the man Christ Iesus with a full perswasion of the hart a sure confidence of an assured rest of conscience grounded vpon the promise of Gods mercy that we shall be fréely accepted with God in Christ for that First our sinnes are purged in his blood 1. Ioh. 1.2 Esa. 53. Secondly his righteousnes is imputed vnto vs. Rom. 4.1 1 Cor. 1.30 The fathers looked for none other righteousnes thē this righteousnes of Christ as the Apostle Paul proueth sufficiently by that one example of Abraham who is said to rest himselfe vpon that righteounesse of faith which is the righteousnes which God giueth vs in Christ apprehended by faith onely The Apostle S. Peter which fel most dangerously comforted himselfe with this righteousnes all men that will beleeue his doctrine affirming that we cannot be saued with siluer or gold but with the precious blood of Iesus Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled Here then we sée what is required of all that shall be saued by Christ which things if we doe belieue with a liuely faith planted and grounded vpon the sure promises of Gods mercy offered vnto vs in Christ and not doubting thereof but with all diligence kéepe and performe the premises aforesaid then we shall bee assured to enter in at the straight gate and narrow way leading vnto eternal life Saluation is he gift of God which he fréely bestoweth vpon all that séek him aright This is eternall life to know the Father and him whom hee hath sent Iesus Christ. We must seeke God aright But some perhaps will say how shall wee seeke him aright I answer Dilige Deum mandata eius obserua Loue God kéep his commandements Héerby shall all men know that you seeke him as you ought S. Augustine speaking of this matter saith Da amantem et sentit quid dico si autem frigido loquor nescit quid loquar Giue me a man that is in loue with God he seeth this to be true which I say but if I talke to a cold Christian he vnderstandeth not what I say And this is the cause why Christ talking of the kéeping his commandements repeateth so often this word loue as the surest cause of keeping the same for want whereof in the world the world kéepeth them not as there he sheweth If you loue me keepe my commandements Againe Hee that hath my commandements and keepeth them hee is he that loueth me And againe Hee which loueth me will keepe my commandements See what S. Austen exhorts vs vnto Ama amorem illius Loue this his loue His deserues and requires loue O loue the Lord saith the Prophet Dauid all his saints If no loue no saints and yet no true loue vnlesse fath Ye that loue the Lord sée that you hate euill and doe good séeke the Lord and yee shall liue for euermore Can God bestow better things vpon his children then eternall life who is the efficient cause of saluation by the working of the holy Ghost in the hearts of his children through faith in Christ Iesus For faith is the testimony of Gods spirit which spirrit doth not only speak within vs but also perswadeth vs of the good grace of God towards vs by arguments drawne from our free redemption in Christ. Lastly the same spirit mortifieth sin in vs and quickeneth our mortal bodies to bring forth most swéet pleasāt fruits vnto God This bréedeth that inward solace ioy and peace which the mind and conscience hath with God because it is freed from the bondage of sinne the curse of the law c. and restoreth to grace againe This ioy and solace of a good conscience the Apostle calleth it the kingdome of God Ro. 14.17 And an especiall fruit of the holy Ghost Gal 5 22. And a sure consequent of our iustification by faith Ro. 5.1 and the child of God in all his troubles comforteth himselfe therwith as with a feast Dauid longed for this ioy as appeaeth in his earnest prayer for it where hee cryeth saying Restore to me the ioy of thy saluation and stablish me with thy free spirit Many which seeke to enter in at the straight gate shall not be able Wherefore thou secure worldling thy conscience telleth thee that thou hast not yet sought the Lord aright thou hast not yet repented and thou art not yet a liuely member of Iesus Christ. And further thou knowest that howsoeuer thou art aliue at this time yet thou hast no lease of thy life God may call thée forth of the world the next yeare the next hower yea he may strike thee with a sudden death at this very present And in very truth if thou goest forth of this world being no repentant sinner thou