that they were his masters who did egg him on to his owne destruction in so much that he cut his owne flesh and did make nothing of it and when our Saviour or any good body came neere him he raged the more crying out with a lowde voyce what have you to doe with me or I with you VVhich state of a synner however while one is in it he doth not heed it in itself notwithstanding is extreame miserable and men of reason see it to be so And how much this man did afterwards acknowledge himself obliged to our Saviour when being delivered from this legion of Divells he quietly sat at his feete clothed and well in his wits much more ought we to thank our Saviour for our redemption our spirituall slaverie being infinitely more preiudiciall and more to be lamented III. Our Saviour in S. Luke asketh this question who among you having a servant ploughing or keeping cattle will say to him returning from the field go sit downe and sayth not rather make ready for me and serve me and afterwards thou shalt eate and drink This is the practise among men one to another but our Saviour more indulgent to vs not weighing that we are indeed but his slaves bought at so deere a rate as his most pretious blood and from so base and vnworthy a slaverie as is that of synne and so iniurious to himself doth notwithstanding coming from our owne worldly occasions noâ— much thinking of his service in them invite vs to his owne table that is to his owne most pretious body and blood intreating vs to pattake of so heavenly a banket at which the Angels doe reioyce and doth not passe for many a spoâ— dust that stick vpon vs though we have washed away the dirt and filth it were our dutie to be as cleane as out of the font of baptisme but ô the weakenes of man O the goodnes of God Who notwithstanding our vnworthynes when least vnworthy doth extend his kindnes vnto vs so farre beyond all humane kindnes or capacitie He out of whome he had cast the legion desired to be with him still in his companie and he did not admit of him but bad him go home and recount how mercyfull God had been to him How much more ought we to retire ourselves for a while into the closeth of our hart and reckon vp the mercyes of God towards vs and put this in the head of them that notwithstanding so lately voluntarie slaves to his enimies he doth vs this greate mercy and favour to admit of vs not only to his presence but to his table Intertaynment of our Saviour as Judge I. THe coming of a Judge to a citty or house is generally not without some apprehension and feare in the parties to whom he comes for if they be gylty they have reason to feare if they be not giltie they know not how the Judge may be informed concerning them That our Saviour is our Judge is vndoubted the Father hath given judgement to the Sonâ—e sayth our Saviour of himself yet at this his coming vnto vs in the blessed Sacrament we have not so much cause of feare first because his rigorous judgement is reserved till after this life in which respect himself sayth God did not send his Sonne into the world to judge the world but that the world should be saved by him Secondly there is no danger that he should be misinformed of vs. Thirdly when he comes to judge he comes in majestie with the attendance of all his heavenly courte here he comes disguised of set purpose because we should know that he comes in a familiar way to doe vs honour and
sayed O faithlesse generatioâ— how leng shall I be with you How long shall I suffer you bring him to me and the Father sayed to him if thou canst any thing help vs having compassion on vs. And Iesus sayed to him if thou canst beleeve all things are possible to him that beleeveth and the Father of the boy crying out with teares sayes I doe beleeve Lord help my incredulitie We are indeed an incredulous generation and able to move the greatest patience as being subject to so many evills and yet can hardly be induced to beleeve that they are evills but doe take delight in that which is our vtter ruine Begge light and crave help with teares for what is more worthy of them and more to be lamented then this heavy yoake which lyes vpon vs from our Mothers womb till our very grave and is the cause of all our spirituall and temporall miseries O sweete Iesus who alone canst doe all things help vs taking compassion on vs. If I by thy grace indeavour to overcome this propensioâ— it exclaymeth and greatly teareth me and oftimes it lyeth dead so that many say it is dead but this is another thing to be lamented that even from myself that is hidden which is in myself And no man in this life which all of it is called a temptation can be secure that as from worse he was made better so he may not become from better worse our only hope our only confidence the only thing vpon which we can buyld is thy mercy III. And when Iesus saw the people coming together he threatened the vncleane spirit saying I command thee go out of him and enter no more into him and the chile was cured from that hours and his disciples asked him in private why could not we cast him out Iesus sayed this Kind is not cast out but by Prayer and fasting Prayer and fasting doe much conduce to the remedie of these evills to which we are naturally subject for by these holy exercises by little and little we put on as it were another nature becoming from carnall spirituall and delighting more in that which belongs to vertue then we did before in our worldly