men oftentimes to pitifull calamitie Herevpon saith Salomon a laboring man that is geuen to drinke shall neuer be riche and for this cause hée willeth vs not to companye with them for if we doe wée shall goe with patched and ragged coates And truely we sée this confirmed dayly by many examples These men are no great purchacers of landes nor men of great reuenewes and many which haue bene lefte very welthye by theyr fathers wills haue consumed all that hath bene left them and died very beggars For they spende much abrode with shame vpoÌ„ their owne bellies which they might spare by varying at home with honestie Manye there be that séeke to spoyle robbe their enimies and some ther be that will steale from their friends but dronkerdes robbe their owne wiues and childrne and are moued with litle pitie and compassion towardes them Here I knowe that these alehouse knightes wil reply and say that they spend nothinge but their owne But to them that vse such speache I make this answer that their mony is not their owne but as the Prophet saith it is the Lordes Thou art but his stewarde and he hath lent thée welth and riches not to mispende one farthing or mite vnthriftely and vpon thinges not necessarie God hath made the earth to bringe forth fruite and hath made man lorde and kinge of all his creatures but yet to vse them not to abuse them If God haue geuen vs riches and sent vs wealth he hath not giuen it vs to spende all vpon our owne carkases but to helpe our wiues and childrne withall to releaue the want of the poore to bestowe some part of it vppon them which crie at our gates for releefe and comforte and therfore if thou play the dronkerd bestowe all vpon thy selfe thou playest the part of a stronge théefe and robbest thy wife thy childrne the poore needie neighboures of that which they ought to haue to comfort them withall Wée must consider also that GOD hath in his worde set downe how men should vse their riches to whom one day we must giue account For to euery one of vs it shall be sayde gyue account of thy stewardshippe If you send your seruaunte to the market you wil haue him to bestowe your money in such sorte as you doe commaunde him and not at his owne pleasure So GOD hath giuen to men money and wealth but yet therewithall he hath giuen vs a rule howe to bestowe it The euill stewarde bycause he had wasted his masters goodes was thrust out of his stewardshippe Soo all they which haue spent their goods vnthriâ—tily at the alehouse except they repeÌ„t shal be excluded out of the kingdome of heauen and after this lyfe â–ª they shall suffer honger and thrist for euermore Thus you sée our money is not our owne to doe with it what our list or to mispend it in ryote and wantonnes neither is it lawfull to eate and drink to muche but so much as is méete and conuenient for vs True it is y GOD is not offended with eatinge and drinking but he is offended with vs when as we abuse eatinge and drinkinge and when as we deuourâ— his benefites without measure But alas if euer eatinge and drinkinge were abused it is abused at this daye and I thinke there was neuer such super â—â—uitie of meates and that the chéere which they made in the daies of Noah was not once comparable to our feastinge that we vse at this daye But perchaunce here some men will say would you neuer haue vs to make good chéere and to be merie one neighbour with an other is God offended thinke you that we shoulde vse anye myrth and feastinge Truely I knowe right well that wée may vse feasting one neighbour with another to maintaine mutual loue and friendshippe and I know that GOD would not alwaies haue vs to be sad but that he would haue vs to be merie and giueth vs wherwith to be merie Dauid saith he giueth vs wine to chéere our hartes and oyle to make vs chéerful countenaunces and sometime sendeth aboundance and plentye of thinges to chéere vs vp withall And when GOD sendeth plentie of ritches and other good things it is not euill to vse these thynges to our comforte and to be glad of them so that I deny not but that we maye reioyce and be merye if God send vs any good chéere or anye good successe notwythstandinge we ought soo to bée prouyded alwayes that wée reioyce and bée merie as it were in y presence of GOD. But alas the mirth that wée commonly vse at such tymes as thys is is thâ—t mirth which GOD condemneth For it is full of vanitie and we cannot kéepe good chéere sport play and be mery vnlesse we offend God. In our myrth we vse excesse in playinge we regard not our abilitie and we haue in our pastimes no stay of our selues and we do all thinges with out order and measure neyther can wée be merye in Christmas time vnlesse we shut God out of our houses and companie turne our backes vpon him and quite and cleane forget him Truely ther be some that will stoutly inough saye that they bée christians and they wyll beare men in hand that they loue GOD and his