vnsauory speeches In dissembling lying cousonage in bargayning insnarings called ale-house bargaines wasting your good like Esaus then is it such like as S. Peter speakes of 1 Pet. 4. 3. 4. It 's like the meeting of swine at their trough and it seemes strange to such heathenish people that good Christians run not with them to the same excesse of riot and therefore speake they euill of them You say also that he preacheth out of choler and that hee will be angry when no man hurts him You thinke belike no man should be angry for Gods cause you will take your brothers part your kinsmans part and your friends part when you see him abused yea in his absence you will answer for him it may be you will not deale onely words but blowes for him if you loue him well and should God haue no friends to take his part not to speake a word for him nay not so much as to looke with an angry countenance against his enemies Hath not God beene and is not God our friend that wee should shew no loue at all to him can a childe with patience see his Father wronged and should the children of God not be displeased when they heare the name of God blasphemed Surely if we loue our Fathers that begat vs wee cannot but loue God much more which hath made both them and vs and all the world and maintaines vs all and all for vs of his own goodnes and bounty If we loue our earthly Mothers that endured some bodily paines in our birth we cannot but loue Iesus Christ that endured the cursed death of the Crosse For our new birth Our Mothers bring vs forth Children of wrath firebrands of hell but Christ hath brought vs forth children of God and heyres of his glorious kingdome Surely this loue of God towards vs which is infinite and endlesse should moue vs to loue him at the least to be displeased with his enemies and the contemners of him Was not Moses angry with the Israelites in Gods cause Exodus 32. 19. Did not the Leuites out of their zeale of Gods glory slay euery man his brother companion and neighbour Was not Lots righteous soule grieued from day to day because of the wickednesse of the Sodomites but you say a man is angry for nought if it be in Gods cause you shew what knowledge what faith what loue of God there is in you This is farre from louing him with all the heart soule minde and strength There is none so ready to answere for themselues as you are yea you will be very feruent and zealous in your owne causes but you will hate or mocke them that speake in Gods behalfe Whether doe you loue God or your selfe better whereas you say that some of your rich men will ouer power him and remoue him vnlesse he looke well to himselfe he knowes that to be the nature of the rich which serue the golden Deuill Mammon to hate all them that seeke to set forth Gods glory Hee knowes that Mammon is now strong in the world and so full of sophistry that hee can make the Law a nose of waxe yea and the Gospell also to turne them which way he list Notwithstanding he feares not the souldiers and seruants of Mammon though they come like Goliahs strong men sensible men sound cardes well purst cunning vnderminers against him for God hath put a stone in his sling euen his word in his mouth and giuen him strength to slay a Beare and a Lion God hath bidden him not to feare you wherefore should hee feare Ezech. 2. 6. Sonne of man feare them not nor be afraid of their words although Rebells and thornes be with thee and thou remainest with scorpions feare not their words nor be afraid at their lookes for they are a rebellious house Wherefore I would counsell you to looke well to your selfe that Satan and your owne sins ouer-power not you and remoue you cleane out of Gods fauour protection and kingdome Afterward you come to tell me of a fine man of a great Scholler that vseth more Greeke and Latine then English in his Sermons and that it will doe one good to heare him What edifying doe you thinke that any of his vnlearned hearers get by such vsing of his Greeke and Latine You your selfe say that they profit nothing in knowledge and I thinke they profit as little in good life What good is that you speake of It is euen nothing but this that you vse him as an instrument to disgrace your Minister withall by your odious comparisons-making And because heereby you comfort releeue and refresh an accusing conscience whiles that you dispose the plain-dealing of your owne Minister and accounts him the right Preacher that lets you liue securely in your sinnes Moreouer doe you thinke it a decent thing for a Minister to goe from the pot to the pulpit Should he not rather come from God I meane from prayer and Meditation that he might pray and preach in fear humility reuerence and zeale as hauing the word put in his mouth from God and speaking as from God beeing in the glorious presence of God and his Angells You say that you haue talkatiue fellows in your parish that can put them all downe in reasoning and their minister too It likes you well and such as you to call gracious words talkatiuenesse and prattle Marke what the Apostle saith Colossians 3. 