for the sinne of man yet like the Sheepe before the Shearer hee opened not his month and how then dwels the patience of CHRIST in us Lastly if wee put off the chiefe care of our Soule till the last houre our prayer our repentance and strict examination of our wayes and thinke in the meane while that a Lord Lord a formall devotion will suffice we know that CHRIST spent whole nights in prayer and in the anguish of his soule and that for the sense of our sinnes sweat even drops of blood and how then dwelleth the devotion of CHRIST in us Those are quaeres able to startle a good soule and surely would we let passe those deceivable examples which from the frailties of men too indulgently oft-times we propose unto our selves this man will doe thus and that man thus and strive more nearly to square our actions according to this infallible patterne in my Text a world of sinnes there are wherewith the World through custome is now almost uncontroullably full fraught which we should then be as farre from any desire to commit as now I feare we are from any intent to amend and having receiv'd at first though but a sparke of grace wee should in time so kindle and inflame it as that like IOHN Baptist it might prove a burning and a shining light by which light we might then easily discover our owne happinesse and say with IOB Now I know that my Redeemer liveth But some men perhaps will heere reply as the Patient once did to the Physitian prescribing him to keepe a good dyet if I had meant saith hee to keepe a good dyet I should never have need to come to you for Physicke pray tell me how I may keepe an ill dyet and not bee sicke so you will say perhaps wee al know already what good wee must doe and what grace we must have that we may be saved but pray tell us what evils we may doe and what grace wee may want and yet bee saved May we not sweare a little ryot a little and if our beloved sinne bee but little one may not our soule flye thither and yet live But first I pray tell mee what sinne is there which any man dareth cal little which without repentāce is great heavie and enough to weigh him down to Hell Indeed so great is the mercy of God as that we finde a pardon oft times given to great sinnes but where ever doe wee finde before-hand a dispensation given to the least God sometime upon the fore-sight of our repentance antedates his pardon Thy sinne is forgiven thee saith Nathan unto DAVID though it is thought the solemne repentance for this sinne was afterwards perform'd but shall we therefore upon the fore-intendment of our repentance antedate our sin Surely if you would give me a house full of gold I dare not tell you so For this quaere is as if a man should aske how high may I fall downe headlong before I breake nay necke or how often may I stabbe my self before I be wounded unto death Surely because a little wound oftimes proveth dangerous or at leastwise full of paine a wise man will not rashly cut his skin and if skin for skin and all that a man hath hee will give for his life how diligent and tender ought to bee every mans care for his owne soule Quae insania est Salvian ad Eccles Cathol lib. 2. ut non quanta potes omnino facias cum ignores penitus quid tibi competat ad salutem What madnesse is it for a man not to take the best care he can for his soule when as he knowes that after all the care which he can take even the Righteous shall scarce bee saved Let us not then presume to inquire how farre we may suffer sin to abound Be we never so carefull to suppresse it sinne will abound too farre but aske rather how farre must grace more abound to obteyne the forgivenesse of our sinne and when we see what high patternes of obedience are every where in holy Scripture propos'd unto our imitation the perfection of the Father the grace of the Sonne the fellowship of the Holy Ghost the Communion of Saints and Angels may these great examples dayly inlarge our indeavours and as long as wee can never hope to doe what wee ought let us never cease to doe what we may Now then to draw all to a conclusion We reade in this Chapter of a two fold fulnesse in CHRIST there is a fulnesse of truth and a fulnesse of grace fulnesse of truth wee have reveal'd in holy Scripture and from hence truth for truth wee are able to communicate each to others but fulnesse of grace this is Gods praerogative which he reserves onely to himselfe and grace for grace what man ever durst take upon him to bestow Fulnesse of truth is the religion of the soule furnisheth the eye the eare the tongue the head but fulnesse of grace this is the soule of our religion and drawes all unto the heart fulnesse of truth it is a diligent MARTHA and provideth many commendable things but fulnesse of grace this is the devout MARY and bringeth the maine necessary part this is the pearle which though wee should sell all that we have to buy will buy a thousand times more then wee can sell this is the oyle which cheereth the countenance the wine which makes glad the heart of man and with a good conscience keepeth a continuall feast This is comes in via pro vehiculo the most gentile and faithfull companion in the world which whē wealth when honor whē strength when wit when speech when sense when life it selfe shall faile will yet never leave us nor forsake us I beseech you then as wee cannot but all thankfully acknowledge that we have already receiv'd the religion of the soule truth for truth let us dayly implore from Heaven the soule of our Religion grace for grace grace upon grace even the grace of our Lord IESVS CHRIST that having given us an understanding head hee would bee pleas'd to create in us a new heart and renew a right spirit within us that when with the sighes and groanes of this spirit from the bottome of this heart we shall call and cry unto him Abba Father hee may graciously make answer from Heaven I will be unto thee a Father and thou shalt bee to me a Sonne Amen Serm. IV THE FOVRTH SERMON ECCLES 12.1 Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth WHen I read the saying of St. IOHN My little Children this is the last time the time saith St. PAVL even of the end of the world consider withal that it is now neare 1600 yeares ago since this caveat was first given surely me thinks wee that live at the end of this end at the last period of this last time have now great cause together with the end of the world evē daily to bethink our selves of our own end and