contentments but our chiefe assistance is in our Saviour of whome we must be continually begging that he will â—end vs his powerfull and concurring hand that we may be wholy free Humilie commended and care of avoyding scandall I. AT that houre the discipless came to Iesus saying who thinkest thou is the greatest in the Kingdome of Heaven And Iesus calling vnto him a little Child set him in the midst of them and sayed amen I say vnto you vnlesse you be converted and become as little Children you shall not eniter into the Kingdome of heaven whosoever therfore shall humble himself as this little Child he is the greater in the Kingdome of Heaven S. Marck relating this passage sayeth that our Saviour asked them first What they had treated of by the way and they held their peace for in the way they had disputed among themselves who should be great So that it was no spirituall question as how by vertuous life they might come to be greate in heaven Of which they had not need to be ashamed but it was a kind of ambition of the greatest place in the temporall Kingdome which they imagined our Saviour would come to because he spake often of his kingdome and of this they were ashamed wherby we may see that if we will carefully observe our owâ—e thoughts and question with ourselves as we would doe with another what is it that thou art musing on or going about We should easyly discover that our conscience would tell vs many truths which otherwise we slubber over and conceive that we thinke or doe no harme But our Saviour shewed them that he knew both what they thought and sayed and gave them and vs a lesson that we must be converted from those pretenses and turne our harts to other thoughts then people of this world intertayne themselves with and think of humbling ourselves for the gate of heaven is narrow and the more we stoope the easyer we shall enter and be the more acceptable We must returne to the simplicitie of infants saith S Hilarie because by it we shall carie in our conversation the resemblance of our Saviours humilitie II. And he that shall receive one such little one in my name receiveth me and he that shall scandalize one of these litleons that beleeveth in me it is expedient for him that a milstone be hanged about his neck and that he be drowned in the deapth of the sea see that you despise not one of these littleones for I say vnto you that their Angels in heaven doe allwayes see the face of my father which is in heaven Next to humilitie and simplicitie of hart he commends Charitie even towards the least and poorest creature that is giving it the high reward of receiving our Saviour himself while we receive our neighbour then which what can be more honourable or more to be desired It is a greate motive not to neglect such good officies that they have an Angel attending and having care of them but what is that to the receiving of the Lord of Angels Much more ought we to be ware of scandalizing them that is of giving theÌ„ just cause of offense or of offending for punishment will doubtlesse followe and better were it sayth S. Hierome that some short punishment should here attend vs in this life then that we should be reserved to further torment III. Woe be to the world for scandals for it is necessarie that scandall dos come but woe to that man by whome scandall cometh If thy hand or thy foote scandalize thee cut it of it is good for thee to go into life mayned and lâ—me rather then having two hands and two feeâ—e to be cast into hell fire And if thy right eye scandalize thee pluck it out and cast it from thee It is good for thee having one eye to enter into life rather then having two eyes to be cast into hell fire supposing the malice of men it is necessarie that is infallibly scandalls will happen but woe to him by whose falt they doe happen And as concerning ourselves every one may easyly find out what is a scandall to him that is what is the occasion of his offending God or of slacking in his service VVhatever therfore or who-ever it be though so necessarie and vsefull to vs as our hand or our eye we must forgo it for nothing must be preferred before the service of God no affection no Kindred no assistance no frend whatsoever The parable of the King calling his servants to account I. THen came Peeter vnto him and sayed Lord how oft shall my brother offend against me and I forgive him Vntill seaven times Iesus sayed to him I say not to thee vntill seaven times but vntill seventy
him and runneth towards vs with more spâ—â—d then we towards him and condescendeth much to our infirmitie stooping to vs while we are not able to rayse ourselves so higâ— as he deserveth and affoordeth us the loving kisse of peace how ever we deserve rather to be punished He doth not say whence comest thou wherewert thou Where is thy substance thou caryedst away Wherfore didst thou change so much glorie with so much basenes Thesâ— things he leaves to our consideration but he is all love and mercy II. And the Father sayed to his servants quickly bring forth the first stole and doe it on him and put a ring vpon his hand and shâ—es on his feete and bring the fatned calfe and kill it and let vs eate and make merry because this my Sonne was dead and is revived was lost and is found And they began to make merry The loving Father would have him clothed before he should come in sight therfore he sayth quickly and it expresseth a greate deale of willingnâ—s