against the hand of God as that they bee many times weapons in his hands to plague them with the strokes of his iudgements And they cease when miserie commeth And as they cannot helpe vs themselues so they vtterly depriue vs of our helpe wee should haue in God because trusting in them for deliuerance we either not at all or in a cold faint maner pray vnto him for helpe and deliuerance doubting whether he wil helpe vs or no seeing wee haue in our prosperitie put such trust and confidence in our riches and trusted in them more then in our Creator and neuer craued helpe from him so long as our Corne Wine and Oyle abounded Psal 4. Therefore in our greatest need wee may iustly feare Iud. 10. 14. that God should send vs packing Isa 47. 17. to craue helpe of our Idols as hee did his owne people in their miseries Thus the Wise man tels vs That hee that trusteth in riches Pro. 11. 28. shall fall See the truth of this in Pharaoh that proud King that would wage war with the King of nations and thought with his strong Chariots to bid defiance to Heauen but all his riches strength and power were vnable to keepe off the Frogs Flies Lice and other plagues Exod. â—â— from him and his subiects but these weake Creatures did so confound him that he was forced to confesse that hee had sinned against heauen and compeld to cal for a sacrifice to that God which before hee had despised By which wee may see that there is no priuiledge in the Kings chaire If they sin with a high hand against God then his hand shall fall vpon them to their destruction for it must be his grace that must season their Thrones or else they stand in very slippery places exposed to the iudgements of God as wee may see in Belshazzer in the top of his glory while hee was prophaning the Lords sacred Vessels vnto his own lusts consecrating them to the seruice of his gods euen as it were to despite the Lord of heauen toh is face which knew how to be auenged of him and to make good his owne cause therefore hee sent the palme of a hand to Dan. 5. write his doome and the same night was this proud King slaine The rich mans full barnes could not baile his body one night from Hell and Diues riches Luke 16. could not purchase him one droppe of water to coole his tongue Herod that proud King thought by his vexing the Lords people to aduance himselfe but all his stately robes and praise of the people could not Act. 12. keepe off Gods iudgments but he was eaten vp of Wormes For Zeph. 1. 14 18. neither siluer nor gold shall bee able to deliuer in the day of the Lords wrath but the whole land shall bee deuoured with the fire of his ielousie and in that day the strong man shall cry bitterlie Reu. 6. 15. the righteous shall see it and feare and laugh at them saying behold the man that tooke not God for his strength but trusted in the multitude Ps 52. 7 8. of his riches and strengthned himselfe in his substance 3. As riches are vnable to keepe off Gods iudgements so also they are vnable to giue contentment They are of no satisfying nature but a Pecunia aqua salsa est sitim prouocans non sedans Psa 59. 15. are like sharpe liquor which doth not satisfie the belly but prouoke the appepetite to couet after meate and so to grudge if they be not satisfied An example hereof we may see in Ahab King ouer the Lords 1 King 21. 34. owne people his whole Kingdome could not giue him content but hee was sick till hee had Naboths Vineyard The large He that continually wants how can he be rich Kingdome of Ahashuerosh the fauour of the King the reuerence of his subiects could not giue Haman content though he were aduanced aboue the Princes and honoured with the riches Esther 5. of the Kingdome yet all this did him no good so long as Mordecay the Iew would not reuerence him Question What may bee the reason hereof may some say I answer that the principall cause hereof is this God in his iudgements blinds their eyes because worldlings loue his gifts more then himselfe that gaue them therefore he depriues them of content which doe not loue them according to his Word Therefore the Preacher saith He Eccl. 5. 10. that loues siluer shall not be satisfied therewith Couetousnesse may bring riches but not rest They may empty other but not fill themselues like Pharaohs leane Kine which deuoured the fat were neuer the fatter themselues Crescit amor nummi quantum ipsa pecunia crescit Et minus hunc optat qui non habet Iuven. Sat. 14. The Poâ—t knew this by natures light As the heape is the greater so the appetite is sharper And another The more we haue the more we doe desire And who possesses least doth least desire 2. Loue vnto riches are insatiable not through any necessitie which wee haue of them but through our vnnaturall greedinesse and delight in them which carries men forward like the plant by inclination or like the beast by his appetite neuer reflecting