is added because there was no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the Land By swearing lying killing stealing and whoring they breake out and bloud toucheth bloud Therefore shall the Land mourn and every one that dwelleth therein shall be cut off Here then wee see what it is that will incense God against us and cause us all to mourne So likewise the Lord threatneth by his Prophet Amos that for the cruelty and oppression of the poore he would plague the whole Land Amos 3.8 Shall not the Land tremble for this saith the Lord and every one mourne that dwells therein Againe the Lord saith by the Prophet Jeremy Jer. 7.19 1. Doe they provoke mee to anger and not themselves to the confusion of their owne faces Therefore thus saith the Lord Behold mine anâ—â—r and my wrath shall be poured upon this place upon man and beast upon the trees of the field and upon the fruit of the ground and it shall burne and not be quenched Jer. 2â— 5 Againe the Lord saith If yee will not heare these words I sweare by my selfe saith the Lord that this house shall be waste and I will prepare destroyers against thee every one with his weapons and they shall cut downe thy chiefe Cedar-trees and cast them into the fire Likewise the Lord threatneth by his Prophet Ezekiel Ezek. 5.7 saying Because you have not walked in my Statutes nor kept my Judgements therefore behold I even I come against thee and will execute judgement in the midst of thee even in the sight of the Nations and I will doe in thee that I never did before neither will I doe any more the like because of all thine abominations For in the midst of thee the fathers shall eat their sons and the sons shall eat their fathers Againe by the same Prophet the Lord saith Ezek. 7.23 27. The Land is full of the Judgement of bloud and the Citie full of crueltie Wherefore I will bring the most wicked of the Heathen and they shall possesse their houses I will also make the pompe of the mighty to cease and the holy places shall be defiled When destruction cometh they shall seeke peace and not have it Calamity shall come upon calamity and rumour upon rumour Then shall they seek a vision of the Prophet but the Law shall perish from the Priest and counsell from the Ancient The King shall mourne and the Prince shall be clothed with desolation and the hands of the people in the Land shall be troubled I will do unto them according unto their waies and according unto their judgement I will judge them and they shall know that I am the Lord. Last of all the Lord saith by his Prophet Jeremy Heare O earth Behold Jer. 4.19 I will cause a plague to come upon this people even the fruit of their owne imaginations because they have not taken heed to my words and to my Law but cast it off Almost innumerable places to this purpose are to be found in the writings of the Prophets but theâ— may suffice to prove the maine point to wit that the just God doth punish whole nations and kingdomes for the sins and rebellions thereof Phil. Sith all these sins for the which the Lord did execute such universall punishments upon his owne people doe abound and over-flow in the Land may wee not justly feare some great plague to fall upon us And the rather because our transgressions doe increase daily and grow to a full height and ripenesse so as it seems the harvest of Gods vengeance draweth neere and approacheth Theol. We may indeed justly feare and tremble For if God spared not the Angels that sinned how shall hee spare us If he spared not his owne people what can we looke for If he spared not the naturall branches how shall hee spare us that are wilde by nature Are we better then they Can we looke to be spared when they are punished Are not our sinnes as many and as great as theirs Doth not the same cause bring forth the same effect Is the Arme of the Lord shortned Or is not God the same just God to punish sin now that hee was then Yes yes assuredly And therefore we have great cause to mourne and lament to quake and tremble because there is a naked sword of vengeance hanging over our heads Thus did Jeremy Jer. 4.19 Amos 5.6 Hab. 3.16 thus did Amos thus did Habakkuk when they plainly saw the imminent wrath of God approaching upon the people of Israel and Judah Phil. I thinke wee may the rather doubt and feare because the punishment of these fore-named vices is neglected by the Magistrate For commonly when they that beare the sword of Justice doe not draw it out to punish notorious offendors and malefactors the Lord himselfe will take the matter into his owne hands and be revenged in his owne person which is most dreadfull and dangerous For Hâ—b 10 3â— it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God Theol. You have spoken a truth For if those which are Gods Deputies and Vicegerents in the earth doe their duties faithfully in punishing vice and maintaining vertue in smiting the wicked and favouring the godly then assuredly evill shall be taken out of Israel Gods wrath prevented and his judgements intercepted as it is written Psal 109.32 Phineas stood up and executed judgement and the plague was stayed But if they for feare favour affection gaine flatterie bribery or any other sinister respect will be too sparing and remisse in punishing of grosse offenders and be rather ready to smite the righteous then doe they exceedingly provoke Gods wrath against the Land and against themselves Phil. One thing I do greatly lament that there be either none at all or very slender censures either by the Civill or Ecclesiasticall authority for divers of these fore-named vices as pride covetousnesse oppression lying idlenesse swearing c. Theol. It is a thing to be lamented indeed For where doe we see a proud man punished a covetous man punished an oppressor punished a swearer punished a lyer punished an idle person punished Now because they know they cannot or shall not be punished therefore they are altogether hardened and imboldened in their sins as the Wise man saith Because sentence against an evill worke is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men are fully set in them to do evill Phil. One thing I doe much muse at wherein also I desire to be further satisfied viz. what is the cause that under so godly a Prince so many good lawes and so much good preaching and teaching there should notwithstanding be such an excesse and over-flowing of sin in all estates Theol. The causes hereof are divers and manifold But I will nominate foure especiall ones in my judgement The first is mans naturall corruption which is so strong as almost nothing can bridle it The second is ill presidents and
that they may draw it out to punish the wicked and to defend the godly and that they may with all good care and conscience discharge the duties of their places Increase the number of faithfull and zealous Ministers in this Church Send thy Gospel to those places where it is not and blesse it where it is Remember them in thy mercy O Lord that are under any crosse or affliction whatsoever be comfortable unto them heale up their wounds bind up their sores put all their teares into 〈◊〉 bottle and make their bed in all their sorrowes and put such a good end to all their troubles that they may redound to thy glory and the furtherance of their owne salvation In the meane time give them patience and constancie to beare whatsoever it shall please thy mercifull hand to lay upon them Last of all in a word wee pray theâ— blesse the Magistracie Ministry and Commonalty Blesse all the people doe good to all that are true and upright in their hearts And so deare Father we do commit and command our selves our soules and bodies into thy hands for this day and the rest of our life praying thee to take care and charge of us Keep us from all evill watch over us for our good let thine Angels encamp about us let thy holy hand be over us and keep us in all our waies that we may live to thy praise and glory here on earth keeping faith and a good conscience in all our actions that after this life wee may be crowned of thee for ever in thy Kingdome Grant these things good Father to us here present and to all thine absent praying thee in speciall favour to remember an our friends and kinsfolkes in the flesh all our good neighbours and well-willers and all those for whom wee are bound to pray by nature by deserts or any duty whatsoever for Jesus Christs sake our onely Mediatour to whom with thee and the holy Ghost be given all praise and glory both now and for evermore Amen An Evening Prayer to be used in private Families O Eternall God and our most loving and deare Father wee thy unworthy children do here fall down at the foot of thy great Majesty acknowledging from our hearts that we are altogether unworthy to come neere thee or to look towards thee because thou art a God of infinite glory and wee are most vile abominable sinners such as were conceived and borne in sin and corruption and such as have inherited our Fathers corruptions and also have actually transgressed all thy holy Statutes and Lawes both in thoughts words and deeds before wee knew thee and since secretly and openly with our selves and with others our particular sins are moe then can be numbred for who knoweth how often hee offendeth but this wee must needs confesse against our selves that our hearts are full of pride covetousnesse and the love of this world full of wrath anger and impatience full of lying dissembling and deceiving full of vanity hardnesse and profanenesse full of infidelity distrust and selfe-love full of lust uncleannesse and all abominable desires yea our hearts are the very sinkes of sinne and dunghils of all filthinesse And besides all this we doe omit the good things we should doe for there are in us great wants of faith of love of zeale of patience of contentment and of every good grace so as thou hast just cause to proceed to sentence of judgment against us as most damnable transgressours of all thy holy commandements yea such as are sunk in our rebellions and have many times and often committed high treason against thy Majestie and therefore thou maist justly cast us all downe into Hell fire there to be tormented with Sathan and his Angels for ever And wee have nothing to except against thy Majesty for so doing sith therin thou shouldest deale with us but according to equity and our just deserts Wherefore deare Father wee doe appeale from thy justice to thy mercy most humbly intreating thee to have mercy upon us and freely to forgive us all our sinnes past whatsoever both new and old secret and open knowne and unknowne and that for Jesus Christs sake our onely Mediatour And wee pray thee touch our hearts with true griefe and unfeigned repentance for them that they may be a matter of continuall sorrow and heart-smart unto us so as nothing may grieve us more then this that wee have offended thee beâ—ng our speciall friend and Father Give us therefore deare Father every day more and more sight and feeling of our sinnes with true humiliation under the same Give us also that true and lively faith whereby we may lay sure hold on thy Son Christ and all his merits applying the same to our owne soules so as we may stand fully perswaded that whatsoever hee hath done upon the Crosse hee hath done for us particularly as well as for others Give us faith good Father constantly to beleeve all the sweet promises of the Gospel touching remission of sin and eternall life made in thy Sonne Christ O Lord increase our faith that wee may altogether rest upon thy promises which are all Yea and Amen Yea that wee may settle our selves and all that wee have wholly upon them both our soules bodies goods names wives children and our whole estate knowing that all things depend upon thy promises power and providence and that thy Word doth support and beare up the whole order of nature Moreover we entreat thee O Lord to strengthen us from above to walke in every good way and to bring forth the fruits of true faith in all our particular actions studying to please thee in all things and to be fruitfull in good workes that wee may shew forth unto all men by our good conversation whose children we are and that we may adorne and beautifie our most holy profession by walking in a Christian course and in all the sound fruits and practice of godlinesse and true religion To this end we pray thee sanctifie our hearts by thy Spirit yet more and more sanctifie our soules and bodies and all our corrupt naturall faculties as reason understanding will and affections so as they may be fitted for thy worship and service taking a delight and pleasure therein Stirre us up to use prayer watchfulnesse reading meditation in thy Law and all other good meanes whereby wee may profit in grace and goodnesse from day to day Blesse us in the use of the meanes that we may daily dye to sinne and live to righteousnesse draw us yet neerer unto thee helpe us against our manifold wants Amend our great imperfections renew us inwardly more and more repaire the ruines of our hearts aide us against the remnants of sin Enlarge our hearts to run the way of thy Commandements direct all our steps in thy Word let none iniquity have dominion over us Assist us against our speciall infirmities and master-sins that we may get the victory over them all to thy