worde they will not stick to come to the church to heare Sermons and yet when they intend to be merie they driue awaye al thought of GOD and of hys iudgmentes and they are not content to doe soo onely but they will not sticke to offende GOD of set pourpose and they cannot bée merye vnlesse they disguise themselues and commit euill This is the cause why the myrthe of this world is cursed by the mouth of gods owne sonne who saith in the Gospell woe be vnto you that laughe for you shall mourne and he prâ—ouncethe that the dronken ioye of the wicked shal be turned into mourning and grinting of téeth Therefore take héed to your selues eate and drinke soberly and giue god thankes hereafter beware ye vse not any suche mirth as is accursed of God and which at length will bringe nothing but sorrowe and heauines that neuer shall haue end And in any wise in your feastes take héede of dronkennesse for if ye ons fall into this vice you shall not be able to rule your selues althoughe ye be neuer so wise neuer so holy neuer so mightie and valyant Who was more holy then Noah and yet hée being dronke was so farre beside himself that he forgot the distruction of the worlde for sin which he sawe with his own eies he regarded not his owne honestye but laye naked and vncouered in his Tent in somuch that he became a laughingstock to his wicked sonne Cham. Lot a holy man being dronke laye with his owne daughters committed abhominable incest got them both with child neuer calling to minde how almighty god had a litle before destroyed Sodome and Gomor and the Cities adioyning for
beinge ignorant of the scriptures denied the resâ—rrection of the fleshe therfore said Christ vnto them You erre bicause you knowe not the scriptures neither the power of god The wicked Iewes through ignoraÌ„ce put Christ to death for Christ praying to his father for them saith Pater remitte eis nesciunt enim quid faciunt Father forgiue them for they knowe not what they doe And S Paule saith if they had knowne they woulde neuer haue killed the kinge of glorye But I will let passe them and come nearer to our selues When we were ignorant in gods worde and hard nothinge but the sound of a tiâ—â—klinge Cimball did we not thinke supersticion to be religioÌ„ deceauers true teachers vanitie to be veritie the gospell to be heresie to gad abrode on pilgramage froÌ„ this saincte to y saincte to be a part of gods seruice mens traditions the commaundements of god Antichriste Christes vicar the man of Rome who is a creature ouerwhelmed with al wickednes and the beast that did rise out of the bottemles pit a most holy father Yea we thought that God was delited wyth incense perfume waxcandles golden copes and vestmentes and we worshipped those thinges which our owne consciences gaue vs to vnderstande were no gods we made no difference almost betwixt Christ his creatures wée confounded the signe with the thinge signified worshipped a wafer cake which is a creture corruptible in stéede of the maker of heauen and earth beleued it was the verie body of Christ that was borne of the virgin Marye and slaine for our sinnes vpon the Crosse The cause of all which grosse errors was the ignorance of Christ and hys worde For although some of the Papistes say that ignorance is the mother of deuotion yet it appeareth that it is the mother of all errour supersticion And therfore verie aptly it is compared to the night and to sléepe For euen as one when as he is in the night time fast a sléepe in his bedde hath all his senses so tyed vp and bound that hée cannot doe any thinge and yet neuerthelesse he dreameth sometimes and verily thinketh that he is dooing this that so they which are ignorant of Christ and his worde haue al the powers of theire soules so let and hindered that they cannot moue towardes heauen or doe anie thinge that can please God although oftentimes they thinke they do god most noble seruice wheÌ„ as they commit most horriable and greuous crimes But forasmuch as it is nowe not night with vs but day let vs doe those things that are séemely for them that haue the lyght and followe the counsell of Paule who wylleth vs to cast away the workes of darknes and to put on the armoure of lyght By the workes of darknes is signified sinnes and naughtye vices and they are so called chiefely for two causes The first cause is bicause they procéede of the ignoraunce of gods word and bicause wée are moued to doo them by the motion and instinct of Sathan who is the prince of darkenesse Secondly bicause they that commit naughtiâ—sse flée the light and couet rather for the night then for the daye according to the sayinge of our Sauiour Christe Qui malè agit odit lucem he that doeth euill hateth the light For whoremongers théeues murtherers and wicked persons commonly doo their feates in the darke and in the night season and therefore saith Paul Quae ab illis clam fiunt turpe est vell dicere It