his reason vpon himselfe or to consider the vse of worldly things how they may profit himselfe and further his owne saluation Hence it commeth to passe that wise men deceiue themselves and come farre short of the rich man Luke 12. Who in the fulnesse of his wealth was able to say Soule take thy rest thou hast goods enough eate drink and be merry If we would haue this aguish thirst queÌ„ched it must not be by drinking of these intoxicated waters which will rather increase our appetite then allay our thirst but by purging out of our hearts the choller of worldly concupiscences and by planting in our hearts the feare of God which will make vs content with our portions Else if our hearts bee not seasoned with grace euery man in his state condition of calling is and will be full of discontent The poore man which hath toiled labored al the day when he comes home finding his commons meane homely doth enuy the rich mans full table and soft rest The rich man he is not content with his estate but wishes hee had lesse wealth and more health The Bachilor that leadeth a single life is weary of his solitarinesse and thinketh the estate of wedlocke the onely happy condition but being maried hee growes weary of his choyce and vnable to endure the troubles of that estate if hee want children he is as impatient as euer Rachel was And if hee haue any hee is not contented because they are vnruly or troublesome and that which would bee anothers paradise is vnto him a hell and torment Which made the Poet in his time to complaine of mens inconstancy The lazy Oxe doth wish hee were
aduersitie though the stocke they match their Children in be neuer so infected and blasted with vice and all manner of vngodlinesse yet if rich and mightie it is well enough Surely this Ethicall policy were highly to be commended if so be our abiding City were here but seeing all things here are vaine and moment any short and transitory what a vaine thing is it to be in loue with the flattering smiles of this life to gaine earth and to lose heauen Therfore if wee would be truely honourable wee must not place our trust in Princes nor in any thing in the world but in the Lord alone which will be faithfull vnto vs in our life and in our death according to his promise 1 Sam. 2. 30. and wonted manner of dealing Those that honour mee shall be honoured there is his promise Now his manner is not to faile one iot of his promise but hath made it good in all ages as we may see in Moses Aaron Dauid Salomon Iosiah c. whose names hee honoured in their liues and magnified them after their death But those which would not honour him in their liues as hee branded them in their liues for infamous persons so they shall bee crowned with euerlasting shame and reproach and in ages to come their name shall stinke How infamous is Cain for murthering his Brother Abel Potiphers wife for her whorish allurements Pharaoh for his cruelty Doeg for accusinâ— and killing the Lords Priests Iezabel for whoredome and murthering Naboth for his Vineyard Iudas for betraiyng his Lord and Master All these with many more doe stinke before God and man and their reproach shall neuer be blotted out For as the memoriall of the Pro. 10. 6. Pro. 13. 9. iust shall be blessed so the name of the wicked shall rot To shew vnto vs that the name of the wicked is no better then carrion which giues such a noysome sent that the passers by stop their noses the remembrance of their liues shall be as noysome as the stinking snuffe of a Candle and this is the iust iudgement of God vpon them that as they regarded not to glorifie him but themselues therefore hee gaue them vp to such vile affections and such filthy actions which can breed nothing but a rotten and a filthy name For they that dishonour mee saith the Lord I will dishonour Thus you haue heard how honour in it selfe is good the meanes how to attaine it and what doth hinder defile it let the consideration hereof stir vp and put courage in those which are aduanced aboue the people to be resolute zealous for the Lord their God to maintaine his cause against the proud of the world and to chase away the workers of iniquity But alasse how may wee lament the sinfulnesse of many which being aduanced to place abuse their authority which GOD and the King hath giuen them to serue their owne lusts shewing theÌ„selues patternes of prophanesse Lord lay not this sin to their charge And thus much shall suffice to haue spoken of honours and preferments and their insufficiency to profit vs. Wee will now proceed to the third point propounded that is to consider of pleasures and delights which the prophane Epicures of our age doe so much dâ—ale vpon which vaine pleasures and pleasing vanities though they are many in nuÌ„ber yet may they be comprized vnder these heads 1. Pleasures of the flesh pride in apparell beautie vaine