and the master-pock of the soule Phil. Shew mee out of the Scriptures that pride is so grievous and lothsome Theol. Solomon saith Prov. 16.5 Every one that is proud in heart is abomination to the Lord which plainly sheweth that God doth detest and abhorre proud men And is it not a fearfull thing think you to be abhorred of God And in the same Chap. Ver. 18. he saith Pride goeth before destruction and an high mind before the fall Wherein he sheweth that pride is the for-runner of some deadly downfall either by disgracing or displacing For it is an old and true Proverb Pride wil have a fall And oftentimes when men are most lifted up then are they neerest unto it as the examples of Haman Nebuchadnezzar and Herod doe plainly declare When the milt swelleth the rest of the body pineth away even so when the heart is puft up with pride the whole man is in danger of destruction Moreover the holy Ghost saith Prov. 15.24 The Lord will destroy the house of the proud Job 11.5.25 Job 28.26 Job saith of such kind of men The spark of his fire shall not shine fear shall dwell in his house and brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation And in another place hee saith Job 23.13 The fire which is not blowne shall devoure him Mee thinkes therefore if there were any spark of grace in us these terrible speeches of the holy Ghost might serve to humble us and pull down our pride especially sith the Scriptures doe affirme that God resisteth the proud and setteth himself ex professe against them and therefore wo unto them for if God take against a man who can reclaime him for he doth whatsoever he will Phil. But tell me I pray you when you speak against pride what pride is it that you mean Theol. I mean all pride both that which is inward in the heart and that also which breaketh out in mens foreheads I mean that which apparently sheweth it selfe in mens words and works Phil. Do you mean pride also of mens gifts Theol. Yes surely for there is no pride worse or more dangerous then that Beware saith one of spirituall pride as to be proud of our learning wit knowledge reading writings sermons praiers godliness policy valour strength riches honour birth beauty authority For God hath not given such gifts unto men to the end they should make sale-ware of them and set them a sun-shining to behold seeking only themselves with their gifts the vain praise of the multitude and applause of the people so robbing God of his honour and proudly arrogating to themselves that which is due unto God which is the praise of his gifts but he hath given his gifts to another end namely that wee should use them to his glory and the good of others either in Church or Common-wealth especially of those which doe most concern us Phil. Yet wee see commonly men of greatest gifts are most proud Theol. True indeed for the finest cloth is soonest stained And as worms ingender sooner in soft tender wood then in that which is more hard and knotty and as moths do breed sooner in fine wooll then in course flocks even so pride and vain glory do sooner assault an excellent and rare man in all kind of knowledge and vertue then another of meaner gifts and therefore pride is said to spring out of the ashes of all vertues For men will be proud because they are wise learned godly patient humble c. Pride therefore may very fitly bee compared to the crab-stock spines which grow out of the root of the very best Apple-tree Therefore to say the truth this is one of the last engines and weapons which the Divell useth for the overthrowing of Gods own children even to blow them up with pride as it were with gun-powder For as we see it come to passe in the siege of strong holds when no battery or force of shot will prevaile the last remedy and policy is to undermine it and blow it up with traines of gun-powder so when Sathan can no way prevail against some excellent servants of God his last device is to blow them up with pride as it were with gun-powder Phil. I see it is a speciall grace of God for men of great gifts to bee humble minded and hee is an odd man of a thousand which excelling in gifts excelleth in humility and the more gifts he hath the more humbly he walks not contemning others but esteeming them better than himselfe For commonly wee are the worse for Gods gifts because we have not the right use of them and againe because they engender so much proud flesh in us that we had need daily to be coâ—zied Therefore God sheweth great favour and mercy to that man whom he humbleth and taketh downe by any afflictions or infirmities whatsoever For otherwise it is sure proud flesh would altogether over-grow us Theol. 2 Cor. 12. You have spoken the truth for the Apostle himselfe confesseth that hee was tempted troubled this way had like to have been puffed up out of measure with the abundance of his revelations but that God in great mercy sent him a cooler and a rebater to wit a prick in the flesh which hee calleth the messenger of Satan whereby the Lord cured him of his pride And even so doth hee cure many of us of our pride by throwing us to Sathan leaving us to our selves and giving us over to commit some grosse evill even to fall downe and break our neckes and all to the end hee may humble us tame us and pull downe our pride which hee seeth wee are heart-sick of It is good for us therefore to be humble in the abundance of grace that wee bee not proud of that which wee have or that which we have done For humility in sin is better then pride in well-doing Phil. Herein surely appeareth the great wisdome and mercy of God that hee so graciously bringeth go d out of evil and turneth our afflictions infirmities falls and down-falls to his glory and our good Theol. It is most true For even as of the flesh of a Viper is made a soveraigne medicine to cure those which are stung of a Viper and as Physicians expell poyson with poyson so God according to his marvellous wisedome doth of the infirmities which remaine in us after regeneration cure other more dangerous diseases as pride vain-glory and presumption O blessed therefore be his name for ever which thus mercifully causeth all things to work together for the good of his owne people of whom these things are specially to be understood Phil. Is there no cause why men of great gifts should glory in their gifts Theol. No surely none at all For the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 4. Who separateth thee And what hast thou that thou hast not received If thou hast received it why boastest thou as though thou haddest not received it Where the Apostle plainly sheweth that
sure it is within these thirty yeers these things were not known nor heard of And what say you then to painting of faces laying open of naked brests dying of hair wearing of periwigs and other hair coronets and top-gallants And what say you to our artificiall women which will be better than God hath made them They like not his handy-work they will mend it and have other complexions other faces other hair other bones other brests and other bellies then God made them Theol. This I say that you and I and all the Lords people have great and just cause of mourning weeping and lamentation because such abomination is committed in Israel Davids eyes gushed out with rivers of teares 〈◊〉 9 because men kept not Gods lawes and an horrible feare came upon him because men forsook the law of God 〈◊〉 5 1. J remie did sigh in secret wishing that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountain of teares because of the sinnes of the people Nehemiah mourned for the transgression of Gods people Nâ—hem 1â— Lots just soul was vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomites and sâ—â—ll wee moâ—rne nothing at all for tâ—â—se things shall wee be no whit grieved for the pride of our land shall wee shed no teares for such horrible and intolerable abominations They are odious in the sâ—ght of God and men the aire stinketh of them It is Gods marvellous patience that the Dwell doth not carry them away quick and rid the earth of them or that fire and brimstone doth not come downe from heaven and consume them Antil You are too hot in these matters of attire you make more of them then there is cause Asun I con him thank Gods blessing on his heart I shall love him the better while I know him because he is so earnest against such shamefull and detestable pride Is it not a shame that women professing true religion should make themselves such pictures puppets and peacocks as they doe And yet I hear few Preachers in the pulpit speak against it Antil I marvell you should be so earnest in matters of apparell You know well enough that apparell is an indifferent thing and that religion and the kingdome of God doth not consist in these things Theol. I know right well that apparell in its own nature is a thing indifferent but lewd wanton immodest and offensive apparell is not indifferent For all such abuse taketh away the indifferency of them and maketh them sinfull and evill by câ—rcumstance For otherwise why should the Lord threaten by his Prophet that he would visit the Princes and the Kings children and all such as were cloathed with strange apparell that is the fashions of other countries Zephan 1.8 Againe why should the Lord so plague the proud dames and mincing minions of Jerusalem for their pride and vanity in attire if there were no evill iâ— such kind of abuse The Lord saith thus in the third of Esay against those brave and gallant dames Because the daughters of Sion are haughty and walk with stretched-out necks and with wandring eyes walking and mincing as they goe and make a tinkling with their feet therefore shall the Lord make the heads of the daughters of Sion bald and the Lord shall discover their secret parts In that day shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers and the calls and the round tires the sweet balls and the bracelets and the bonnets the tires of the head and the slops the head-bands and the tablets the earings the rings and the mufflers the costly apparell and the veiles and the wimples and the crisping pinnes and the glasses and the fine linnen and the hoods and the lawns And in stead of sweet savour there shall be stink and in stead of a girdle a rent and in stead of dressing of the haire baldnesse and in stead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth and burning in stead of beauty Then shall her gates mourn and lament and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground Thus we see how terribly the Lord threatneth the gallant dames of Jerusalem for their excessive and abominable pride And this may well be a mirrour for the proud minious of our age which assuredly may well fear the Lord will bring some such judgement upon them as he did upon the daughters of Jerusalem For their sin is as great in this kind as was the daughters of Sion and God is the same God now that he was then to punish it Antil Tush never speak so much of these matters of apparell for we must do as others do and follow the fashion or else we shall not be esteemed Theol. If you follow them not you shall be more esteemed of God of his Angels Saints and all good men As for all others if you esteem them more then these you shew what you are Antil Well for all that say you what you will pride is in the heart and not in the apparell