goest damned to hell Therfore delay not one minut of an houre longer but with all speed repent and turne vnto God and bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life that all thy sins may be done away when the day of death or the day of iudgement shall be And do not think with thy selfe it shall be sufficient to defer thy turning vnto God till the last day for late repentance is seldome true repentance And he which continueth long in any sin is in a dangerous case If a man lie long sicke in any disease he will scarce recouer his former health and he which is growne in the custome of any sin the sin is become ripe in him it is a thousand to one he is neuer saued according to that of S. Iames Sinne being perfitted bringeth forth death Let vs therefore without any delay repent and turne vnto God for if we liue in this world not being true Christians wee are far more vile then the basest Creatures of all euen the dog or toad For first we are nothing else but a filthy dunghill of all abomination vncleannes the stink whereof hath infected heauen and earth and no perfumes could euer delay it in the nostrils of God but only the suffering of Christ being a sacrifice of a swéet smelling sauour to God we make it very dainty to come néere a lazer man full of botches blaines sores but much more are these mē to be abhorred which haue lien many yeares stark dead in sins trespasses therfore now do nothing els but rot stink in them like vgly loathsome carrions Againe if we liue as secure worldlings carnall Ghospellers not as true Christians we are in danger of al the iudgements of God so that euery moment some of thē may befall vs· We may perish sodainly by water with the old world we may be consumed with fire brimstone with Sodome Gomorrah we may be swallowed vp of the earth with Corah Dathan and Abiram we may hang our selues with Iudas wee may haue our brains dashed out against the ground be eaten vp of dogs with Iesabel we may die in hardnes of heart with Pharaoh we may
their side and there is nothing but crowing long before it be day and great triumphing among them before any stroke be stricken and that because we bee but a handfull of people and they a great multitude and that in a manner the whole world agréeeth with them to practise our death Thus the Diuell doth cast a mist before their eyes and leades them away from the straight Gate to heauen and brings them into the broad way which leadeth them to the bottomlesse pit of hell Therefore my deare Bretheren let vs stand fast in the word of the Lord and take héed of bending with the way that we be not carried away or bowed quite downe with the raging streame of the multitude for the sway of the world doth way downe all thinges that can be spoken out of the word of God and openeth a very wide passage into Hell Now let vs procéed to the fourth Gate into hell which is the long custome of sinne for that taketh away all sence and féeling of sinne and making it as it were an other nature vnto vs so that wee may as well alter nature as shake it off when it is thus soldered vnto vs through long custome this is noted by the Prophet Ieremy to be a very dangerous thing For hee saith Can the blacke Moore change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye also doe good which are accustomed to doe euill Héere the Prophet affirmeth that it is as hard to cure an old disease that is bred in the bone or to remedie a sin that hath béene hatched and brought vp with vs as to wash a blacke Moore white or to change the spots of a Leopard which cannot be without the destroying of nature And surely trye it who will hee shall finde it as hard a matter to leaue an old custome whether it be of swearing gaming lying whoring euill company or any other sinne as to wash an Aethiopian Therefore it is written Pro. 27. Though thou shouldest bray a foole in a morter among wheate brayed with a pestle yet will not his foolishnes depart from him So that as long as we are in custome with sinne the doore of Heauen is barred vp against vs. Now let vs heare of the fift gate which is the long escaping of punishment this is auouched by the wise man in these wordes Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therfore the hearts of the children of men haue set them to do euil Where he sheweth that one cause why men are so hardened in their sins is because God wincketh at them and letteth them alone not punishing