glorie and popular applause We will begin with the first which for methods sake we wil subdiuide into these particulars 1 Pleasures of the body 2 Belly 3 Eyes And 4 Eares But first of pleasure in generall and afterwards we will descend into the particulars Pleasures are so farre from profiting vs for our soules or our bodies as that many times through the corruption of our nature which want wisdome to vse them aright they are the cause of much hurt to both But herein I would not bee mistaken as if I seemed to condemne all pleasures as vnlawfull for Christians to vse but because the carnall world is ready to plead for Baal and so through inordinate loue of them is ready to prize them aboue their worth wee will therefore diue into them and for triall bring them to the touch-stone of Gods Word by which we will discouer which are good and lawfull and how farre they may be vsed of Gods Children and how they may be abused To which end we are to know pleasures are of three kindes 1 Holy Pleasures are of three sorts and Diuine 2 Temporall and Earthly 3 Carnall and Sinfull 1 Holy and Diuine pleasures are when wee can reioyce in the Lord and are glad when wee enioy his gifts and graces of his Spirit here so as wee haue a sence and feeling of those ioyes which he hath prepared for vs in the life to come vnto these pleasures we are exhorted in Scripture to reioyce in the Lord alwayes and againe 2 Cor. 10. 17. Phil. 4. 4. I say reioyce These heauenly pleasures wil make vs not onely to reioyce in prosperity when our Corne Wine and Oyle abounds but also in the middest of our affliction to reioyce continually 1 Thes 5. 16. 1 Sam. 30. 6. Thus Dauid comforted himselfe when the people were ready to stone him the Apostles when they were whipped Act. 5. 41. 16. and put in prison for they knew that they were iustified by faith and had peace with God therefore they reioyced in Rom. 5. 1. their tribulation This is that true pleasure which the Children of God ought to delight themselues in as being in it selfe most excellent sweet and comfortable But of this pleasure we will speake in a more fit place The second kinde of pleasures The second sort of pleasures are temporall and earthly which pleasures in their owne nature are good and in respect of the vse of them to vs of an indifferent nature good to those which haue grace to vse them well but very pernitious to them that abuse them Now by these temporall pleasures we are to vnderstand those which consist in meat drinke and apparell and all other necessaries for the sustentatioÌ„ of our natural life Now these are good in their owne natures as they are the gifts of God which he hath prouided for his Children in the creation bestowed them vpon his seruants as incouragements to moue them to walke cheerefully in the practice of piety For as that sweet Singer of Israel saith Hee hath not onely Psal 104. 1â— made bread to strengthen mans heart but also wine to make his heart glad and Oyle to make his face to shine He hath ordained for his Children not onely things necessary but also pleasant and comfortable for their delight and recreation Therefore at the Creation God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden where all manner of varieties abounded not only for necessary vse but also for delight And our Sauiour at the marriage at
Greg. mor. l. 9. c. 28. Crimen non est in rebus sed in vsu ageâ—â—is is not in themselues but in them that vse them Which saying doth sort well with that of the Scripture Vnto the cleane all things are cleane And S. Ambrose Disâ—ant non in facultatibus crimen haerere sed in ijs qui vti nesciunt in Luc. 9. saith The fault is not in riches but in the ignorance of them that haue them not vsing them aright Therefore let no man reiect riches because some abuse them to sinne For riches and wealth to a good man are very comfortable and good blessings by reason he hath great meanes to doe good but to a bad man they are the cause of much euil because they minister more matter to his sinfull desire A man may warme him by a fire yet not burne himselfe in it so a rich man may moderately vse his riches and yet not hedge vp his way to happinesse take away the abuse and the vse of them is very good It is not riches that Christ and Paul condemne but the inordinate loue of them They are called in Scripture not onely gifts but benefits and rewards which God Deut. 2. 8. promised to bestow vpon them that serue him Therefore it is said God gaue Iob his wealth Iob 1. 21. c. 42. 10. and the Israelites their Corne Wine and oyle and multiplied Hos 2. 8. their siluer and gold hence they are called by the wisest of men the blessings of the Lord and promised Pro. 10. 22. that they shall bee in his house that feareth the Lord. Ps 112. 