16. Let the word of God dwell plenteously in you in all wisedome c. In another place Let your speech be seasoned with salt but you thinke that vaine foolish rotten and vnsauory speeches should rather be plentifull in men mouthes for with these I neuer heare you finde any fault oaths lyes foolish ieasting ribaldry hath free passage without checke or rebuke And if such persons doe but humour and please you then is all well taken how bad soeuer it be and with such like persons you loue to keepe company but you haue no delight to tarry where there is sober talke and Christian communication as I haue seene diuers begin to hem and to hum and to hang downe the head to yawne raspe and stretch as being weary with long sitting saying that they haue businesse and therefore must away and so sliuing out of the doores presently stumble into an other place where they will be as merry as cuppe and cann can make them But heare what the holy man of God the Prophet Dauid saith Psal 26. 4. 5. I haue not dwelt with vaine persons neither will I haue fellowship with the deceitfull I haue hated the congregation of the wicked and will not sit among the vngodly And Psal 119. 115. Away from me ye wicked for I will keepe the commandement of my God And Pro. 14. 7. Depart from the foolish man when thou perceiuest not in him the lips of knowledge And Ecclus. 9. 17. Let thy talke be with the wise and all thy communication in the Law of
shorten his hand and to take his graces from vs. Lastly whereas hee giueth thankes without ceasing we obserue what is the greatest matter of ioy and reioycing to a faithfull shepheard namely the faith and obedience of his flock to his doctrine instructions and exhortations not as from him but as from God as the husbandman reioyceth in a plentifull haruest forgetting all his labours and trauels in seede time euen so the true shepheard reioyceth in the fruits of his labours and seeing a plentifull haruest towards is glad that God hath made him an instrument to gather his wheate euen the soules of men into his Barne The Minister hath cause of reioycing and thankesgiuing in the faithfull discharge of his calling when his conscience doth assure him that he hath kept himselfe innocent from the bloud of all men and hath kept nothing back but to his vtmost power and grace giuen him hath declared all the counsell of God by word and example of life Act 20. 26. 27. he hath I say cause of reioycing herein though hee see no fruits of his labours as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 2. 15. Wee are vnto God the sweete sauour of Christ in them that are saued and in them that perish But when his ministerie is effectual in men to beget and increase faith in them to regeneration and to eternall life then is he the sauour of life vnto life and there is double matter of reioycing and thankesgiuing Paul little reioyced in his owne grace and conscionable discharge of his owne dutie neither esteemed much all his labours and sufferings when he saw them not effectuall in the conuerting sinners vnto God but when hee had done all that he could he complaineth that he had run in vaine Gal. 4. 11. I am in feare of you least I haue bestowed labour on you in vaine i. seeing no fruit of my labour in your conuersion The matter of the gratulation and thanksgiuing is their Faith which is not simply named but propounded by way of circumlocution and as it were described by certaine degrees The first degree in this description or rather definition of their faith is their hearing of the word when yee receiued of vs the word of the preaching of God which words in the greeke are thus because receiuing the word of hearing from vs of God both haue one meaning but I rather follow the Greeke verbatim because he speaketh here especially of their act of beleeuing the first degree whereof is hearing and emplyeth his act of preaching in these words from or of vs. It is called the word of the hearing of God because there is no light or ground of the Gospell in mans reason he hath not the least sparkle of this knowledge of God in Christ in him therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 10. 14. Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the Preacher Adam was created perfect man in all the faculties of his reasonable soule yet was hee without this knowledge which was hid in God and reuealed and preached to him by God himselfe after his fall Gen. 3. 15. who foreseeing the fall foresaw the remedy also This sauing knowledge God likewise reuealed to Abraham Gen. 18. 18. and afterward preached the same by typicall ceremonies and by the Prophets to his church lastly by his owne Sonne who hath reuealed all the wisdome of God concerning mans iustification and saluation and accomplisht the same in himselfe and the sonne hauing all power and authoritie giuen of his Father in heauen and earth hath preached the same to vs Gentiles by his Apostles and Euangelists Pastours and Teachers Againe it is called the word of hearing after the imitation of the Hebrew for the word heare or which you heard Now to heare this word of faith preached is meerely of grace and is the first degree of faith The gracelesse viz. naturall men will not patiently heare this word of the preaching of God it is to them foolishnes and vaine talke for they make this doctrine and profession groundlesse and to no end Groundlesse because they comprehend not the same by their carnall reason To no end because they measure euery thing by the worldly vse profit or pleasure thereof 1 Cor. 1. 18. Praedicatio Euang. est ijs qui periunt stultitia In Act. 7. 57. 