For one may be proud of plain apparell as well as of costly And some are as proud of their falling bands and little sets as others are of their great ruffes Theol. You speak foolishly for how know you that Can you judge mens hearts and inward affections Can you say when mens and womens apparell is sober modest and Christian like that they have proud hearts and are proud of that attire You goe very farr indeed to judge the heart You ought to judge charitably of such as goe soverly and modestly attired even that their heart is according to their attire And for you wee may rather think your heart is vain light and foolish because your attire doth strongly argue it And as the Prophet saith The triall of your countenance testifieth against you you declare your sinnes as Sodom and hide them not Esay 3.9 Phil. I pray you then set downe some rules for apparell out of the Scriptures Theol. I may well set down what I will but surely most men and women will doe what they list For verily it may be thought that many of this age have forsworne God and his word and all goodnesse For they are come to this point let God say what he will they will doe what they list For as the Prophet saith They have made a covenant with hell and with death and are grown to an agreement Esay 28.15 And I doe verily think if God himselfe should come downe from heaven in his own person and disswade men and women from this vanity of apparell yet would they still use it as it were in despight of God and as it were to anger him the more For they are so extraordinarily enamoured and so immoderately delighted with it and doe so continually and altogether dote on it and are so wood-mad of it that they will have it though men and Angels and all the world say nay nay which is more though they should goe to the Divell quicke with it And therefore it is but
his opportunity against us that hee may infect and breathe into us all filthy lusts and adulterous desires when wee lye open unto him by idlenesse Wisely therefore to this point saith the Greeke Poet Hesiodus Much rest nourisheth lust And another Poet saith Quaeritur Aegystus quare sit factus adulter In promptu causa est dâ—sidiosus erat Slothfull lazinesse is the cause of adultery And therefore another saith Eschew idlenesse Our 〈…〉 and cut the very sinews of lust The fourth cause of Adultery is wanton apparell which is a minstrellesse that pipes up a dance unto whoredome But of this enough before The fift and last cause of adulterie is the hope of impunity or escaping of punishment For many being blinded and hardened by Sathan think they shall never bee called to any account for it and because they can blear the eyes of men and carry this sinne so closely under a cloud that it shall never come to light they thinke all is safe and that God seeth them not And therefore Job saith Job 24.15 The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twi-light and saith No eye shall see mee And in another place Job 23.13 How shall God know Can hee judge thorow the dark cloud But verily versly though the adulterer do never so closely and cunningly convey his sinne under a canopy yet the time will come when it shall be disclosed to his eternall shame For God will bring every work to judgement Eccl. 12.24 with every secret thought whether it be good or evill Psal 9â— For hee hath set our most secret sinnes in the sight of his countenance 1 Cor. 4. And hee will lighten the things that are hid in darknesse and make the counsels of the heart manifest For this cause Job saith Job 10. When I sinne thou watchest mee and wilt not purge me from my sin Phil. Now you have shewed us the causes of adultery I pray you shew us the remedies Theol. There be six remedies for adultery which no doubt will greatly prevail if they bâ— well practised Phil. Which be they Six remedies of adultery Theol. Labour Abstinence Temperance Prayer Restraint of our senses Shunning of womens company and all occasions whatsoever Phil. Well Sir now you have waded deepe enough in the second signe of damnation I pray you let us proceed to the third which is Covetousnesse And as you have laid naked the two former so I pray you strip this stark naked also that all men may see what an ugly monster it is and therefore hate it and abhor it Theol. I would willingly satisfie your minde but in this point I shall never doe it sufficiently For no heart can conceive nor tongue sufficiently utter the loathsomenesse of this vice For covetousnesse is the foulest fiend and blackest Divell of all the rest It is even great Beelzebub himselfe Therefore I shall never be able fully to describe it unto you but I will doe what I can to sttip and whip it stark naked And howsoever the men of this earth and blind worldlings take it to bee most sweet beautifull and amiable and therefore doe embrace it entertaine it and welcome it as though there were some happinesse in it yet I hope when I have shewed them the face thereof in a glasse even the true glasse of Gods Word they will be noe more in such love but quite oâ—t of conceit with it I will therefore hold out this glasse unto them St. Paul to Timothy brandeth this stâ—ne in the forehead and boareth it in the eares that all men may know it and avoyd it 1 Tâ—â— â— 1â— when he saith Covetousnesse is the root of all evill Our Lord Iesus also giveth us a watch-word to take heed of it saying Take heed and beware of covetousnesse 〈◊〉 12.15 As if hee should say Touth it not come not neare it it is the very breath of the Divell it is present death and the very ratsâ—bane of the soule The Apostle layeth out the great danger of this sinne and doth exceedingly grinde the face of it â—â—il 5 19. when he saith That the end of all such as mind earthly things is damnation Let all carnall worldlings and muckish minded men lay this to heart and consider well of it lest they say one day Had I wist Phil. Good Sir lay open unto us the true nature of covetousnesse and what it is that wee may more perfectly discerne it Theol. Covetousnesse is an immoderate desire of having Phil. I hope you do not think frugality thriftinesse and good husbandry to be covetousnesse Theol. Nothing lesse For they be things commanded being done in the feare of God and with a good conscience Phil. Doe you not thinke it lawfull also for men to doe their worldly businesse and to use faithfullnesse and diligence in their callings that they may pâ—ovide for themselves and their families Theol. Yes no doubt And the rather if they doe these things with calling upon God for a blessing upon the workes of their hands and use preyer and thanksgiving before and after their labour taking heed all the day long of the common corruptions of the world as swearing cursing lying dissembling deceiving greedy getting c. Phil. Wherein I pray you doth covetousnesse especially consist Theol. In the greedy desire of the mind For we may lawfully doe the workes of our calling and play the good husbands and good huswives but wee must take heed that distrustfullnesse and inward greedinesse of the world doe not catch our hearts For then wee are set on fire and utterly undone Phil. Sith covetousnesse is especially of the heart how may we know certainly when the heart is infected Theol. There be four speciall signes of the hearts infection Phil. Which be they Theol. The first is an eager and sharp set desire of getting Therefore the holy Ghost saith Pâ—oâ— â—8 Hee that hasteth to be rich shall not be unpunished Pâ—o. 20.2 And againe An heritage is hastily gotten at the beginning but the end thereof shall not be blessed Deâ—â—stâ—â—nes in Olinth 2. The heathen man also saith No man can be both justly and hastily rich The second is a pinching and niggardly keeping of our owne that is when men being able to give will hardly part with any thing though it be to never so holy and good use And when at last with much adoe for shame they give something it cometh heavily from them God wot and scantly The third is the neglect of holy duties that is when mens mindes are so taken up with the love of earthly things that they begin to slack and cool in matters of Gods worship The fourth and last is a trusting in riches and staying upon them as though our lives were maintained by them or did consist only in them which thing our Lord Iesus flatly denyeth saying Though a man have abundance Luk. 12.15 yet his life consisteth not in the things that
he hath These then are four evident signes and tokens whereby wee may certainly discerne that mens hearts and entralls are infected with covetousnesse Phil. You have very well satisfied us in this point Now let us understand the originall causes of covetousnesse Theol. There be two speciall causes of covetousnesse Two causâ—s of coveâ—ousnessâ— The one is the ignorance and distrust of Gods providence The other is the want of tasting and feeling of heavenly things For till men taste better things they will make much of these till they feel heaven they will love earth till they be religious they will be covetous Therefore the cause is soon espied why men are so sharp set upon these outward things and do so admire riches worldly pomp pleasures and treasures Because they know no better they never had taste nor feeling of those things which are eternall Phil. Now as you have shewed us the causes of covetousnesse so let us also hear of the effects Theol. If I once enter into this I shall be entangled and wound up in a maze where I know not how to get out againe For the evill effects of this vice are so many and so great that I know not almost where to beginne or where to end Notwithstanding I will enter into it get out how I can Phil. If you do but give us some taste of them it shall suffice Theol. Then will I briefly dispatch things in order And first of all I reason from the words of the Apostle before alledged That if covetousnesse and the love of money be the root of all evil then it is the root of idolatrie the root of murther the roote of theft the root of lying the root of swearing the roote of symony the roote of bribery the roote of usurie the roote of lawing the roote of all contentions in the Church and the roote of all brabbling and brawling in the Common-wealth Moreover it spreadeth farre and neare it dwelleth in every house in every towne in every â—ttie it pryeth into every corner it creepeth into every heart it annoyeth our Physicians it infecteth our Divines it choaketh our Lawyers it woundeth our Farmers it baneth our Gentlemen it murthereth our Tradesmen it bewitcheth our Merchants it stingeth our Mariners O covetousnes covetousnesse It is the poyson of all things the wound of Christianity the bane of all goodnesse For covetousnesse marres all it marreth all every where in all places in all degrees among all persons It marreth marriages for it coupleth young to old and old to young It marreth hospitality it marreth all good house-keeping it marreth almes-deeds it marreth Religion it marreth Professors it marreth Ministers it marreth Magistrates it marreth all things And therefore what sin so grievous what evill so odious what vice so enormous as this For this cause it was prettily said of one That all other vices are but factors to covetousnesse serve for Porters to fetch and bring in her living Shee maketh symony her drudge bribery her drudge usurie her drudge deceite her drudge swearing her drudge lying her drudge O what a Divell incarnate is this that setteth so many vices a work hath so many factors and underlings to serve her turne Are they not in a pretty case thinke you that are infected with this sinne Oh they are in a most miserable case It had beene good they had never beene borne For being alive they are dead dead I meane in their soules For covetousnes is soules poyson and soules bane Covetousnesse is the strongest poyson to the soul that is It is a confection of all the Spiders Toads Snakes Adders Scorpions Basilisks and all other the most venemous vermine of the whole world If the divell can get us to take downe but one peny weight of it it is enough hee desires no more for presently we fall down stark dead Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Tim. â— They that will be rich hee meaneth in all haste by hook or by crook fall into temptations and snares and into many foolish and noysome lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition For as covetousnesse is rank poyson to the soul so the Apostle compareth it to a deep gulfe wherein thousands are drowned And therefore hee addeth in the same place But thou O man of God flie these things In which words he doth most gravely advise all the Ministers of the word of God to take heed of it For as it is dangerous in all men so is it most dangerous and offensive in Preachers of the Gospel Phil. Indeed it must needs bee granted that covetousnesse is a very grievous sinne yea even a Monster with seven heads Yet for all that wee see in this our iron age how many of all sorts are infected with it and how few will give any thing to any holy use Most men now adayes have nothing to spare for Christ nothing for his Gospel nothing for his Church nothing for the poor children of God and needy members of Christ Christ is little beholden unto them for they will doe nothing for him no not so much as speake a good word in his cause or the cause of his poore saints Every little thing with them is too much for God and good men For when they come to giving unto holy and necessary uses then they will stick at a peny and grudge at a groat and every thing is too much But to bestow upon themselves nothing is too much Nothing is too much for lust for pleasure for back belly and building for cards and dice for whores and harlots for rioting and revelling for tavernes and brothel-houses Hundreds and thousands are little enough and too little for their expences this way It is lamentable to consider what masses of money are spent and bestowed upon these things But alas alas how heavie an account are they to make in the day of the Lord which so spend their lands livings and revenues I quake to think what shall become of them at last It were well for them if they might be in no worse case then a Crocodile or a Cur-dog Theol. It is most certain that you say and wee all have great cause to lament it and to take up the old complaint of the Prophet Jeremy saying From the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given unto Covetousnesse and from the Prophet even unto the Priests they all deale falsly And another Prophet saith Mich. 3.22 They build up Sion with bloud and Jerusalem with iniquity The heads thereof judge for rewards and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof prophesie for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not tho Lord amongst us No evil can come unto us But these holy Prophets men of God do fully describe unto us the state of our time wherein though all be corrupted yet wee bear our selves stoutly upon God we presume of his favour because of our outward profession and
say in our hearts No evill can come unto us Asun You say very true Sir The world was never so set upon covetousnesse and men were never so greedily given to the world as now adaies And yet in truth there is no cause why men should bee so sharp-set upon this world For this world is but vanity and all is but pels trash Fâ—e on this muck Phil. Many such men as you are can skil to give good words and say Fie on this world all is but vanity yet for all that in your daily practice you are never the lesse set upon the world nor never the more seek after God You hear the word of God no whit the more you reade no whit the more you pray never the moâ—e which evidently sheweth that all your faire speeches and protestations are nought else but hypocrisie and leasing Your heart is not with God for all this All is but words there is no such feeling in the heart And therefore I may justly say to you as God himselfe said to his people This people have said well all that they have said Oh D ut 5.28 that there were an heart in them to feare me and keepe my commandements Theol. His words indeed are good if his heart were according For all things considered there is no cause why men should bee so given to this world for they must leave it when they have done all that they can As wee say To day a man to morrow none And as the Apostle saith 1 Tim. â— Wee brought nothing into this world and it is certaine wee shall carry nothing out Wee must all dye wee know not how soon why therefore should men set their hearts upon such uncertainties and deceiveable things for all things in this world are more light then a feather more brittle than glasse more fleeting than a shadow more vanishing than smoake more unconstant than the winde Doubtlesse saith the Prophet David man walketh in a shadow Psal 3â— 6. and disquieteth himselfe in vaine hee heapeth up riches and cannot tell who shall gather them I wonder therefore that these moles and muck-worms of this earth should so minde these shadowish things and so dote on them as they do If they were not altogether hardened and blinded by the Divelâ— they would not be so neerly knit to thee â—â—od and the penny as they are thinking and alwayes imagining that there is no happinesse but in these things which are but dung and drosse and at last they will give us the slip when wee think our selves most sure of them The wise King who had the greatest experience of these things that ever man had for hee enjoyed whatsoever this world could afford upward and downeward backward and forward yet could he finde nothing in them but vanity and vexation of spirit Moreover hee flâ—tâ—y avoucheth That all these things riches wealth honour pleasures and treasures will most notably deceive us in the end give us the slâ—p and be gone For he compareth riches and all the glory of the world to an Eagle or Hawke which a man holdeth upon his fist stroketh her maketh much of her taketh great delight and pleasure in her and saith hee will not take ten pounds for her yet all on the sudden shee taketh her flight and flyeth up into the aire and hee never seeth her more nor shee him The words of the holy Ghost are these Pâ—oâ— 25.5 Wilt thou cause thine eyes to flie after them meaning riches Thou maiest but they will not be found For they wil make themselves wings like to the Eagle which slieth up to heaven From thence wee may learne that though wee set our hearts neversomuch on any thing here below yet at the last it shall bee taken from us or we from it Therefore all worldly men doe but weave the spiders web and may fitly bee compared to the silly spider who toyleth her selfe and laboureth all the weeke long to fluish up her web that shee may lodge her selfe in it as in her owne house and free-hold But alas at the weeks end a maid in a moment with one brush of a broom dispossesseth her of her inheritance which shee had purchased with great labour and much adoe Even so when the men of this world have with much care and travell purchased great lands and revenues and gathered all that they can yet on the sudden death with one stroke of his â—â—refull dart will make them give up the ghost and then where are they It was prettily therefore said of a man in the light of nature Seneca No man hath ever lived so happily in this life but in his life time many things have befallen him for the which hee hath wished rather to die than to live And assuredly I thinke there was never any man lived any one day upon the face of the earth but some griefe or other either did or justly might invade his minde ere night either in the temptations of the World the Flesh or the Divell or in regard of soule body goods or name in regard of wife children friends or neighbours in regard of dangers to Prince Staie Church or Common-wealth in regard of casualties and losse by water by fire by sea or by land What a life therefore is this that hath not our good day in it Who would desire to dwell long in it For it lieth open every day to manifold miseries dangers losses casualties reproaches shame infamy poverty sicknesse diseases cholicks agueâ— tooth-ache head-ache back-ache bone-ache and a thousand calamities Phil. You have very well described unto us the vanity of this life and that no day is free from one sorrow or other one griefe or other the which thing our Lord Jesus ratifieth in the reason which hee bringeth why men should not distrustfully care for to morrow For saith hee sufficient to the day is the evill thereof Or as some read it The day hath enough with his owne griefe Wherein hee doth plainly shew that every day hath his sorrow his evill his griefe and his thwart But I pray you proceed further in this point Theol. This I say further That when men have swinked sweat carked and cared mosled and turmosled drudged and droiled by night by day by sea and by land with much care and sorrow much labour and griefe to rake together the things of this life yet at last all will away againe and wee must end where wee began For as Job said Iob. 1. Naked wee came into the world and naked wee must go out For even as a winde-mill beateth it selfe maketh a great noise whistleth and whisketh about from day to day all the yeare long yet at the yeares end standeth still where it begunne being not moved one foote backward or forward soe when men have blustered and blowne all that they can and have even runne themselves out of breath to scrape up the commodities of the earth yet at last they must spite
be without them they are very good for them For when Gods children are chastised it is as it should be For to them the crosse is mercy and losse is gain Afflictions are their schooling and their adversitie their best Vniversity It is good for mee saith the holy man of God that I have been afflicted Psal 118. that I might learn thy statutes By his afflictions therefore hee learned much and became a good schollar in Gods booke and well seen in his statutes and lawes Hee grew to great wisedome and judgement by his chastisements All things turned about in Gods mercifull providence to his everlasting comfort For I say againe and againe That all things tend to the good of Gods chosen people And therefore that estate which God will have his children to be in is alwayes best for them because he who can best discern what is best seeth it to bee best for them whether it bee sicknesse or health poverty or plenty prison or liberty prosperity or adversity For sometimes sicknesse is better for us then health and poverty then plenty Are therefore the children of God sick It is best for them Are they poore It is best for them Are they in any trouble It is best for them because their good Father will turne it to the best Hee will oftentimes cut us short of our lusts and desires because hee seeth we will bane our selves with them Hee in fatherly care will take the knife from us because hee seeth wee will hurt our selves with it Hee will keep us short of health and wealth because hee knoweth wee will bee the worse for them Hee will not give us too much ease and prosperity in this world for hee knoweth it will poyson us Hee will not allow us continuall rest like standing ponds for then hee knoweth wee will gather scum and filth Hee dealeth fatherly and mercifully with us in all things even then seeking our greatest good when wee thinke hee doth us most harme And to speak all in a word he bringeth us into troubles and straits to this end especially that hee may hear of us For he right wel knoweth our nature he is well acquainted with our disposition hee knoweth we will not come at him but when wee stand in need of him we care not for him so long as all goeth well with us But if wee come into distresse or want any thing that we faine would have then hee is sure to heare of us as he saith by the Prophet Hos 3.15 In their affliction they will seek me early And another Prophet saith Lord Isa 26.26 in trouble have they visited thee They poured out a prayer when thy chastisement was upon them So then now I hope you do plainly see the cause why the Lord bringeth his children into so many troubles and necessities Phil. I do see it indeed and am very well satisfied in it But yet let mee aske you one thing further Are Gods children alwaies sure to be delivered out of their troubles Theol. Yes verily and out of doubt so farre forth as God seeth good for them For it is written Great are the troubles of the righteous Psal 34.19 but the Lord delivereth him out of them all Saint Peter saith â— Pâ—â—â— 1 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation As if hee should say Hee is well beaten to it and well