1 3. And hee hath bestowed this blessing vpon many of his Children as vpon Abraham Isaac Iacob Salomon that they might bee the better enabled to performe holy duties Therefore wee may lawfully pray for them if wee propose right ends to glorifie God with them and benefit his Church yet wee must submit our wills vnto Gods Will and that wee may so liue that wee may not bee chargeable to others but prouide for our selues and Children according to our seuerall places and conditions for if there bee any that prouideth noâ— 1 Tim. 5. 8. for his owne especially for those of his owne house such an one is worse then an Infidell and hath denied the faith As wee must doe good vnto all so especially to Gal. 6. 10. them that are most neare and dear vnto vs Ioseph sent meat to Gen. 43. 34 all his Brethren both according to the flesh and according to the faith but Beniamins Messe was fiue times as much as the rest of his brethren because hee loued him best so the care that wee should shew to our owne family should bee fiue times greater then for any body else for whom should a man loue better then his wife and Children When the famine was in Samaria the women cryed 2 Kin. 6. 35. vnto the King with their Children in their armes saying Helpe O King else wee perish for want of bread Now euery man in his owne family is a King whose office is not onely to make lawes but also to prouide necessaries for his subiects that they may liue in peace and quietnesse Therfore when want commeth into the family whither shall the Wife goe but to her Husband and the children but to their father Now if husbands bee carelesse to prouide for their Wiues Fathers for their Children what a lamentable cry will it be when they are in want when the Wife shall crie Husband giue vs bread or else we die and Children cry and say Father giue vs bread or else wee starve Now in this case what wil the carelesse Husband say to his deare Wife or the improuident Father to his poore Children he cannot say perhaps as the King said to the woman of Samaria Seeing the 2 Kin. 6. 27. Lord doth not helpe how can I when as the fault is in himselfe which hath pulled this misery vpon himselfe by his owne indiscretion and idle carriage in the course of his calling The good huswife is described by her carefulnesse not onely to prouide necessaries for her husband and Children but also for the maintenance of her whole family which depended vpon Pro. 31. 15. her and this care of necessaries must not onely be for time present but also for the time to come For parents are bound to prouide and to lay vp for their 2 Cor. 12. 14. ChildreÌ„ Therfore SalomoÌ„ describing a godly man sayes He shall Pro. 13. 22. giue an inheritance to his childrens children Therefore as it is the duty of a good man to take care for his own so also that he may bee able to relieue the poore for it is a more blessed thing to Act. 20. 35. giue then to receiue And our blessed Lord teacheth vs to pray for our dayly bread now what we desire in our prayers wee may labour for in our practice and as wee must seeke the Kingdome of GOD in the first place so in the second place wee may lawfully seeke for the things of this world that we may bee able to Rom. 13. 7. giue vnto Caesar the things which are Caesars and tribute to whom tribute belongeth and be able to bring vp our Children in learding wherby they may become seruiceable to the Church and Common wealth In these respects we may desire riches if God see them good for vs that we may honor him with them and become seruiceable to his Church and if hee doe blesse vs with riches we are to esteeme them as pledges of his loue and to manifest our thankefulnesse by obedience to his Commandements by walking humbly in our liues and conuersations both towards GOD and men For riches are good and the blessings of God Therfore woe vnto them that make them the instruments of damnation vnto themselues by not vsing them to his glory which gaue them but by abusing them to serue their owne lusts as the Israelites of old Which sate down 1 Cor. 10. 7 Ex. 32. 6. to eate and drinke and rose vp againe to play But howsoeuer though they are good in themselues as they are the blessings of God yet we must take heed we doe not ouer-value them in our iudgement and gripe them hard and close in our hands they are thornes and thornes are dangerous if they bee not carefully handled therefore let vs account them good seruants but bad masters no better then drosse and dung in respect of Christ for vnlesse God blesse sanctifie them to vs they wil doe vs little good Let vs therefore thrust them out from harbouring in our hearts and make them seruants to follow and obey vs and not lords to rule ouer vs. And if we want their company not to vse any vnlawfull means for the obtaining of them but still to esteeme them base in comparison of grace and the meanes of our saluation and to be content rather to lose theÌ„