them immediately after they haue sinned For if God should forthwith strike downe one and raigne downe fire and brimstone vpon another cause the earth to swallow vp the third then men would feare indéed But God taketh not that course for though he méeteth with som in this life yet he lets thousands escape and that makes them more bold thinking they shall neuer come to their answer Euen as an old Theefe which hath a long time escaped both prison and gallowes thinkes he shall alwayes escape and therfore goeth bouldly on in his thefts But let men take héed for as the prouerbe saith though the pitcher goeth long to the well yet at last it commeth broken home so though men escape long vnpunished for sin yet shall they not alwayes be freed for there will come a day of reuenge a day that will pay thē home for all Thus you sée that impunity leadeth numbers to destruction that is when men are let alone not smitten by the hand of God nor punisht by law of the Magistrate The sixt Gate is the beholding of other mens déeds for when some men that haue a wicked and vngratious life haue béene notorious sinners euen to the world ward so that euery man could poynt at them if vpon their death-bed they say a few good wordes and cry God mercy and say their prayers and forgiue all the world and so dye quietly it is maruellous to heare how the foolish people of the world will exalt them and iustifie them saying He made a very good end as any man could make and dyed as quietly as a lambe set all things in good order before he dyed Héerevpon an other wicked monstrous varlet is encouraged to sin for thinketh he such a man liued as wickedly and loosely as I or any man else and yet he made a very good end and why may not I doe so too But alasse these mens eyes are bleared for to dye quietly is not to dye godly to crye God mercy for fashion sake is not to haue God mercifull to say a few praiers with téeth outward is not to dye in the faith of Christ for many do this and yet dye miserably The last gate is hope of long life this is affirmed by our Lord concerning the rich worldling who whē he felt the world come in vppon him with full streame said hee would pull downe his Barnes and build greater and say to his soule Soule habes multa bona reposita in annos multos requiesce comede bibe oblectare Thou hast much goods laid vp for many yeares liue at ease eat drinke and take thy pastime But our Sauiour calleth him foole for flattering himselfe in security and promising vnto himselfe long life moreouer he plainly telleth him that the same night he should make a hellish and miserable end Note I pray you how Iesus Christ the fountaine of all wisedome calleth this man a foole and yéeldeth a reason thereof to wit because he gathered ritches to himselfe and was not rich in God hee had great care for this life and none at all for that which is to come So then it followeth that all such are méere fooles indéede and may bee Chronicled for fooles howsoeuer they be taken and reputed in the world which haue much care for their bodies and none for their soules great care for this life and none at all for that which is to come Wel let all such prophane worldlings as dreame and dote of long life and therefore defer the day of their repentance vnto God take héed by this mans example that they reckon not without their host and bee suddenly snatcht away in the midst of all their pleasures and iollities as Iob saith Some dye in their full strength being in all ease and prosperity their brests are full of marrow Wée see therefore how dangerous a thing it is for men to flatter soothvp themselues with hope of a long life Via arctissima the way is very straight my little flock speake thus one to another Come let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob Et docebit nos vias suas and hee will teach vs his wayes and we will walke in his paths for we will no longer follow the multitude nor walke in the wayes of