seen and experienced in it so as hee can doe it easily and without any trouble at all It is said of Joseph being in prison That when his appointed time was come Phil. 105 1◠〈◊〉 and the counsell of the Lord had tryed him the King sent and loosed him the Ruler of the people delivered him And againe the Scripture saith Psal 34. The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and delivereth them out of all their troubles The Angell of the Lord tarrieth round about them that feare him and delivereth them And in another place the Lord himselfe saith concerning the righteous man Psal 91.17 Because he hath loved me therefore I will deliver him I will exalt him because hee hath knowne my name He shall call upon me in trouble and I will heare him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and glorifie him Job 5. So also saith Eliphas the Temanite Hee shall deliver thee in six troubles and in the seventh the evill shall not touch thee Come my people saith the Lord Isa 25.22 enter thou into my Chambers and shut the doores after thee hide thy selfe for a very little while untill the indignation passe over And the Prophet saith Obad. 27. â—â— Upon Mount Sion shall be deliverance and it shall be holy and the house of Jacob shall possesse their hereditarie possessions Almost innumerable places of the Scriptures might be alledged to this purpose but these may suffice Therefore let us know for a certainty that so sure as trouble and affliction are to the children of God so sure also is deliverance out of the same As we may write of the one and make reckoning of it as sure as the coat on our backe so may wee also in Gods good time write of the other and make full account of it as sure as the Lord is true Abraham was in trouble but delivered Job in trouble but delivered David in great trouble but delivered The three children in the furnace but delivered Daniel in the Lions den but delivered Jonas in the Whales belly but delivered Paul in innumerable troubles but yet delivered out of all Phil. All this being true that you say it followeth that Gods children are chastised only for their good and evermore sure of deliverance in his appointed time Which thing being so mee thinks there is no cause at all why they should bee over-heavie or too much cast down in their afflictions Theol. Assuredly there is no cause at all but rather cause why they should rejoyce clap their hands and sing Care away For can a father forsake his children a King his subjects a master his servant or a shepherd his sheep Doth not Jehovah say I will not leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13. Doth not our heavenly Father know wee have need of these things Hath not God given us his word that we shall not want outward things Hath hee not said they shall bee cast upon us Why then should wee bee dismayed Why should wee hang down our heads Why doe wee not plucke up good hearts and be of good cheere God is our dear Father hee is our best friend hee is our daily Benefactor or hee keepeth us at his own cost and charges he grudgeth us nothing he thinketh nothing too much for us hee loveth us most deadly hee is most charie and tender over us hee cannot endure the winde should blow upon us hee will have us want nothing that is good for us If we will out gold wee shall have it He hath given us his faithfull
otherwise with a thousand oathes Antil It is the custome to sweare Theol. But a wicked and divellish custome Antil I hope Sir wee may sweare as long as we swear truly and swear by nothing but that which is good Theol. It hath beene answered before that in vain matters you may not swear at all Antil As long as wee do no worse than that I hope God will hold us excused Theol. God will not hold you excused when you break his commandements and continue so doing Antil What say you then to them that sweare wounds and bloud and such like in a bravery thinking that it setteth out their speech very well Theol. Hell gapeth for them and they shall know one day what it is to blaspheme God Antil What may wee thinke of such as sweare by Gods life Gods soule Gods body Gods heart Theol. That their case is most wofull and dangerous and I quake at the naming of them They are most horrible monstrous and outragious blasphemies enough to make the stones in the street to cracke and the clouds to fall upon our heads And wee may thinke that all the Divels in hell are in a readinesse to carry such blasphemous villaines headlong into that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for ever Antil Do you find in Scripture that God will so severely punish swearers Theol. Yes verily For besides that which hath beene spoken before wee have diverse other examples First of Senacherib the King of Ashur who for his outragious blasphemies against the God of Heaven was in most fearfull and tragicall manner slaine by his owne sons Adramalech and Sharezor and that in the temple when hee was worshipping his Idol-god Nisroch And yet behold a more fearfull example of Gods wrath against blasphemers 2 Kin. 19.37 Wee read that an hundred thousand of the Aramites were slaine by the Israelites in one day for blaspheming God 1 King 20.29 and seven and twenty thousand being left and flying into the city of Aphek for refuge were all slaine by the fall of an huge great wall What shall I here speake how the seven sonnes of Saul the King of Israel were hanged up before the Lord in mount Gibeah for the breach of the oath made to the Gibeonites long before 1 Sâ—â— â—1 In these examples we may plainly see that the just God even in this life somtimes will be revenged of blasphemers and oath-breakers And therefore the very heathen in all ages have beene very carefull for the performing of oathes as Pharaoh King of Egypt willed Joseph to go up into the land of Canaan to bury his father according to his oath made to his father Phil. Mee thinketh these so terrible and fearfull examples of Gods vengeance against swearers and blasphemers should strike some terrour into the hearts of our blasphemers Theol. One should think so indeed if any thing could do it But alas they are so hardened in it and in all other sinne that nothing can move them except peradventure there were a law made that every swearer and blasphemer should hold his hand a quarter of an houre in boyling lead This or some such like severe law might peradventure curb them a little and make them bite in their oathes But otherwise they will never feare any thing till they are in hell fire when it will be too late to repent Phil. What may be the cause of this so often and great swearing for surely it is no inherent and inbred sin in our nature as some of the other sinnes be Theol. No verily But these three I judge to be the causes of it Custome Want of admonition Want of punishment Phil. What then are the remedies of it Theol. The remedies are these Disuse Prayer Friendly admonition Some sharpe Law Phil. Well Sir now wee have heard enough of swearing I pray you proceed to the next sign of condemnation which is lying Theol. Swearing and lying bee of very neere kindred For hee that is a common swearer is for the most part a common lyer also For hee that maketh no conscience of swearing will make no conscience of lying And as the Lord hateth the one so also he hateth the other And as he punisheth the one so will hee punish the other Therefore Solomon saith Prov. 12.23 Lying lips are an abomination unto the Lord. Rev. 21.25 St. John saith Without shall be dogges enchanters whore-mongers murtherers and whosoever loveth or maketh lyes Rev. â—1 8 Againe the same holy man of God saith The lyers shall have their part and portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Phil. These Scriptures which you alledge doe manifestly declare that God abhorreth lyers and hath reserved great torments for them Therefore the Princely Prophet David saith that hee would banish all lyers from his house Psal 101.7 He that telleth lyes saith hee shall not remain in my sight Prov. 6.16 17. A lying tongue is one of the six things which God doth hate and his soule abhorre Yet for all this we see by lamentable experience how many have even taught their tongues to lye as the Prophet saith and there is no truth in their lips Jer. 9. This vice is almost as common as swearing For it is hard to finde a man that will speake the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth from his heart in simplicitie and plainnesse at all times in all places and amongst all persons without all glozing or dissembling either for feare gaine flatterie men-pleasing hiding of faults or any sinister respect whatsoever Where I say is thâ—s man to bee found I would faine see him I would faine looke upon such a man it would doe my heart good to behold him I would rejoyce to set mine eyes upon such a man Theol. Such a man as you speake of is hardly to bee found among the sons of men They bee bâ—ack Swans in the earth they bee white Crowes they be rare birds For there bee very few that will speake the truth from their heart yet some such I hope there be But for the most part and amongst the greater sort lying dissembling and fraud doe beare all the sway There is no truth no honesty no conscience no simplicity no plaine dealing amongst men in these most corrupt times Faith and truth are parted cleane away And as the Kingly Prophet saith Psal 1â— The faithfull are failed from among the children of men They speake deceitfully every one with his neighbour flattering with their lips and speaking with a double heart Men now adayes study the art of lying flattering fawning glozing and dissembling they have a heart and a heart They have honey in their mouth and gall in their heart Their tongues are as soft as butter and oyle but their hearts are full of bitternesse poyson and worme-wood They are full of outward courtesie and civility full of Court-holy-water when there is no truth nor plainnesse in their inward
this cause Job saith that Man is borne to travell as the sparkes flie upward And God hath laid this upon Adam and all his posterity Gen. 3. In the sweat of thy browes thou shalt eat thy bread Some do set downe foure causes why every man should labour diligently in his calling First to beare the yoke laid upon all mankind by the Lord. Secondly to get the necessaries of this life Thirdly to live to the profit of humane society Lastly to avoid evill thoughts and actions St. Paul findeth great fault with some in the Church of Thessalonica because they walked inordinately that is idlely and out of a lawfull calling and therefore concluded That such as would not labour should not eat So then wee do plainly see that God alloweth idlenesse in none For when we are idle as hath been shewed before wee lie open to the Divell and his temptations and he gets within us and prevaileth against us While David tarried idlely at home in the beginning of the yeare when Kings used to go forth to the battell hee was soone overtaken with those two soule sinnes of adultery and manslaughter So long as Samson warred with the Philistines hee could never be taken or overcome but after hee gave himselfe to idlenesse and pleasure he not onely committed fornication with the Strumpet Dalilah but also was taken of his enemies and his eyes miserably pulled out These examples doe shew what a dangerous sinne wickesse is Therefore the holy Ghost sends us to schools to the little Creature the Ant to learne of her both to avoid idlenesse and also to use wisedome and providence in our actions Prov. 6.6 Go to the Pismire O sluggard behold her waies and be wise For shee having no guide task-master nor ruler prepareth her meat in the summer and gathereth her food in the harvest And in good sooth it is wonderfull to observe what infinite paines and unwearied labour this silly creature taketh in Summer that she may be well provided for against Winter Let us therefore learne wisedome from her example and let us set before our eyes the looking-glasse of all Creatures Let us consider how the birds flye the fishes swimme the wormes creep the heavens turne the elements move the sea ebbeth and floweth uncessantly yea the earth it selfe which is the most heavie and unweildy creature of all other yet never ceaseth his working bringeth forth his burden in Summer and labouring inwardly