was a confused Chaos so some shall liue to see it passe away as a scroule or squib in the Aire so also it is mutable in regard of vs who are changeable and subiect to alteration If the world could alwayes continue yet could not wee for one generation must passe Eccles 1. 4. Quod breuiter dâ—râ—t quis prudens quaerere curat away and another come in their place Then what wise man would set vp his rest vpon such an vncertaine place so vnable to doe vs good what is the world a vale of misery a sinke of sinne a Court of Sathan a purgatory of paine a mother to the wicked and a Step-dame to the godly where the proud are aduanced without desert and the vertuous oppressed without cause What is the world a second hell full of ambitious desires wicked wiles and deuillish intents a cruell Serpent that biteth vs with her teeth scratcheth vs with her nailes and swelleth vs with her poyson much like Laban who made poore Iacob serue seuen yeares for faire Rachel and in the end deceiued him with foule Leah Euen so dealeth the world with vs promising health wealth long life and in the end deceiueth vs with sicknesse pouertie and death What is the World her musicke is griefe sorrow shame and paine her wealth misery nothing is to be looked for in it but troubles following one another as Iobs messengers Some are pinched with pouerty and ouerwhelmed with misery some vexed with strife and contention some tortured w th sicknesse boyles and vlcers some amazed with crosses losses and the like some one way some another way in so much that if an old man should consider the dangers of his life from his birth to his graue he might wonder how he could bee able to endure so painfull a iourney What is the world no place to continue in all mankinde are either strangers or straglers 1 Pet. 2. 11 Heb. 11. 13 the godly they are Strangers and Pilgrimes so the godly haue confessed and the wicked they are Straglers howsoeuer they take their portion in this life yet at last they must away Psa 17. 14. Act. 1. 25. with Iudas to their owne home Then what a vaine thing is it to build vp Tabernacles of rest here of whose fauour and loue there can be no certaintie for the world it selfe is subiect to change looke vpon the earth it waxeth weake and feeble for age and therefore not so fruitfull as in times past looke vp to the heauens they are not free from mutabilitie the Sunne and the Moone haue their ecclipses the times vary chaÌ„ge one with another Summer with winter day with night looke vpon the world sometime it flourisheth and abounds with delights and seemes to be as the garden of God as Sodom and her neighbour Cities and presently turned into ashes Look vpon the Assyrian Babylonian Monarchy for a time Master of the world but at last was fain to yeeld to the Monarchy of the Medes Persians they at last were forced to stoop to the Grecians and they to submit to the Romanes So that wee see that the glory of the Nations was quickly laide in the dust And haue not wee liued to see many in our dayes which haue shined as the Starres which in a moment haue vanished away like a Comet haue not our eies beheld and our eares heard the setting of as glorious stars as euer shined in the World since the death of Iosiah I meane the setting of that glorious Princess of euerliuing memory Queene Elizabeth the Phoenix of her age whose name shall smell as precious as euer Maries oyntment in the nostrils of all true hearted English as also the going Dum tumu lum cernis our non mortalia sperâ—is downe of the Sunne of that prudeÌ„t learned godly prince King Iames of blessed memory who was in vertue excellent in glory renowned in gouernment politick remouing debate by diligent foresight filling our hearts with the fruit of peace yet for all this though they Quid valet hic mundus quid gloria quidue triumphus Sic transit gloria mundi were great in Gods fauour yet they died When God doth call Nature must obey Alexander that conquered the world could finde no weapon to conquer death Man in honour must not continue Brethren what meane you then to set vp your rest in such an vncertaine place What hath Christ redeemed you from the world and will you bee partners with the deuill in possessing it it wil shortly passe away perish before your eies and yet will you make it your God What madnesse is it to repose hope felicity in that which is nothing els but troubles to our bodies disquietnes to our minds inticements of vice to our children seedes of enuy to our neighbours the bait of sinne the snare of the soule and the gate of death The world is like vnto Salomons harlot that layes open her breasts to intice Trauellers and Strangers the two Dugs whereof are profit and pleasure with the first shee deales like Hypomanes and Attalanta who being to runne a race for a kingdome Hypomanes casting a ball of gold on this side and that side so besotted Attalanta that for to gaine the