despaire with Caine Iudas we may be stricken with sudden death with Annanias and Saphira his wife we may be eaten of wormes with Herod we may be smitten that we cannot heare Gods word with Foelix wee may voyd our guts at the stoole with Arrius we may cry at our death that we are damned with Latomus wee may be left vnto our selues to mock blaspheme and renownce Christ with Iulian the Apostata we may suffer many more fearfull iudgements whereof the Lord hath great store tend to the confounding of them that wil not be humbled vnder his hand Contrariwise the true Christian is so far out of the reach of Gods iudgements that they cannot hurt him Christ is a couering and a cloud vnto thee against the heat tempest of Gods iudgement when a mans heart is sprinckled with the blood of this immaculate lambe all the plagues of God passe ouer him In the destruction of Ierusalem the righteous beare a marke in their forehead are saued Therfore let him that regards his owne safety become a Christian. Now because you see that there be many strong barres and stops out of heauen a very wide passage into hel the best counsel therefore I can giue you if it were for my life is to be much exercised in the word of God both in the hearing reading meditation thereof and also to purchase vnto your selues the sincere ministry of the Gospell to make conscience to liue vnder it estéeming your selues happy if you haue it though you want all other things vnhappy if you haue it not though you haue all other things For it is a péerelesse pearle an incomparable Iewell for the purchasing whereof we are aduised by our Lord Iesus to sell all that wee haue rather then to goe without it Againe our Sauiour Christ giueth the same counsell to the Church of Laodicea in these words I counsell thée to buy of me gold tryed by the fire that thou maist be ritch and white rayment that thou maist be clothed and that thy filthy nakednesse doe not appeare anoynt thine eyes with eye-salue that thou maist sée where you see the word of God is compared to most pretious gold whereby wee are made spiritually ritch and to glittering attire wherewith our naked soules are cloathed and to an eye-salue wherewith our spirituall blindnes is cured Wée are aduertised also by Iesus Christ whose counsell is euer the best that wee should buy these thinges whatsoeuer they cost vs. The same counsel also giueth wise Solomon saying buy the truth but sell it not So theÌ„ we sée the counsell which héerein I giue thée is not mine owne but the counsell of Iesus Christ himselfe and Salomon the wise Ego fidenter dico I speake boldly and who can or who dare speake against their counsell Now as I haue aduised you to be much exercised in the hearing reading meditation of the word of God which is indéed good profitable necessary yet you must of necessity frequent preaching of the word the sound preaching of the Gospell which is the cheefest and most principall meanes which God hath ordained and sanctified and for the sauing of mens soules as it is plainly set down When the world by wisedome knew not God in the wisedome of God it pleased God by the foolishnes of preaching to saue them that beleeue For the word preached is the ordinary meanes to work faith which indeed is confirmed by hearinng reading meditation in the word prayer c. As it is written How shall they call on him on whom they haue not beléeued and how shall they beleeue in him whom they haue not heard how shall they heare without a Preacher For that Niniuie repented at the preaching of Ionas It was therefore the word of the Lord preached by the ministry of Nathan that was the instrumentall cause of King Dauids hearty repentance as Samuel recorded it he confesseth it in the 51. Psal. Héere then you sée that the chiefest and most principall meanes which God hath ordained sanctified for the sauing of soules is the word of God preached faith is therby increased and wrought in the hearts of the hearers As Saint Paul saith Faith is wrought by the word of God preached Faith doth not onely heare the word receiue the word vnderstaÌ„d the word reioyce in the word for thus far many hipocrites haue gone in the profession of faith as appeareth by the seede sowne in the stony grownd he heareth the word incontinently with ioy receiueth it yet hath he no root in himselfe dureth but for a season for as soone as tribulation or persecution coÌ„meth because of the word by by hee is offended But faith also openeth the most secret part of the hart therin hideth the word of God as a most precious Iewell in a treasure house for the good vses which God hath appointed And of this kéeping of the word in the secret of the hart these places do testifie Pro 4.20 My sonne hearken vnto my words incline thine eare vnto my sayings let them not depart from thine eyes but keep them in the midst of thine heart Psal. 119.11 I haue hid thy promises in mine heart that I