58. The Iewes stopped their eares at Stephens preaching c. Act. 19 24. The multitude of the Ephesians when Alexander shewed them of Paul and his doctrine c. Act. 23. Ananias the high Priest caused Paul to be smitten on the mouth in the very beginning of his Apologie The Turkes Iewes and Papists are ready to stop their eares as soone as they heare the truth Yea and many protestant Atheists and Epicures would at no hand heare the word if they were at their owne libertie they hate and deride the very name of a Preacher and cannot looke on a blacke coate as these blacke mouthed hell-hounds terme them with a patient eye which shewes that they hate our calling and are the enemies of God and their owne saluation And that enuious murtherous heart which shewes it selfe now in mocks and taunts would shew it selfe in open rage and cruelty if it were not bound in with chains and bonds of iron 2. Degree of their Faith is in these first words when ye receiued of vs c. This is the second degree of faith after we haue heard the word to giue assent in general to the same as true and to approue of it as good And this is also meerely of grace for there are many which heare but their hearing is not mingled with faith and therefore they profit nothing by hearing Heb. 4. 2. The Gospell was preached to them as also to vs but the word which they heard profited not them because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it And Paul saith 1 Cor. 2. 14. The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishinesse vnto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned In Acts 17. 18. When Paul preached at Athens certaine Philosophers of the Epicures and Stoikes heard him but some counted him a babler and others a setter forth of strange Gods This generall consent vnto the word preached in man is of grace but this is not sauing grace for the Deuills beleeue also and tremble Iames 2. 19. I say it is of grace in man because he cannot do this by supernaturall light but the Diuels by light of nature not by created light but by obseruation 3. Degree of their faith is expressed in the middle of the verse in these words ye receiued it c. This word receiued is twise vsed in the english but it is of differing significations as the Greeke and Latine doe shew The former is in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accipere the latter is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 excipere the former whereof signifieth to receiue or take willingly or
we consider the cause hereof it is no wonderfull or strange thing but naturall and common if wee could but reflect our eyes vpon our selues to see the things within vs as we doe the things without vs but it is giuen to very few to discerne the times and seasons by application of the true light to the same which maketh euery thing manifest as it is The cause heereof was the bewitching hypocrisie of the hart for howsoeuer they pretended religion deuotion and zeale and therein matched the Romish Iesuites yet was not the same truly rooted in their harts but pride ambition vaine-glory couetousnesse and enuy were deepely rooted and firmely setled therein which sinnes being coloured with fayre pretences of religion blinded not onely the eies of the world but euen their owne eyes that their religious titles prayers fastings almes and other outward works were but cloaked and coloured pride vaineglory couetousnes oppression and this true body namely their outward profession had not a true soule in it but an euill spirit or Deuill vsing this body deceitfully and craftily for his owne aduantage For this is the nature of the hypocriticall heart to transforme euen the best and holiest exercises of religion into the nature of it selfe that is to serue it selfe of them These holy Deuils of the Iewish Church retayning the bare names and liuelesse titles of their Iewish priuiledges as to be called the Israell of God the children of Abraham c. As also the outward ceremonies of the Law together with their owne ambitious traditions and gainfull dispensations but being of worldly hearts and spirits were so farre from the true knowledge and spirituall meaning of the Law of the types and ceremonies thereof as also of the Prophets as that they could not abide to heare the same sounding to their eares as strange and new doctrine for bare titles and the outward barke serued their turnes hauing no farther sauour of religion nor loue of the truth in them Therefore when Christ preached the Law and the Prophets spiritually which they professed and wherein they boasted carnally It was a hard preaching who could heare it Iohn 6. The Papist doth marueile at the stupidity and vtterly condemne the obstinacy of the Pharisees and Iewes for their contempt of the Gospell and shamefull intreatment of the sonne of God and for their hypocrisie pride couetousnesse enuy c. And the Friars and Iesuites in their Sermons worke vpon the passions of men to prouoke and inflame their hearts to an hatred of them for hating the Gospell and putting our blessed Sauiour to death Surely it is a wonderful thing to consider the darknesse of their hard hearts that they haue no sight at all in themselues of these things for which they vtterly condemne the Iewes being no lesse enemies of Christ then the Iewes The Pharisees holding and maintayning the true principles of the law and Prophets did in their Interpretations Expositions and speciall Applications swarue so far from the true meaning thereof through the darkenesse of their earthly hearts as they became vtter enemies of the truth therein contained for Christ was the truth the end and fulfilling thereof whom they pointed at and whom the Pharisees heard and saw speaking and fulfilling the same in their eyes and eares yet will they not be his Disciples but Moses Disciples Iohn 9. making Moses and Christ contrary whereas indeede they themselues were contrary to themselues for if they had knowne and professed Moses and the Prophets spiritually