I will kill thy Children with death to the Church of Thyatira Now when we seriously consider what our SAVIOUR sayth Hee that reades these things let him understand and what St. IOHN hath added Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare what the Spirit saith to the seaven Churches for the case of these Churches is a leading case for all the Churches of the World Let us remember that all these things have been said and done to serve as ensamples unto us That since the reformation of our Church great have been the manifestations of Gods mercy great peace great plenty and that which is greater then all this great salvation in the free and sincere dispensation of the great mysteries of Godlinesse wee cannot but all thankfully acknowledge And if my observation as certaine it is be true that great judgments attend great mercies upon the neglect of so great Salvation that great Visitations will ensue wee cannot but be afraid But yet it is not for mee to tell you the times and seasons of those judgements which God hath reserved in his owne power For as the exhalations arising from the Earth and Seas wee all know to bee the cause of those clouds which produce raine and stormes yet no man dares take upon him to assure That this day or this houre it will raine or this moneth this yeare will bee a great flood So though wee know the exhalations of our sinnes rayse clouds of separation betweene GOD and us yet how long these clouds will be gathering together before they produce a generall storme it exceeds the apprehension of man to be able to determine And indeed hitherto whether in the course of our Religion in this last Age there have been ebbes or flowes whether wee have increast or diminisht the talents God hath given us though many men rashly take upon them to give judgement yet I think it is not so easie a matter to decide And because in this argument every man almost presumes to spend his conjecture I hope the commonnesse of the Presumption will excuse me if I shall discover mine And for my part I am perswaded that there is no such iniquity in Iacob no such transgression in our Israel no such transgression exceeding the transgressions of our Fathers even in the best times that can be nam'd that for this reason wee should have any more cause then they to feare that God who hath hitherto come graciously to us with his Love should now shortly bend his bow and whet his Sword and come upon us with the Rod. Necessary I confesse it is that with the declaring of GODS just judgements unto sinners wee should often threaten and humble the Soules of men but yet so farre to dishearten the Lords people with the feare of generall imminent visitations as to bring them into dislike of the Church and State wherein they live to occasion them to remove by hundreds and thousands into remote and desolate parts of the world as if they could any where bee more safe then where they are surely this is a point of zeale strain'd so farre beyond discretion that I am perswaded GOD himselfe doth not approve it 'T is possible I confesse on the one side to daube with untempered morter and say Peace peace when there is no peace but on the other side let mee tell you 'T is not impossible for men to make ZEDECHIAS hornes and say Thus and thus shall the Lord push when the Lord hath not sent them and thereby as the Prophet complaines make the heart of the righteous sad Ezech. 13.22 whom the LORD hath not made sad For mine own part as long as wee are not able and blessed be GOD that wee are not able to demonstrate the like sinnes of Idolatry cruelty injustice and oppression wherwith God by all the Prophets chargeth his people Israel before ever hee threatens to come and visit them I cannot be perswaded that any man hath just warrant to denounce the like judgements against us And thus farre have I declar'd my selfe not that I would flatter the Times or footh men up in theyr transgressions for wee know that every day God for single sinners hath single visitations though the great and terrible day of his Wrath be never so farre off What because wee feare not any judgement on the whole Land shall any Sinner therefore not be afraid of judgement on himself This is as if a Soldier in the warres thinking himselfe safe from the Cannon should therefore desperatly runne upon a volly of small shot when as we know a little Pistoll will kill a man as well as a great Ordnance But thus much have I spoken for three causes First that I might advise men to bee more wary in theyr comparative invectives against Sinne. For cry aloud and spare not tell Iudah of his sinnes and Israel of his transgressions but shall wee therefore to the heavie prejudice of the government of the State and if the imputation were true to the inexcusable dishonour of our owe profession to whose charge the Soules of men are committed if we that are appointed to build up shall suffer them to fall downe shall wee therefore say never more sinne never more transgression never more feare of CHRISTS comming unto Iudgement For who hath kept a booke of remembrance who knowes how oft wee have offended or who knowes how oft out Fathers have offended Nay who knowes but that GOD may bee offended for want of our thankfulnesse for the increase of his