might not sin against thee Psal. 51. Behold thou louest truth in the inward affections therfore hast thou taught mee wisedome in the secret of my heart Luke 2.19 But Mary kept all these sayings and pondered them in her heart Againe verse 51. His mother kept all these sayings in hir heart For if the word of God be not wel wrapped in the heart it shal be soone vncouered discryed deuoured of some aduersary or some euill wéed will growe therewithall choake it as appeareth in the euill hearers who are compared to the séede which was sowed among thornes He heareth the word but the care of this world the deceiptfulnes of riches choake the word he is made vnfrutefull But the immortal euerlasting séed which was sowed in the good grownd was so déepely rooted in the heart of S. Ieremie that he cryed out against such euill hearers saying His word was in my heart as a burning fier shut vp in my bones and I was weary with forbearing I could not stay for I had heard the rayling of many and feare on euery side Cap. 23.9 Mine heart breaketh within me because of the Prophets all my bones shake I am like a drunken man like a man whom wine hath ouercome for the presence of the Lord and for his holy words ver 29. Is not my word like fier saith the Lord like a hammer that breaketh the heard stone Now dearly beloued this doctrine which I teach you is not mine owne it is the doctrine of Iesus Christ which conuerteth the soule which teacheth the word of God truely guideth the hearts of euery true Christian the plaine mans pathway in at the strait gate leading to euerlasting saluation A wake thou therefore that sléepest in the bed of sinne make thy flinty heart to bléed and shed riuers of teares betimes in beewailng of thy sinnes be heartily sory for them and stand vp from the dead Christ shall giue thee light open thine heart without any further delay to receiue Christ and then he will come bind the strong man sathan cast him out dwell in thee himselfe Then the gates of hel shal neuer preuaile against thée then shalt thou enter with Christ in at the straight gate and narrow way which leadeth vnto eternall life and there dwell with him for euer Open therefore vnto vs O Lord the gates of righteousnes that we may goe into them and praise thy holy name This is the gate of the Lord the righteous shall enter into it and praise him for euermore The God of peace which brought again from the dead the Lord Iesus the great Shepheard of the shéepe through the blood of the euerlasting couenant make vs perfect in all good workes cut of all lets and hinderances both within vs without vs sanctifie vs throughout amend all our imperfections kéepe vs blamelesse vntill the day of his most glorious appearing that we may enter with him into his heauenly kingdome to whome with the Father and holy Spirit one God in Trinity trinity in vnity be all blessing glory world with out end Soli Deo gloria Via lata et spaciosa Luk 3.23 Via arcta quae ducit ad vitam Ier. 1.17 Tit. 1.7 1 Cor. 4.1 Ma. 16.19 20. Apo. 3.7 24. 2. Cor. 8.23 Act. 7. Mat. 10. Mat. 13. Mat 4. Luk. 8. Ioh. 6. Fox in the Booke of Mart. Luk. 4. Ciprian cont Dem. Tract 1. pag. Luk. 13.23 1. Cap. Luk. 18.8 Genesis 1. Kin. 17. Esa. 53.1 Luk. 13.24 Mat. 14. Bernard sermone 7 de aduent domini 1. Pet. 5.8.6 12. 1. Ioh. 5.16 1. Ioh. 2.16 Gal. 5. 1. Pet. 2 11 The waies and means of striuing Luk. 4. 2. Tim. 4. Gal. 6.14 He. 13.14 2. Tim. 4 2. Tim. 2 Mat. 10. 1 Cor. 13. Lactant. Acephali c. 11 Gaudetius Merula de merorabilibus l 20.9 Lactant de error ca. 10. Ro. 8.19 Gal. 5.22 Gal. 5.20.21 Iohn 16.33 2. Cap. Esa. 30.20.21 penis arcta breuis Psal. 84.11 Heb. 4. Ier. 13.23 Prou. 27. Eccl. 8.11 Luk. 12.19 Iob. â—1 24. Esa. 2.3 Mich 4 2. Alâ—uding to mount Sion wher the visible Church then was Oseas vlt. Cap. vlt ver Psal. 118. Orig Ex Hom 9. Fulgent in sermo de confessoribus Chrisost. in 2. Thess. Hom. 3. Greg. in Epist ad Leandrum Psal. 24. Eleuatae porta aeternales TertiuÌ„ cap. Esay 1.9 Es. 10.22 Ro. 9.28 Am. 5.14 Vers. 44. Luk. 9.42 9. thinges required 1. Pet. 1.16 1. Tim. 2.5 1. Pet. 18.19 Iohn 17.3 Ioh. 14 15 Ioh. 14. Rom. 13.15 psa 32 25 psal 57. Io Rom. 8.16 Rom. 8.11 Gal. 5.22 pro. 25.15 ps 51.12 Mat. 3.8 Iam· 1 15· Tit. 2.10 Rom. 8.10 Ephe. 5.2 Eph. 2.3 Deut. 34. Esay 4. Eâ— 12.22 Zach. 9.4 Mat. 13.44 Apo. 3.18 pro. 23.23 1. Cor. 1.21 Ro. 10.14 2 Sam. 12 Rom. 10.14 Ma. 13.20 21. Ma. 13.22 Ier. 20.9.10 psal 19.7 psal 118.19.20