and truly then had they knowne Christ and beene his followers but being carnall professours they are vtter enemies of the truth which they professed Let common Protestants note this well Euen so in the very same manner the Romish Synagogue with the whole Antichristian rout houlding the true principles of the Gospell the olde and new Testament and the abridgements of the same to wit the Creede the Commandements and Lords prayer doe in their Interpretations Expositions Glosses and particular Applications of the word so farre and wide run astray from the true meaning thereof as they are vtter enemies of the truth persecuting the true professours of the same vnder the names of heretickes as the Iewes persecuted Christ vnder the name of a seducer and deceiuer The Pharisees built their false sect doctrines and deuotions vpon the true ground or principles of the Law and Prophets so doe the Romanists build their Antichristian Synagogue their false doctrines workes and deuotions vpon Christ the Prophets Euangelists and Apostles But heere is the cunning of the Deuill who as he sees God in his great wisdome to bring good good out of euill yea to turne all his Satanicall policies and deuises vpon his owne head and to worke himselfe glory out of his plot of dishonour and subuersion euen so on the contrary he bringeth euill out of good turning the truth of God into a lye yea vpon Gods truth and ordinance builds hee his owne kingdome but this bay and stubble built vpon the true foundation shall be burnt by the fire of Gods spirit 1 Cor. 3. 15. and the plant which he hath not planted shall wither away and be rooted out Math. 15. 13. Now seeing that they haue built a false Church vpon a true foundation soothing vp themselues in their outward priuiledges and liuelesse titles making their owne lawes doctrines traditions and innumerable deale of beggarly baggagement the rule of conscience and holy life put the case that Iesus Christ the onely truth were to come or that it should please his glorious Maiesty to come from heauen into the Church of Rome which professeth it selfe to be the onely and holy flocke of Christ in such manner as he came among the Iewes instructing and teaching the people euery where in truth sincerity and without partiality prouing his doctrine by the written word which themselues acknowledge and professe as hee did the Gospell among the Iewes by Moses and the Prophets and confirming the Doctrine with miracles as also conuincing and reprouing them for their Idolatry superstition false doctrine vaine ceremonies traditions godly lies wicked dispensations ambition pride tyranny cruelty excessiue couetousnesse extortion bribery and all the heathenish abhominations of that holy denne of theeues If I say that Christ were at Rome amongst them at this instant in such appearance life conuersation and doctrine as he was among the Iewes I demand what manner of intertainment should be giuen him And whether his word and doctrine should be receiued as the word of God or as the word of man whether it should be receiued as the trueth of God or reiected as heresie Euen as the King of Niniueth with the Princes Rulers Nobles and Commons beleeued the word of God spoken by Ionah layd his robe from him couered him with sackcloath and sate in ashes and proclaimed that neither man beast bullocke nor sheepe should feede or drinke water that man and beast should put on sackcloth and cry mightily vnto God and turne
and so would you to For I am perswaded that you your selfe thinke the Church better than the Ale-house and the word of God to be as needfull for the soule as Ale for the body And if they offer not the sacrifice of fooles but giue diligent eare and laying vp that in memory which they heare shall afterward vpon occasion speak of the same I hope that you for your part will not terme them pratlers nor hate them for it but rather commend them and loue them preferring them before others that haue that care to know God nor desire to heare his word Alasse I am sorry to heare you say that you care for none that followes and fauors your Minister You should all fauour him and follow his doctrine yea and him also wherein hee followeth Christ You should be his fellow-helpers and gather with him and not scatter abroad nor hinder the worke of the Lord in his hands You rich men should countenance him all that you can that thereby all sorts and euen the worst people might be moued to reuerence him which in the contempt of him contemne the word of God and God himselfe whose messenger he is They should couer his faults and infirmities that by such things the word of God be not euill spoken of among them that seeke such occasions They should helpe and releeue his wants as all true Christians euer haue done that pouerty hinder not the worke of the Ministery and so your soules be starued and famished to death through the pining of his body You will meate your oxen and keepe your horses well that they may be strong to labour else your businesse will lye vndone ought you not then much more to maintaine your minister that your soules may be filled and satisfied with good Will you withdraw meat from your beasts that they might not worke and yet would haue your worke done surely you would thinke him hardly well in his wits that would doe so euen so will you sacrilegiously withdraw your Ministers maintenance that he might not preach and yet would be saued this is spirituall madnes and dead drunkennesse Alas for you I pitty your case I perceiue how the gods of this world Satan and Mammon