all the Winter in concocting and digesting his nourishment for the next spring Thus wee see how all creatures are diligently and painfully exercised in their kinds And therefore it is a great shame for us to live idlely carelesly and dissolutely Let us therefore learne once at last to flie sloath and every one to live faithfully diligently and industriously in our severall callings So shall we both keep Satan at the staves end and also much sinne out of our soules which otherwise idlenesse will force in upon us Phil. I must needs confesse that idlenesse is a grosse vice in whomsoever it is found But specially in my judgement it is most odious in Magistrates and Ministers Theol. That is so in truth For they ought to be the guides governours shepherds and watch-men over the people of God And therefore for them to neglect their duties and charges is a most horrible thing sith it concerneth the hurt of many Therefore well said the Heathen Poet Hom. l. â— A Magistrate or Minister may not be lazie or slothfull to whom the nursing of the people is given in charge and of whom many things are to be cared for What a lamentable thing therefore is it when Magistrates are profane irreligious popish vicious and negligent in the duties of their calling And how much more lamentable is it when Ministers neglect their studies slacke preaching and prayer and give up themselves some to covetousnesse some to pride some to husbandry some to other worldly affaires and some to spend their time idlely in Tavernes Ale-houses gaming rioting and lewd company Would to God therefore that both these kinds of publike persons would cast off idlenesse and sloath and with diligence faithfulnesse care and conscience performe the duties of their places For it is an excellent thing for any to be a good man in his place As a good Magistrate that ruleth well that governeth wisely which favoureth good men and good causes and defendeth them which also setteth himselfe against bad men and bad causes and punisheth them sharply and severely which moreover maintaineth vertue even of a very love hee beareth unto it in his heart and punisheth vice of a very zeale and hatred against it and not for his credit onely or to please some or because he must needs doe it and can doe no lesse or for any such sinister respect but even of a love to God a care of his glory a conscience of duty and a fervent zeale against sin So likewise it is a notable thing for a Minister to be a good man in his place to be studious in the Law of God diligent and painfull in preaching and that out of a love of God a zeale of his glory deep pity and compassion toward the soules of the people seeking by all meanes possible to win them unto God carrying himselfe in all his actions amongst them wisely religiously unblameably and inoffensively So againe it is a worthy thing to be a good rich man which doth much good with his riches which keepeth a good house relieveth the poore ministreth to the necessities of the Saints and giveth cheerfully and with discretion where need is So also it is a commendable thing to be a good neighbour a good Townsman by whom a man may live quietly peaceably joyfully and comfortably And lastly to be a good poore man that is humble lowly dutifull painfull ready to help and ready to please Oh I say this is a most excellent and glorious thing when every man keepeth his standing his range and his ranke when all men with care and conscience performe the duties of their places when the husband doth the duty of an husband and the wife of a wife when the father doth the duty of a father and the childe of a childe when the master doth the duty of a master and the servant of a servant when every man setteth God before his eyes in doing those things which especially belong unto him For herein consisteth the honour of God the glory of the Prince the crowne of the Church the fortresse of the Common-wealth the safety of Cities the strength of Kingdoms and the very preservation of all things Asun You have said well in some things but yet I do not see but that rich men and women may live idlely sith they have enough wherewithall to maintaine it For may not a man do with his owne what he list Theol. No verily For you may not take your owne knife and cut your owne throat with it neither may you take
that onely might appeare and shine forth in all his workes Yet certaine it is that God for just causes albeit unknowne and hid to us hath rejected a great part of men The causes I say of reprobation are hid in the eternall counsell of God and knowne to his godly wisedome onely They are secret and hid from us reserved in his eternall wisedome to be revealed at the glorious appearing of our Lord Iesus Psal 36. Rom. 11. His judgements saith the Scripture are as a great deepe and his wayes past finding out It is as possible for us to comprehend the Ocean in a little dish as to comprehend the reason of Gods counsell in this behalf Antil What reason justice or equitie is there that sentence of death should be passed upon men before they be borne and before they have done good or evill Theol. I told you before that we can never comprehend the reason of Gods proceeding in this behalfe yet wee must know that his will is the rule of righteousnesse and must be unto us in stead of a thousand reasons For whatsoever God willeth in as much as hee willeth it it is to be holden just Wee cannot conceive the reason of many naturall things and things subject to sense as the motion of the celestiall bodies their unconceiveable swiftnesse their matter and substance their magnitude altitude and laâ—itude Wee cannot throughly finde out the causes of the thunder lightnesse winds earth-quakes ebbings and flowings of the sea and many other things under the Sun how then can wee possibly ascend up into the privie Chamber and Councell-house of God to sift and search 〈◊〉 the bottome of Gods secrets which no wit or reach of man can any wâ—â— attaine unto Let us therefore learne in Gods feare to reverence that which we cannot in this life comprehend This one thing I must say unto you that whatsoever God decâ—â—eth yet doth he execute no man till he hath ten thousand times deserved it For betwixt the decree and the execution thereof cometh sinne in us and most just causes of condemnation Antil If God have decreed mens destruction what can they do withall who can resist his will why then is he angry with us For all things must needs come to passe according to his decree and determination Theol. First I answer you with the Apostle Rom. 9.22 O man who art thou that pleadest against God Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Hath not the Potter power of the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour Moreover I answer that Gods decree doth not enforce the will of man which worketh and moveth of it selfe It hath in it selfe the beginning of evill mâ—tâ—on and sinneth willingly Therefore though the decree of God imposeth a necessity upon all secondary causes so as they must needs be framed and disposed according to the same yet no coâ—ction or constraint for they are all carried with their voluntary motion Even as we see the plumbe of a clock being the first mover doth cause all the other wheeles to move but not to move this way or that way for in that they move some one way and some another it is of themselves I meane of their owne frame so Gods decree doth move all secondary causes but takes not away their owne proper motion For God is the Authour of every action but not of any evill in any action As the soule of man is the originall cause of all motion in man as the Philosophers dispute but yet not of lame and impotent motion for that is from another cause to wit some defect in the body so I say Gods decree is the root and first cause of motion but not of defective motion that is from our selves Likewise that a bell soundeth the cause is in him that ringeth it but that it jarreth the cause is in it selfe Againe that an instrument soundeth is in him that plaieth upon it but that it jarreth is in it selfe that is in its own want of tuning So then to shut up this point all instruments and middle causes are so moved of God being the first Mover that hee allwayes doth will holily and justly in his moving But the instruments moved are carried in contrary motions according to their owne nature and frame If they be good they are carried to that which is good but if they be evill they are carried unto evill So that according to the double beginning of motion and will there is a double and divers work and effect Antil But from whence comes it that man of himselfe that is of his own free motion doth will that which is evill Theol. From the fall of Adam whereby his will was corrupted Antil What was the cause of Adams fall Theol. The Divell and the depravation of his own will Antil How could his will incline unto evill it being made good and hee being made good Theol. He and his will were made good yet mutably good For to be immutably good is proper onely to God And Adam did so stand that he might fall as the event declared Antil Was not the decree of God the cause of Adams fall Theol. No but the voluntary inclination of his will unto evill For Adams will was neither forced nor by any violence of Gods purpose compelled to consent but he of a free will and ready mind left God and joyned with the Divell Thus then I doe determine That Adam sinned necessarily if you respect the decree or event but if you respect the first mover and inherent cause which was his owne will then he sinned voluntarily and contingently For the decree of God did not take away his will or the contingency thereof but only order and dispose it Therefore as a learned Writer saith Volens peccavit proprio mâ—tu Bâ—â—â— He sinned willingly and of his owne motion And therefore no evill is to be attributed unto God or his decree Antil How then doe you conceive and consider of the purpose of God in all these things Theol. Thus That God decreed with himselfe â—no actu at once That there should be a world That Adam should be treated perfect That he should fall of himselfe That all should fall with him That he would save some of the lost race That hee would doe it of mercie through his Son That he would condemn others for sin Antil How doe you prove the decree of reprobation to wit that God hath determined the destruction of thousands before the world was Theol. The Scripture calleth the Reprobates Rom. 9.22 The vessels of wrath prepared to destruction The Scripture saith 2 Thes 5. God hath not appointed us unto wrath Therefore it followeth that some are appointed unto wrath The Scripture saith of the Reprobates that they were even ordained to stumble at the Word 1 Pet. 2.8 The Scripture saith They were of old ordained to this condemnation Jude