is a shame euen ones to name those thinges that are done of them in secrete The darkenes of the night doth make them bold to commit sinne for they feare onely the eyes of men and consider not that the eyes of the Lord are vppon euery mans waies that with him ther is no darkenes at al but that the night is with him as the noone daye And therefore although men commit sinne neuer so closely yet doth god sée them and at length will reauele and bring it to lyght as he dyd the whoredome of Dauid and there is no wall so thicke that can hide them that worke wickednesse from the sight of god Let vs therefore cast away the workes of darkenes and put on the armoure of light By the armoure of light he vnderstandeth good workes bicause they procéede of faith and of the true knowledge of god and shine before men to the honor praise of our good god who worketh them in vs by his holy spirit But here it may be demaunded why Paule doth call vices and sinnes the workes of darkenesse good workes the armoure of light Truely you knowe that our flesh is prone ynough and inclined of it self to follow naughtinesse and in committing sinne we take great pleasure and thinke it no payne at all to doo wickedly But if we begin ones to serue God to frame our liues according to the rule of his word then must we striue and take great paines and there is a battell set before vs full of great labour and perill In which battell we must fight against Sathan the inticemâ—nâ—es of the world and y sinfull lustes of the fleshe For the diuell is chiefe captayn in this battel and giueth vs euery day terrible assaultes and rangeth about like a rearing Lion seeking whom he may deueure Besides this great and mighty enimye looke howe many wicked thoughts â—uâ—l affectioÌ„s there be in vs so many enimies we haue that fight agaynst our saluation and which séeke to bring vs to destructioÌ„ And therfore if we wil liue vprightly we must continually mayntayne war againste Sathan the world the flesh Christ himselfe doth admonishe vs hereof in the Gospell wheÌ„ as he telleth vs y the way to heauen is strayt and narrow and the crowne of lyfe cannot be obtayned without paynes taking And we sée dayely by experience that they which giue themselues to serue God to be subiect to sclaunders and reproches to be beset on euery side with All which places do sufficieÌ„tly proue that it is not inough for vs to absteine from euill but also we must doe good And therefore here wée may sée that they vse vnséemely speaches which say what shoulde we giue our selues to holynes Or why should not wée folowe our pleasures if wée be of the elect and chosen of GOD we shall be saued howsoeuer wée liue if we be reprobates cast awaies we shall be damned whatsoeuer we doe As though the election of god did giue leaue vnto men to doe wickedlye when as it is playne by the testimonye of S. Paule that wée are chosen in Christe not to liue loselye but that we should be holy without blame before him in loue For it is certayne and out of doubt that holynes of lyfe cannot be seperate from the grace of election And therefore although good workes be not the causes of our saluation yet séeinge that the ende of our election is that wée shoulde liue vprightly
and lead a godly lyfe let vs not onely abstayne from euill but also doe good workes that they may serue as witnesses to confirme our election and that we may in so dooinge shewe our selues to be the shéepe 〈◊〉 Christ who doo not onely heare his voice but also follow him For S. Paule here in this place doth plainely tell vs that we cannot bée reckened for gods seruauntes vnlesse wée walke honestly as in that day In which words I haue to note vnto you to say some thing of thys worde walkinge bicause it is very life both in the olde newe testament and the Lorde dooth vse it often times to giue vs to vnderstande howe wée should order and frame our lyfe For then are we saide to walke honestly as it becommeth vs when as we liue vprightly and withdrawe our selues from euill Herevpon the Prophet often tymes in his boke of Psalmes goinge about to liue vprightly doth vse this worde walke In the first Psal. he saith Blessed is that man that walketh not in the counsell of the vngodly c. And in the. 119. Psal. he sayth Blessed are they that are sound in the way walke in the lawe of the Lorde by which two places it appeareth that to liue vprightly honestly is nothing els but to walke in the lawe of the Lorde For if a man liue after hys owne swynge he shall do nothing els but wander out of the right way and doe those thinges which are neyther séemely nor honest Paule settinge downe certaine preceptes concerning maners and christian life saith I pray you walke worthye of the vocation wherevnto you are called And Collo i. he willeth vs to walke worthie of the Lorde to please him in al things and to be fruitfull in all good workes So it appeareth that it is not inough for