haue blinded the eyes of some of your rich men and hath preuailed so much with them as he hath brought them to be ranke Pharisees as ill and worse then they that persecuted Christ Some few of them it should seeme being fat at the heart and full in the purse are prickt with pride and vaineglory whereby they seeke to ouer power all the meaner sort to prey vpon them at their command both to say and doe not what truth and right is but what they would haue If any submit themselues and yeeld to them in all things magnifying and praising them him they will countenance and fauour and chiefly giue him faire words but all accompts in the end being cast he shall finde himselfe nothing helped or bettered by them vnlesse it be of other mens cost but if any dislike their doings and crosse them sometimes yea when he can doe no other vnlesse hee will burthen his conscience him they will be reuenged of disgracing him and watching opportunity to thwart him and as I may say to worrie him if they could And by those meanes haue they brought and seeke to bring all men into their subiection whereout they suck no small aduantage Now these men cannot abide your minister for his plaine dealing with them yea like enuious Riualls they cannot abide that any respect or reuerence should be had or giuen to him for they thinke it great disgrace to them that any man should be preferred before them in any thing in your parish yea they make accompt of your minister but as of a bodily seruant for outward Church duties according to Law and that therefore they pay his tithes as his wages They would not haue him to meddle or make with townes-matters which are swayd after their owne lusts nor of their wickednesse because they would not haue their vglinesse and shame vncouered before the eyes of the world nor the gnawing worme of their galled conscience stirred and set on worke before the time the Lord conuert them if it be his gracious pleasure Hence it is that they seeke to single out all men from him that being left alone and no man daring to speak in his behalse no not the manifest trueth they might vpon euery light occasion vse him at their pleasure but though all men leaue him yet God will assist him in his owne cause and in the end all men shall see his power in the conuersion or in the confusion of these wicked Caitiues Mataeolog It is euen as true that you say as God is in heauen They are so fed as they are like a foole with a full belly and a bable in his hand No man can bee in quiet for them they are euen the most venemous people that euer man came amongst it is not possible to escape their hands but they will one way or other mischiefe him I haue had but too much experience of c. Eulalus How bad soeuer they be let not vs be moued to impatience but vse good words If wee see their wickednesse let vs hate it but let vs loue their persons God can make them vessels of holinesse and righteousnesse at his pleasure A soft answere pacifieth wrath and good words quench the coales of strife we must not cease to be good because they are euill But to make an end of my former speech vnto you If you remember you were angry with me when vpon your owne speeches I said you were like to Pilate and Herod one against another and all against your Minister doe you not euen now say the same vpon another occasion terming them venemous and full fooles with bables Whereby it appeares that you are now with them now against them faine would you haue their fauour but your owne will withall but your loue to Gods word and your minister is like theirs Well I perceiue that sinne raignes in a company of you and that Satan rules you at his pleasure When you and they are at some variance and the Minister as his text doth lead him doth reproue some sinne that you know them guilty of that sinne you remember well and will be rehearsing of it and curri-fauouring with the Minister to shroud your selfe vnder him this you doe out of a reuengefull heart to disgrace and defame your neighbours and that in making others bad your selfe might seeme good Again when time serues you will side to them against your minister and call his reprouing of sinne rayling against honest men and say that he hath no neighbourhood nor loue of his people in him that hee speakes all out of pride malice enuy choller Whereby a man may easily see that some among you are religious some prophane and vnmoueable in their wickednesse some crafty shifters seruing themselues of both
world which you doe call wise sensible men are ledde by their sense and worldly craft to the Deuills Larder-house And as the Apostle sayes when they thinke themselues to be wise they become very fooles I haue spoken thus boldly vnto you because I take you to be my friend for I am sure that I am yours if you any way doubt of it try mee in any thing wherein I can pleasure you onely let mee intreat you to consider well of this point that you and I haue thus reasoned of I haue a good hope that howsoeuer you haue beene misledde a long time all the Angells in Heauen shall reioyce in your conuersion And I doe like you a great deale the better because you haue not left mee and gone away from mee in a chase especiallie being that I haue dealt so plainely with you as I haue done Mataeolog I can tell you if you had spoken so to some of our towne they would sit on your skirts while they liued Eulalus Like enough for it is the property of flesh and bloud to be reuengefull but the Apostle teacheth vs another lesson Auenge not your selues I will repay saith the Lord My skirts are as well