gold she lost the victory so doth the world mis-lead the gold desiring Merchant With the second the world deales like Cyrces who alluring Grillus to taste of her drugs made him so drunke with the pleasure thereof as that he neither remembred the dignitie of his person nor sight of his Country so deales the world with the pleasurable worldling But of this point we haue spokeÌ„ enough yet for all this so linckt in league are wee with the world that we can bee content to hazzard our saluation for the vncertaine inioying of it If we look vpon the rich Giants of the world which ioyne house to house and land to land to maintaine their proud backes golden heads and dainty throats they haue power to get riches policie to keepe them and time to possesse them but they want hearts to vse them they build great and gorgious houses as if they should liue for euer and surfeit themselues with dainty diet as if they should die to morrow hauing lesse charitie to the poore then the Deuill he desired to haue stones turned into bread but they turne Beefe and bread which was wont by the charity of the godly to feed the poore these they turne into stones to raise vp their Babel and into Silkes and Veluets to maintain them in their brauery and so by this means they haue almost brought the Common-wealth into ruine for there was neuer good house kept by Gentlemen since the Tailer measured their lands by the yard for now while they striue to aduance themselues on high they fearefully plunge their soules in misery But woe to such fat Buls of Bashan without speedy repentance they shall bee turned into hell and al the people that forget God
then Pudeat tanto bona velle caduca Manil. l. 4. Oh be asham'd so much your hearts to stay On things so fraile that swiftly passe away Thus much of the former point propounded the vanity and insufficiencie of the world and all worldly things the second followes the excellency of the soule the loue whereof should make vs basely to esteeme of all worldly things and to count them no better then dung in respect of Christ for Riches as we haue heard are transitory and will beguile vs Honours are slippery and will deceiue vs and the world is Moath-eaten and weares away and we our selues are brittle and so shall perish then what is a man profited if he gaine the world and lose his owne soule In which words wee may obserue againe these particulars 1. A comparison of the price with the thing prized the price is amplified by the subiect matter thereof which is the soule 2. By the propinquitie and proprietie it is his owne soule more worth then all the world which must continue when all these transitory things must passe away and that which shal eternally rue the bargaine for what is the earth to heauen and what can the world profit when the soule is plunged in Hell where it can neither mitigate paine nor purchase redemption 2. The irrecouerablenesse of the losse what shall a man giue for the exchange of his soule There is nothing in the world sufficient so precious is the redemption of the soule The Psal 49. 8. words are expressed by a metaphor borrowed from captiue prisoners supprised or taken in warre which were wont to bee redeemed by money or else by exchange of one prisoner for another but if that cruell Pyrat Sathan haue taken vs prisoners we are past hope of recouery there is no redemption then what is a man profited if he gaine the world and lose his owne soule Doct. The note of obseruation which offers it selfe to our consideration is this That men ought not principally to respect this life onely but that their chiefest care and labour should bee to get their soules saued in the day of the Lord. To this we are exhorted by our Sauiour to labour for the Iohn 6. 37. Luk. 13. 24 meate that endureth for euer and to striue to enter in at the Mat. 7. 13. strait Gate Now striuing wee know is an action of labour teaching vs that it requires great paines and diligence for many shall seeke to enter in and shall not bee able And the Apostle exhorts vs to giue all diligence to make our calling and Election sure and hee tels vs of the benefit that will follow If ye doe these things you shall neuer fall This hath been the practise of Gods Children to presse toward Phil. 3. 14. the marke for the high Calling of God in Christ and this is a marke of triall for the Saints if they be risen with Christ to seek Col. 3. 1. Phil. 3. 20. the things which are aboue and to haue their conuersation in heauen And therefore hee would haue as many as bee perfect to bee thus vers 15. minded This is also a point of wisedome which our Sauiour would haue vs learne to make vs friends of the Mammon Luke 16. 9. of vnrighteousnesse and promised a reward to him that Reu. 3. 21. ouercommeth he shall sit with him on his Throne and a Crowne of life to those that continue Reu. 2. 