4. Antil 〈◊〉 18. But how answer you this God willâ— not the death of a sinner therefore he hath predestinated none to destruction Theol. God wils not the death of a sinner simply and absolutely as it is the destruction of his creature but as it is a meanes to declare his justice and to set forth his glory Antil God did fore-see and fore-know that the wicked would perish through their owne sin but yet he did not predestinate them unto it Theol. Gods prescience and fore-knowledge cannot be separated from his decree For whatsoever God hath fore-seene and fore-known in his eternall counsell he hath determined the same shall come to passe For as it appertaines to his wisdome to fore-know and fore-see all things so doth it appertain to his power to moderate and rule all things according to his will Antil What doe you call prescience in God Theol. Prescience in God is that whereby all things abide present before his eyes so that to his eternall knowledge nothing is past nothing to come but all things are alwaies present and are they so present that they are not as conceived imaginations formes and motions but all things are alwaies so present befoâ—e God that he doth behold them 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 and perfection Antil How can God justly determine of mens destruction before they have sinned Theol. This objection hath been answered in part before For I told you that God condemneth none but for sin either originall onely or else both originall and actuall For howsoever he doth in himselfe before all time determine the reprobation of many yet he proceeds to no excecution till there be found in us both just desertâ— and apparent cause Therefore they deale unsoundly and foolishly which confound the decree of reprobation with damnation it selfe sith sinne is the cause of the one and only the will of God of the other Phil. Well Sir sith we are so far proceeded in this question by the occasion of this mans objections and cavile I pray you now as you have spoken much of reprobation and the causes thereof so let us heare somewhat of election and the causes thereof and shew us out of the Scriptures that God hath before all worlds chosen some to eternall life Theol. Touching the decree of election there are almost none that make any doubt thereof therefore small proofe shall serve for this point Onely I will construct it by one or two testimonies out of holy Scripture First the Apostle saith Blessed be God Ephes 1.3 even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ as hee hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that wee should be holy and without blame before him in love You see the words are very plaine and pregnant for this purpose Another confirmation is taken out of the eight chapter to the Romans in these words Those whom hee knew before did he also predestinate to be like to be like to the image of his owne Sonne that hee might be the first-borne of many brethren Phil. Which be the causes of election Theol. The causes of election are to be found onely in God himselfe For his eternall election dependeth neither upon man neither yet upon any thing that is in man but is purposed in himselfe and established in Christ in whom we are elected This is fully proved in these words Ephes 1.5 6. Who hath predestinated us to be adopted through Jesus Christ in himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of his glory wherewith he hath made us freely accepted in his beloved Where we see the Apostle telleth us that his free grace and the good pleasure of his will are the first motives or moving causes of our election Phil. But the Papists fetch the first motive of election out of mans merits and fore-seen workes For say they God did fore-see who would repent beleeve and doe well and therefore he made choice of them Theol. But they are greatly deceived For I say againe and againe that there is nothing in us which did ever move God to set his love upon us and to chuse us unto life but he ever found the originall cause in himselfe as it is written Rom. 9. Hee will have mercy upon whom hee will have mercy and whom hee will hee hardneth And againe It is neither in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Deut. 7.7 The Lord himselfe also testifieth that hee did chuse his people not for any respect in them but onely because he loved them and bare a speciall favour unto them 〈◊〉 then it is a certaine truth that Gods eternall predestination excludeth all merits of man and all power of his will thereby to attaine unto eternall life and that his free mercy and undeserved favour is both the beginning the midst and the end of our salvation that is to say All is of him and nothing of our selves Phil. Whether then doth faith depend upon election or election upon faith That is whether did God chuse us because we doe beleeve or whether doe we beleeve because we are chosen Theol. Out of all doubt both faith and all fruits of faith do depend upon election For therefore we beleeve because we are elected and not therefore elected because wee beleeve As it is written Act. 13.41 So many as were ordained to everlasting life beleeved Antil If men be predestinate before they be borne to what purpose serve all precepts admonitions lawes c. It sorceth not how wee live For neither our godly or ungodly life can alter the purpose of God Theol. This is a very wicked and carnall objection and sheweth a vile and dissolute mind in them that use it But I would wish such men to consider the end of election which is that we should lead a godly 〈◊〉 As it is plainly set down in the first chapter to the Ephesians ver 3. where the Apostle saith God hath chosen us before the foundation of the world But to what end that wee should live as wee list No no saith hee But that wee should be holy and unblameable before him Againe he saith Rom. 9.16 Wee are predestinate to be made like the image of his Sonne that is to be holy and righteous For most certaine it is that wee can judge nothing of predestination but by the consequents that is by our calling justification and sanctification For when once we feele the work of grace within us that is that wee are washed by the new birth and renued by the holy Ghost finding in our selves an unfeigned hatred of sinne and love of righteousnesse then are we sure and out of all doubt that we are predestinated to life And it is even as much is if God had personally appeared unto us and whispered us in the eare and told us that our names are taken and written in the
he is heavie-hearted and troubled in his mind How doe you Asunetus how doe you feele your selfe Me thinkes you are very sad Asun I am the better for you Sir I thanke God I never knew what sinne meant till this day It hath pleased God now to give mee some sight and feeling thereof I am greatly distressed in my conscience to thinke what I have been The remembrance of my former sinnes doe strike an horrour into mee When I consider how ignorantly and profanely and how farre off from GOD I have lived all my life it stings and gripes mee to the heart I doe now see that which I never saw and feele that which I never felt I doe plainly see that if I had died in that state wherein I have lived all my life I should certainly have been condemned and should have perished for ever in my sinne and ignorance Theol. I am very glad that God hath opened your eyes and given you the sight and feeling of your misery which indeed is the very first step to eternall life It is a great favour and speciall mercy of God towards you that hee hath so touched your heart you can never be thankfull enough for it It is more then if you had a million of gold given you It is the onely rare priviledge of Gods elect to have the eyes of their soules opened that they may see into heavenly and spirituall things As for the world it is just with God to leave them in their blindnesse Asun I doe feele the burthen of my sinnes I am greatly grieved for them I am weary of them I am sorry that ever I sinned against God or that I should be such a wretch as to incurre his displeasure and provoke his Majestie against mee But I pray you good Master Theologus such you are a spirituall Physician and I am sick of sinne that you would minister unto me out of Gods Word some spirituall physicke and comfort Theol. Truly I must needs thinke that the promises of mercy and forgivenesse of sinne made in the Gospel doe belong unto you and that Iesus Christ is yours that you are truly interessed in him and have a proper right unto him For hee came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance You doe now feele your selfe to be a sinner you are grieved for your sins you are weary of them therefore Iesus Christ is for you all the benefits of his passion belong to you Mat. 9.12 Againe he saith The whole need not the Physician but they that are sicke But you doe acknowledge your selfe to be sick of sinne therefore Iesus Christ will be your Physician he will swaddle you he will lap you hee will bind up all your sores hee will heale all your wounds hee will anoint them with the oyle of his mercy hee will smile upon you and shew you a joyfull countenance hee will say unto you Your sins are forgiven In him you shall have rest and peace to your soule Through him you shall have ease and comfort For hee takes pitie of all such as mourne for their sinnes as you doe Hee biddeth you and all that are in your case to come unto him Mat. 11.28 and hee will helpe you Come unto me saith hee all yee that are weary and heavie laden and I will ease you You are one of them that are bidden to come for you are weary of your sinnes you feele the burthen of them Christ is altogether for such as you are Hee regardeth not the world that is the profane and unregenerate men Hee bids not them come hee prayeth not for them Joh. 18. â— I pray not for the world saith hee They have no part nor interest in him They have nothing to doe with him or with his merits and righteousnesse Hee is onely for the penitent sinner and such as mourne for their sinnes He is a Pillow of Down to all aking heads and aking consciences Be of good comfort therefore feare nothing for assuredly Christ and all his righteousnesse is yours He will clothe you with it Hee will never impute your sins unto you or lay any of them to your charge though they be never so many or so great hee will forget them and forgive them as hee saith by the Prophet Esay â—â—ay 1 1â— Though your sins were as crâ—mson they shall be made as white as snow though they were red like scarlet they shall be as wooll And againe he saith by the same Prophet â—â—ay 4 2â— I have put away thy transgressions as thicke as clouds and thy sinnes as a mist By another Prophet he saith Micah 7.19 Hee will lay aside our iniquities and cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the sea Againe he saith by the Prophet Esay Esay 43.25 I even I am he that put away thine iniquities for my owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes And yet more sweetly hee speakes to us by the Prophet Jeremy Jer. 3 12. saying Turne againe unto mee and I will not let my wrath fall upon you For I am mercifull and will not alway keep mine anger And againe by the Prophet Hosea hee saith Hos 11.6 I will not execute the fiercenesse of my wrath I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am GOD and not man Be of good cheere therefore comfort your selfe with these promises you have cause to rejoyce seeing GOD hath wrought in you a dislike and a griefe for your sins which is a certaine token that your sins shall never hurt you for sinnes past cannot hurt us if sinnes present doe not like us You are growne to an hatred and dislike of your sins you mourne under the burthen of them therefore you are blessed For blessed are they that mourne Why therefore should you be so heavie and sad Remember what Saint John saith If any man sinne 1 Joh 1. we have an Advocate Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the reconciliation for our sinnes Saint Paul saith Rom. 3.13 that Jesus Christ is set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his bloud Againe the holy Ghost saith Heb. â— 1â— Hee is perfectly able to save all those that come unto God by him seeing hee ever liveth to make intercession for us The Apostle saith Hee is made of GOD for us 1 Cor 1 3â— wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Marke that hee saith All is for us all his for his Church for every member of his Church and therefore for you Christ is made of God righteousnesse sanctification and redemption for you Christ is your Mediator and your high Priest and hath offered up the everlasting sacrifice even for you that he might pay your ransome and redeem you from all iniquity Heb. 9 1â— By his owne bloud hath hee entred once into the holy place and obtained eternall redemption for you Christ is not entred into the holy places which are made with hands which are similitudes of