able to beare a Feather as it is to sit on them I trust that so long as I giue them no other occasion then I haue done they shall haue no fast sitting for the Lord will not leaue them that feare him in their enemies hands The Lord grant that I may see some fruits of this conference in you at our next meeting By this short Dialogue it appeareth how the word of GOD is most commonly and generally heard and receiued yea euen of all that are not sanctified For they doe either altogether heare it as the word of man or at least when it is particularly applied for their conuersion and reformation then begin they euer to seeke out arguments for the Sophister the Father of lyes is at hand for their hard hearts for their lustfull liuing for the saluing of an euill and corrupt conscience drawne from the person of the Minister yea and to seeke out another shepheard some that Satan hath pickt in at the window whom they may obiect against him who if hee be a good Scholler politicke and crafty for his owne aduantage and of Gentleman-like fashion then is hee and such like to be preferred before their owne Minister and such like without all compare And indeede to say the truth there is no more comparison betweene them then betweene Paul and the learned preachers that so flourisht at Corinth A foole will seeke out excuses for his foolishnes Wherefore seeing that this is the fourth and highest degree of Faith whereby a man euen steps vp into heauen the Apostle and all faithfull Shepheards haue great cause of reioycing as the Angells in Heauen also haue and of thanksgiuing without ceasing when any man heareth the word not as theirs but as Gods seeing that they alone and none but they doe heare know and follow Christ their chiefe shepheard This then is the condemnation of the world that they heare indeede but with vnbeleeuing hearts doubting and wauering minds and in a dreaming and slumbering manner being like to Salomons sluggard Prouerbs 6. 10. Yet a little sleepe a little slumber a little foulding of the hands to sleepe the weather is colde there is a Beare or a Lyon in the way It is yet early enough there is no time yet ouerpast many labour and trauell hauing no rest night nor day yet doe they liue and die in pouerty many lye and sleepe yet wealth commeth on them vnlooked for That which will be will be It is but euen happen good haue good one good fortune or other will befall mee I shall doe as well as I can and as others haue done before mee And thus doth slothfulnesse get the vpper hand and hold possession still till at the length pouerty come sodenly and necessity like an armed man This is the common practise of dead hearted and worldly minded men they are continually called vpon iogged and rouzed yet they heare and heare not like dreamers and are possest with the spirit of slumber Their hearts are fixed and affections set on the earth and earthly things euen as the tree is fixed and rooted in the earth They loue to lye and liue securely in sinne being drunken with the profits pleasures delights pompe and pride of this world hauing no affection nor fancy to God and godly things being adulterers adulteresses and fornicators of this world altogether vnlike and contrary to the spouse of Christ in the Canticles Hence it is that they imagine and reason in themselues like the sluggard yet a little more pleasure in sinne a little more solace and delight in fleshly lusts a little longer space of liuing after the pleasant conceits and imaginations of mine owne heart there is yet no time ouer-past I shall repent and amend in my latter dayes God is mercifull and will not so strictly deale with vs as these precise Preachers doe beare vs in hand that would haue vs to be ruled and ordered by their phantasticall imaginations they would haue they know not what and for ought we see they are as ill as others This precise kinde of preaching is come vp but of late yeares and I thinke there were as good Christians before as euer there haue beene since These and a thousand such like follies doe they imagine and vtter tending all to the blinding and hardning of themselues in their sinfull and rebellious courses That which a man hath a speciall loue liking and inclination to of himselfe hee may soone be perswaded vnto by another for any reason though neuer so weake and seely feedeth him and confirmeth him whereas the strongest disswasions that may be shall preuaile little or nothing or but for the time present Againe on the contrary if a man out of his owne heart and iudgement haue no liking nor inclination though hee be neuer so earnestly set vpon and by most sound and strong reasons be disswaded by another yet can hee be little moued or stirred but euer returneth backe againe to his former dislikes like the heauy stone that being rouled by great strength vpward doth of it selfe retire backe againe so soone as we hold off our hands Thus it is with obstinate sinners whose hearts are heauy and stony the strongest reasons that may be though neuer so plaine and euident yea the very bare word of the text being the immediate word of God can preuaile little or nothing with them they are so strongly possest with contrary imaginations lusts and desires but on the contrary any weake silly and foolish reason any ignorant speech groundlesse opinion feedeth them and confirmeth them in their sinfull courses Any thing will perswade the sluggard to be idle so any thing will mooue the sinner to spirituall idlenesse And thus will those drunken and sleepy sinners doe till death summon them to iudgement