10. faithfull to the death Reason 1 Ground of this truth is Effiieâ—s â— qua 1. In regard of the excellency of the soule which is seene in the worke of Creation for therein all the causes did concurre for the perfecting of it 1. The efficient and supreme cause is God himselfe which he hath reserued to himselfe as his Eccle. 12. 7 owne Royalty 2. The Materiall cause was 2. Materia eâ— qua not the rude Chaos and base slime of the earth as was the body made of neither was it made of the pure Gold of Ophir but as if there were nothing precious enough in heauen and in earth it is said the Lord breathed it out of his mouth 3. The formall cause it was 3. Forma per quam Gen. 1. 27. Eph. 4. 24. made after the Image of God resembling him in Holinesse Wisdome and Righteousnesse 4. The finall cause that it 4. Finis propter quem 1 Cor. 6. 19. might be the temple of God and an habitation for his Spirit 2. The excellency of the soule is seene in the worke of Redemption for the soules sake Christ laid aside his Robes of glory was made man and endured Phil. 2. 7. so much misery shame in his life and so much torment and sorrow at his death and all 1 Pet. 1. 18 to redeeme the soule with no lesse price then the Blood of Act. 20. 28 the Sonne of God 3. The excellency of the soule appeares by Sathans malice who goes about like a roring 1 Pet. 5. 6. Reâ— 12. 7. Lyon seeking to deuour it he hath not such a spight to our wealth our learning cunning or credit though he loue none of those things which are good and comfortable to vs as hee hath to our soules and the graces of Gods Spirit in vs. Was it Iobs wealth he so much enuied or did he sift him because he was a rich man No nothing grieued him so much as to see Iob continue in his vprightnesse therefore hee laboured by all meanes to crosse him in his estate and torment him in his body that he might moue him to despaire or else to blaspheme that thereby hee might destroy his soule so also hee shewes himselfe an aduersary to all Gods Children crossing Zach. 3. 1. them in their suites which they make to God or else defiles their prayers by ming ling hypocrisie and vaine glory with their best sacrifices 4. The excellency of the soule is also seene by the ministery of the Angels which are euer about the godly men to deliuer them from danger and are about their beds in sicknesse and at the day of death like swift Postes to carry their soules into Abrahams bosome Reason 2 2. Ground of this truth is because as the soule is the most excellent part of man so the losse of it is the greatest losse in the world and therefore our Sauiour addes What shall a man giue for the exchange of his soule intimating vnto vs that the world and worldly things are not able to make recompence and satisfaction for the losse of the soule Vse 1 Is the soule so excellent then be exhorted to vse all meanes that it may be saued part with liberty life al rather then thy soule We see worldly men wil endure any trouble and take any paines for to gaine preferment they will hazzard their liues abide hunger and cold take long and tedious iournies and diue into the bowels of the earth to satisfie their longing
desire for the things of this earth which can stand by them no longer then their liues yet saies the Poet Impiger extremâ—s â—urrit Mercator ad Indos If riches may be had in India Turkie or any other places though neuer so dangerous yet the greedy worldling will venture his life rather then he will goe without them The husbandman what pains and care will hee take rising early and going to bed late for the things of this life faring hard and going thin sparing from back and belly to aduance himselfe in the world what tortures and troubles and paines will a sicke man endure for to gaine health he will be contented to haue a legge or an arme cut and lanced to preserve and gain health he wil endure fretting tents and corroding plaisters and depriue himselfe of pleasure nay many times he wil be content the endure the cutting off of his legge arme or other of his members for the preseruing of the health of his body If Naaman can recouer 2 Kin. 5. 17 helpe for his Leprosie hee will spare for no cost Oh how carefull are men for their bodies and states but how carelesse for their soules they will be sure to looke to their estates and make them sure by good aduice from their learned Counsell but for their soules they take little or no care Oh how ought we to break out into teares for the carelesnesse of our owne saluation what a Childhood and youth haue we spent in ignorance and vanitie and how carelesse haue wee beene to serue God and saue our soules Nay what enemies haue wee beene to our owne saluation what filthy and vncleane thoughts haue wee harboured in our hearts what filthy words haue we vttered w th our tongues how often haue we sworne lyed blasphemed God and taken his name in vaine how