heaven doth pronounce a woe against them saying 〈◊〉 5.11 Woe unto them that rise up eaâ—ly to follow drunkennesse and to them that continue untill night till the wine doe enflame them Our Lord Iesus giveth us a cabeat to take heed of it Luke 21.24 Take heed saith hee that your hearts be not overcome with surfeiting and drunkennesse and the eares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares Thus you hear how both Christ himselfe and sundry of the Prophets doe thunder downe from heaven against this grosse beastlinesse which now aboundeth and reigneth amongst the sons of men Phil. True indeed But yet almost nothing will make men leave it for it is a most rise and over-common vice Wee see many that thinke themselves some bodies and as wee say no small fooles which yet will be overtaken with it and thereby lose their credit and reputation with all wise men yea doe prove themselves to be but swine and brute beasts as the holy Ghost avoucheth saying Wine is a mocker and strong drinke is raging Prov. â—0 1 Whosoever is deceived therein is not wise Theol. The wise King in the same booke doth most notably and fully describe unto us the inconveniences and mischiefes which doe accompany drunkennesse and follow drunkards at the heeles Prov. 25.29 To whom he saith is wo to whom is alas to whom is strife to whom is babbling to whom are wounds without cause to whom is the rednesse of the eies Even to them that tarry long at the wine to them that goe and seeke out mixt wine Prov. 23.21 In the same chapter he saith Bee not of the number of them which are bibbers of wine or of them which glut themselves with flesh for the drinker and the feaster shall become poore and the fleeper shall be cloathed with rags Moreover he saith Prov. 23.33 Their eyes shall behold strange women and that they shall bee like him that lyeth in the midst of the Sea and sleepeth in the top of the mast In all these speeches the holy Ghost doth in most lively manner describe unto us the properties of drunkards even their staggering their reeling their snorting their senslesse sensuality Behold then what be the cursed fruits events of drunkennes Even these which follow woe alas griefe misery beggary poverty shame lusts strife babbling brawling fightings quarrelling surfeiting sicknesse diseases swinish sleeping security and sensuality So then I conclude that drunkennesse is a vice more beseeming an hog than any reasonable man And as one saith It is the Metropolitan City of all the province of vices Well therefore saith the Heathen Writer When the wine is in Dâ—most Olinth a man is as a running coach without a coachman Phil. Let us hear what executions have beene done upon drunkards in former ages that now men may learne to take heed by their examples Theol. 1 Sam. 13.29 Ammon one of Davids ungracious children being drunk was slaine by his brother Absolom 1 Kâ—n. 20.20 Benhadad King of Syria being drunk was discomfited by Ahab King of Israel Elah 1 Kin. 16.10 King of Israel being drunke was slaine by Zimri his servant and captaine of his Chariots who also succeeded him in the Kingdome Lot being drunke Gen. 19.37 committed incest with his owne daughters and therefore was punisht in his posterity Thus wee see what executions have beene done even upon Kings for this kind of sin Therefore let men learne once at last to shun vâ—ce and embrace vertue and as the Apostle saith to make an end of their salvation iâ— feare and trembling For all our shifts and starting-holes will serve 〈◊〉 to no purpose in the end but when we have asked hither and thither never so muâ—h yet at the last we must be fain to be shut up in Gods wrath Antil What I pray you do you make it so great a matter if a man be a little oâ—ertaken with drinke now and then There is no man but he hath his faults and the best of â—s all may be amended If neighbours meete together now and then at the Ale-house and play a game at Maw for a pot of Ale meaning no hurt I take it to be good fellowship and a good meanes to increase love amongst neighbours and not so hainous a thing as you make it Theol. I see you would faine make faire weather of it and smooth over the matter with sweete words as though there were no such great evill in it But howsoever you mince it and blanch it over yet the Apostle saith statly 1 Cor. 6. That Drunkards shall not inherit the Kingdome of God I think this one sentence is enough to amaze and strike through the hearts of all drunkards in the world for it is as much in effect as if the Apostle had said All drunkards are notorious reprobates and hell-hounds branded of Satan and devoted to perpetuall destruction and damnation But you say you meane no hurt I answer whatsoever you meane your actions are naught and your fellowship as bad For what good meaning can you have or what good fellowship call you it for poore labouring men artificers and such like to sit idle all the day long in Tavernes and Ale-houses mis-spending their time and their money in gaming rioting swearing staring swilling bezzelling bibbing brawling and brabling There is no true fellowship in it it is meere impiety if wee may call it impiety for poore men do live idlely dissolutely neglecting their callings while their poore wives and children fit crying at home for bread being ready to starve to beg or to steal I pray you speake your conscience what good fellowship is there in this Antil Yet for all that there be some which abstaine from Ale-houses and yet are as bad as any other For they will back-bite and slander their neighbours they will doe them a shrewd turne as soone as any other they are envious they censure us and disdaine our company yet wee thinke our selves as good as they for all their shewes of holinesse Theol. You speake more than you know or can justifie against some better than your selfe But if it were so you should not justifie one sin by another a lesser by a greater which is to no purpose Antil Will you then condemn all good fellowship Theol. No no I do greatly allow godly and Christian fellowship and acknowledge it to be one of the chiefest comforts wee have in the world I know wee are commanded to love brotherly fellowship 1 Pet. 2.11 But as for your pot-companionship I hate it and abhorre it For it is written Prov. 28.19 Hee that followeth the idle shall bee filled with poverty And againe Prov. 2â— 7 He that keepeth company with banqueters shameth his father And in another place Prov. 28.17 Hee that loveth pastime shall bee a poore man and hee that loveth wine and oyle shall not be rich Phil. Good Mr. Theologus talke no more with
him but let us draw neer to the winding up of this matter and tell us in a word which be the chiefe causes of drunkennesse Theol. The causes are these Causes of Drunkennesse Ill company Ale-houses Idlenesse A wicked humour Phil. Which be the true remedies Theol. The remedies are these Remedies for Drunkennesse Avoiding of evill company Shunning of Ale-houses Labouring in your callings A good course of life Phil. Well Sir you have waded farre enough in this point Let us now come to the eighth signe of condemnation which is idlenesse Theol. Concerning idlenesse this I say briefly that it is the mother of all vice and the stepdame of all vertue yea it is the very bel-dame of all enormities It is the mother of whoredome the mother of pride the mother of theft the mother of drunkennesse the mother of ignorance the mother of error the mother of poverty the mother of flandering and backbiting pratling and gossiping brawling scolding quarrelling and what not Ydlenesse was one of the principall sinnes of Sodome as the Prophet Ezekiel testifieth saying Pride fulnesse of bread Ezek. 16 19 and abundance of idlenesse was in her and in her daughters Solomon is very plentifull in this matter Pro. 13.4 For saith hee The sluggard lusteth and hath nought And againe The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit Pro. 26 1â— then seven men that can give a sensible reason That is he taketh himselfe the wisest of many because hee spareth his body when others take paines Pro. 24 3â— hee saith Yet a little sleep yet a little slumber yet a little foulding the hands and his povetty commeth like a traveller that is unawares and his necessity like an armed man that is Eccles 4.5 strongly Then hee fouldeth his hands together and eateth his owne flesh Pro. 26.15 For Hee hideth his hand in his bosome and it grieveth him to put it to his mouth againe In another place the holy Ghost saith The sloathfull man will not plough because of Winter therefore hee shall beg in Summer and have nothing Againe Pro. 9.18 The sloathfull man is brother to him that is a great waster Moreover it is said Pro. 26.14 that the sluggard turnes himselfe upon his bed as the doore doth upon the hinges That is he keepeth his bed as if he were fastned to it And because the Spirit will abound in this point it is further written of the sloathfull man that he saith An huge Lyon is in the way Pro. 26.13 I shall be slaine in the streets That is when any good matter is in hand as preaching praying reading giving to the poore c. then hee draweth back hee shrinketh into the shell he findeth one let or other one excuse or other Then profit and pleasure businesse and idlenesse matters at home and matters abroad company and a thousand occasions will lye in his way as so many Lions to let and hinder him So then wee see how lively and plentifully the holy Scriptures do paint out the lazie lubbers of this world and sonnes of idlenesse which are as hardly drawne to any good thing as a Beare to the stake As for the duties of Religion they go as lively and as cheerfully about them as a theefe goeth up the ladder to be executed for his theft Phil. I do plainly see that this sinne of idlenesse is a very grosse evill and the root of many vices yet for all that there be a great number which thinke they were borne to live idlely as many young Gentlemen and such like which imagine they came into the world for no other purpose but to hunt and hawke card and dice riot and revell and so spend their daies in pleasure and vanity Againe there be many lazy lozels and luskish youths both in townes and villages which doe nothing all the day long but walke in the streetes sit upon the stalles and frequent Taverns and Ale-houses Many rich citizens especially women do ordinarily lye in bed till nine of the clock and then forsooth rise and make themselves ready to goe to dinner And after they have well dined they spend the rest of the day and a good part of the night also in playing prattling babling cackling prating and gossiping fie on this idle life Many profane serving-men also doe falsly suppose that they were borne onely to game riot swear whore ruflle it and roist it out and to spend their time in meer idlenesse But of all these well said the Heathen Philosopher Illos pariter indignantur dii homines Aristot quisquis otiosus Both God and men do hate the idle person Theol. It is a lamentable thing to see so many men and women live so idlely and so unprofitably as they do For alas there be too many which follow no honest calling live to no use no body is the better for them They doe no good neither to the Church or common-wealth They are like Drone-Bees they are improfitable burthens of the earth God hath no use of them the Church no good the Common-wealth no benefit their neighbours no profit the poore no reliefe They imagine they came into the world to do nothing but eat drinke and sleep and rise up to play They thinke they would spend their time in diceing and dancing in whordome and bravery in gluttony and belly-cheere in masting themselves like Hoggs of Epicurus Heard in pampering their panches and cramming their bellies in fatting themselves like Boares in a Franke till they bee well brawned Job 15.27 21.12 and as Job saith till their bones run full of marrow their faces strout with fatnesse and they have collops in their flanke Oh what a beastly life is this Fie upon it fle upon it It is more meet for Epicures than Christians for swine than for men for Sardanapalus and Heliogabalus and such like belly-gods than for the professors of the Gospel But of all such Job saith enough Job 11. They spend their dayes in pleasure and suddenly go downe to bell Phil But may it not be allowed unto Lords and Ladies Gentlemen and Gentlewomen and other great ones to live idlely sith they have wherewith to maintaine it Theol. God doth allow none to live idlely but all great and small are to be employed one way or other either for the benefit of the Church or Common-wealth or for the good government of their owne housholds or for the good of townes and parishes and those amongst whom they doe converse or for the succour and reliefe of the poore or for the furtherance of the Gospel and the maintenance of the ministery or for one good use or other To these ends our wits our learning our reading our skill our policie our wealth our health our wisedome and authority are to be referred knowing this that one day wee shall come to give an account of our Bailywick and to be reckoned withall for the employments of our Talents Job 5.7 For