which is in God to see vs not only out of our nastie rags of synne but clothed with those vertues which are most pleasing to him therfore not content to put on him the first stoolâ— that is the garment which he formerly vsed he calleth for a ring to his hand to beautify his workes and shooes to his feete to strengthen his affections against the allurements of the world Yet the first stools mentioned must put vs in mind that all the time spent farre from God is lost and returning we must begin where we left and happy we if we be not cast farther back then we were when we parted In a mysticall sence The father ranne to vs in his sonne when in him he descended from heaven my Father sayth he who sent me is with me He fell vpon his neck when in Christ the whole divinitie rested vpon our flesh and he kissed him when mercy and truth have met justice and peace have kissed each other He also is the faâ—ned calfe killed for our entertaynment to the end we might not only have sufficient to sustaine vs but abundance and of the best to delight vs much more in the service of God then in our former course III. But the elder sonne was in the field and when he came and drew nigh to the house he heard musick and dauncing and he called one of the servants and asked what all that should be And he sayed to him thy brother is come and thy Father hath killed the fatned calfe because he hath received him safe and he was angrie and would not go in His father therfore going forth began to desire him But he answering sayed to his father Behold so many yeares doe I serve thee and I never transgressed thy commandment and thou didst never give me a Kid to make merry with my frends But after that this thy sonne that hath devoured his substance with whores is come thou hast killed for him the fatned calfe But he sayed to him sonne thou art allwayes with me and all my things are thyne but is behoved vs to make merry and be glad because this thy brother was dead and is revived was lost and is foâ—nd This expresseth how consider that we should doe by others as we would have done to ourselves secondly how much we value the service which we doe as if God were beholding to vs for it Thirdly how blind we are in not discovering our owne falts I never transgressed as if to envie anothers good were not to transgresse it was not thy strength but thy fathers grace which was cause of it See on the other side the goodnes of God who goeth forth and desireth even the Stubborne Sonne and learne that to synne against him is to kill thy owne soule which is much more to be abhorred then the losse of our life The vnfaithfull Bayly I. HE sayed also to his disciples There was a rich man that had a Bayly and he was ill reported of onto him as he that had wasted his goods And he called him and sayed to him what heare I this of thee Give account of thy Baylyship for now thou canst no more be bayly Our Saviour Christ as God is the only powerfull King of Kings and Lord of Lords rich in all things and chiefly in his mercyes to whome we must give account of every thing for we are â—ords neither of life nor lim not thought nor deed but accountable for all neither can any thing escape his knowledge Though here that which he certaynly knoweth he reckoneth as heard by report because he is not rash or hasty in condemning and will give vs leasure to repeÌ„t while the cause is as it were depeÌ„ding before him He asketh an account that we may aske pardon aÌ„d happy we if by remorse of conscience he aske it here before the time of satisfaction be expired II. And the Bayly sayed within himself what shall I doe because my Lord taketh from me the Baylyship Dig I am not able to begge am ashamed I know what I shall doe that when I shall be removed from my Baylyship they may receive me into their houses A man allwayes desires to doe well when death comes and bereaves him of the time of doing good This question he should have asked himself before what shall I doe seeing every houre and every minute my Baylyship is vpon remouing from me Be I never soe rich to the world and abound in all things for this moment of time I am most miserable if for all eternitie I shall be a begger by it If I be not here able to worke how shall I there be able to suffer the punishments of the slouthfull If I be here ashamed to confesse and begge pardon what shame shall I vndergo there where there is no pardon It is not vnknowne to vs what we ought to doe that after this life we may be saved God grant we may take warning and be wise in time that we be not removed before we have adiusted our accounts and be ready to give in our reckoning III. Therfore calling together every one of his Lords debtors he sayed to the first How much doest thou owe to my Lord He sayeth an hundred pipes of oyle and he sayed to him take thy bill and sit downe quickly write fiftie and to another how much doest thou owe He sayed an hundred quarters of wheate he sayed take thy bill and write fourescore And the Lord praysed the Bayly of iniquitie because he had done wisely for the Children of this world are wiser then the Children of light in their generation And I say unto you make unto you frends of the Mammon of iniquitie that when you fayle they may receive you into the eternrll Tabernacles The Bayly of iniquitie is here praysed not because he did iust things but because according to the practise of worldlings he shewed himself witty and at his masters