often haue our hearts disdained and enuied not only our Superiours whom wee should haue honoured but also scorned and despised our Inferiours equals whom we should haue loued and respected as our selues how haue we spent our daies in ignorance of God and of our owne fearfull estate spending our daies in idlenesse pride and all manner of prophanenesse presumption of Gods mercy and turning his grace into wantonnesse grieuing his Spirit and wounding our owne consciences how should the consideration hereof cause vs to powre forth our soules in godly sorrow before the Lord because we haue offended our Maker sinned against our Redeemer grieued the Holy Spirit wronged our Neighbours and so haue deserued damnation and to be cast out from the presence of the Lord for euer and as we haue cause to weepe and mourne for our sinnes and for that wee haue neglected the care of our owne saluation so also we are to mourne and lament to see others so carelesse of their saluation some sell their soules some carelesly lose them 1. Some sell them as Ahab and as some wrangling and corrupt Lawyers which haue Linguam venalem a tongue to bee sould which for a paltrie fee will many times stretch his conscience by maintaining a false cause or marring a good to the vndoing of his Neighbour Mistake me not I speake not of all Lawyers for some are conscionable and iust in their proceedings The couetous man hath Animam venalem a soule to sell for the base thick clay of this world which cannot bee redeemed with all the world So the voluptuous man he sels his soule for pleasure as Esau did his Birth-right esteeming more the pleasures of sinne which last but for a season then the saluation of his soule The proud man hee sells his soule for aduancement as Alexander the sixt for the Popedome GOD he commands vs in the first Commandement to haue no other Gods but him alone yet the proud man will make Honour his god the couetous man the wedge of gold his god the voluptuous man his belly his god The first of Phâ—l 3. 19. Iohannis de Combis compen theol lib. 5. cap. 10. these as one well saith hath his Idoll in the Ayre the second on the earth the third in the water 2. Some lose their soules as the carnall Gospellers who thinke if they be not guilty of the crying sinnes of Sodome nor Gen. 18. 20 Isa 1. 18. of the crimson sinnes of Israel nor of the bitter sinnes of Simon Magus they thinke they are in good case though their liues abound with ignorance and prophanenesse and their soules with manie infirmities their liues with many deformities which they take no notice of Alas poore soules what good will it doe you at the great day of account when man cannot iustly charge with crime when God and your owne conscience knowes you want the wedding garment of faith it is not sufficient to bee cleansed from the one vnlesse ye bee furnished with the other else being weighed in the Dan. 5. 27. ballance of Gods Iustice yâ—e shall be found too light Others lose their soules by trifling away their time like idle people in the market while other are buying they stand gaping after the sinfull vanities of the world and thinke if they doe as their Neighbours do come to Church although it be for fashions sake they are in very good case though all this while their mindes roue and wander after their worldly businesse and so for want of watchfulnesse they betray their soules into Sathans hands and wrap themselues vnder that curse of doing the worke of the Lord negligently Others so liue that vnlesse all be saued it is impossible but they shall be damned because they loue like and continue in their miserable estate of nature being so chained in their sinnes and iniquities that they cannot stir one foot to heauen-ward yet for all this they doe not consider their miserable state and condition that they are slaues to sinne for whosoeuer Iohn 8. 34. Eph. 2. 3. committeth sinne is the seruant of sinne and his seruants ye are to Rom. 6. 16 whom ye obey Nay by nature we are the children of wrath and heires of hell and bound ouer to the curse of the law Gal. 3. 10 Deut. 27. 2 6. and so lyable to all crosses and calamities at our death to be haled by Sathan into Hell This fearefull and miserable condition is farre worse then the bondage of Turkes and BarbariaÌ„s for theirs though it be cruell yet it extends but to the body and cannot hurt the soule the most that Tyrants can doe is but to take away our liues and depriue vs of our liberty but this bondage is spirituall and depriues vs of Gods Image in our soules In the other there may be possibility of escaping that miserable bondage either by feare force or fauour or at least-wise our paines may bee mittigated if not death will set vs free but in this boÌ„dage as we are vnable to set our selues free so wee are vnwilling to be freed and are the greatest enemies to our owne saluation for