a man to walke vnlesse hée walke honestly as in the day For though all men doe walke yet doe not all men walke nonestly and in the lawe of GOD or daye light as they should doe Some there bée that walke not in the day but in the nyght and such walkers bée théeues and robbers which coÌ„mit wickednes in the night and when true men are at rest and in their beddes Some other there bée that walke in darknes for they haue not the true knowledge of Christ and of his worde but are vtterly ignoraÌ„t in matters pertaininge to GOD and to their saluation Such walkers were the filthye and polluted Gentils when as they lay drowned in all kinde of filthines and superstition in which they continued vntill Christ sent hys seruauntes to call them to bée partakers of the heueÌ„ly marriage Such walkers bée the Turkes which slatly deny Christe the gospell séekinge for life and saluation by the Alcoran Such be the Iewes which séeke for saluation by the lawe and deny Christ which was borne of the virgin Mary to bée the sonne of God and the true Messias Such walkers also be the papistes for they make the paineful passion of Iesus Christ the high ransome of our soules and the onely meanes which god hath vsed to worke our saluation by to be voyde and of none effect by bearinge themselues in hand that they are able to purchase the realme of Paradice by their owne merites For they walke after theyr owne fansies trangresse the lawe of God for their owne traditions Some other there be that walk but they walke not honestly as in the day for they walke after the fleshe not after the spirit Such walkers as these are they which delite in nothing but in sinne and wickednesse which take leaue to dooe naughtily neuer stryuing against theyr own lustes and wicked affections but suffering sathan the enimie of our saluation and welfare to hale them from one vice to another euen to theyr own destruction Such a fleshly walker was Absolon whose lust was so outragious that he defiled his fathers wyues in the sight of all Israel And surely as long as men walk after the fleshe and after the maner of this world which is altogether set vpoÌ„ mischiefe they shall euery day become worse worse their desire wil be nothinge els but to drawe others into the same sinke of sinne whereinto they theÌ„selues are alredy fallen And these that walk after this fashioÌ„ walke disorderly and they walke in horrible confusion and in that brode way that leadeth to hell and endlesse damnation An other kinde of walkers there bée which walke honestly as in the day and these be they which liue not after their owne swinge and let lose y bridle to vices but suffer them selues to bée gouerned by the word of GOD and walke accordinge to his lawe And these bycause they walke accordinge to the pure word of God they doe those thinges that are comely honest They spende their liues wholly in gods seruice and withdrawe theÌ„selues as much as is possible from all euill For they doe not walke as the wordlinges doe which euery day become worse and wofe but they sette GOD alwayes before their eies and haue a respect to his preceptes bicause they know they cannot doe any thing that can escape his sight Of this walkinge speaketh god himselfe in Gene. Wheras he commaundeth Adraham to walke before him and to liue vprightly and truely we shall neuer walke hnoestlye as wée should doe vnlesse we set the Lorde before our eies and thincke that we liue still in his sight Many doe glory of the multitude and boast thmselues to be holy and religious men bicause they liue as the moste doe and walke after the manners and coustomes if theyr forefathers but yet the holye ghost dothe here tell them that they shall neuer walke honestlye vnlesse they seperate them selues from men and frame theyr liues accordinge to the lawe of GOD. Here vpon it is sayde that Enoch walked with GOD bicause he was not peruerted by the euill example of others and although the world when as he liued was as corrupt as myght be yet hée continued vncorrupted and considered that it behooued him to walke honestly as in the presence of GOD. Suche a walker was Iob for hée gaue himselfe to the seruice of God liued amongest his neighbours without hurtinge of anye person guile deceit and naughtinesse was farre from him neyther went he about as many dâ—y in these dayes to encrease his substaunce by vndooinge of poore men And therefore the Scripture doth repâ—â—t him to bée a sounde and vpright man and suche a one as feared GOD and withdrewe himselfe from euill Ioseph also walked honestly for although hée was allured by his maisâ—res to doe wickednesse with hir yet could not he be drawne to destle his Maisters bedde And although no creature was present when as his maisteres did intice him to folly yet he walked honestly as in the daye and the feare of GOD preserued hym against hir continuall temptations And therefore he sayd how can I dâ—â— this great