grace and favor toward us which we will not be perswaded to acknowledge Secondly that I might a little moderate the zeale and passions of men For as wee are equally beholding to the motion and influence of the Moone if that bee the second cause sometime for withdrawing the waters to an ebbe as well as sometime for raising them up unto a flood so surely it is as commendable an act though not so popular sometime to allay the affections of men when they begin to overflow as well as sometime to raise and stirre them up when they are at a low ebbe And indeed if the minds of men bee once strongly perswaded that daylie the World growes worse and worse every man will take upon him to finde out the cause and cōmendable it were would they only conceive in generall that the Imaginations of the heart of Man were continually proner and proner unto evill but when they presume to goe on unto particulars and one pointeth at the Doctrine another at the discipline of the Church one at the government another at the Governours both in Church and Common-wealth this is that which in time may bring all unto confusion and with their owne hands help to pluck downe those Iudgments which they pretend to be most carefull to keepe off when as if the minds of men were perswaded better things and such as accompany salvation would they beleeve that it is with our Religion as with our wealth though many
qui non habet omnia Hieron Dialog advers Paelageum non condemnatur ex eo quod non habet sed justificatur ex eo quod possidet And hee that wants the eminencie in himselfe of many a commendable vertue in another man shall not bee condemn'd for what hee hath not but justified rather for what hee hath Vnum iter Hieron Epist 11. ad Ageruchiam at perveniendi quò cupias multa compendia For though there bee but one high-way to Heaven yet there are many pathes therein IOHN BAPTIST came neyther eating nor drinking the Sonne of man came eating and drinking and yet both came the right way Surely then the way to Heaven is not so narrow but that in respect of the different expressions of one and the same Grace wee may walke thither as well hand in hand as step after step To give you a quicke instance in the present affection of many vertuous and good men For as no man is so farre to sequester himselfe from the publique affaires of Church and Commonwealth but even in the most private condition is to labour and pray that we may all leade a peaceable and quiet life in all godlinesse and honesty to joy or grieve according as the happie or unhappie successe of things shall minister just cause So I perswade my self many thousands there are of piously devoted men some who mourne to behold the streames of ungodlinesse over-flowing the Soules of a world of men and how farre the best come short of the perfection of that Holinesse whereto the sinceritie of that Truth which wee professe directs us and yet some againe who doe rejoyce to see amidst a crooked and froward generation how many names there are yet every where given up unto GODS service to see the free and sincere acknowledgement of that Sacred truth the zealous and painfull dispensation whereof daily produceth happie effects of righteousnesse and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost more perhaps then in five times so great a circuit in any part of the whole Christian world And surely what ever for what causes soever may be our owne apprehension of our own condition when time shall have buried all these small occasions in forgetfulness Posterity will live to make an honourable remembrance even of these dayes of ours which our ingratitude can now hardly mention but with spleene Now then shall hee that mournes say Woe be to you that rejoyce Or shall hee that rejoyceth despise the sorrow of the mourner No surely are they not both Brethren why then should they strive Godly joy and godly sorrow they are but Grace for grace both different effects of one and the same Spirit As then upon the view of the second Temple the Story tels us many wept with a loud voyce and many showted aloud for Ioy all equally affected to the good and welfare of that State so now whether we mourne for the happiness wee want or joy in the present happinesse we doe injoy let us give each to other the right hand of fellowship and in our daily Prayers salute both Church and State in the language of my Text and say Grace grace unto them Againe as in divers men there are different kinds of Grace so different degrees too there are Babes and there are men in CHRIST and there is milke for babes and strong meat for men For the Church of GOD saith St. PAVL is like to a great house and in a great house there are not onely vessels of gold and silver but vessels of wood and earth Now as in zeale we are all to indeavour to be made of the best mettle so in charity wee are to hope well of the worst too lest the vessell of silver while it smites against the vessell of clay striving to breake that may bruise it selfe Spiritus Dei super aquas ferebatur Hieron Ocean cap 3. nascentem mundum partunebat The Spirit of God mov'd not onely upon the high Heavens but the low waters too and as we read in the Creation that God call'd the light Day and the darkenesse Night yet when hee joynes them both together the denomination followes the better part and the Evening and the Morning make a Day so in the Soules of many men though there be evening as well as morning darkenesse as well as light though there bee great disobedience if there be great repentance too Such is the goodnesse of Almighty GOD as that the darknesse shall be swallowed up of light and the Evening and the Morning make a Day Where GOD sowes plentifully hee expects plenty and where hee sowes sparingly hee is content sparingly to reape for five Talents perhaps he would not have been pleas'd with the increase of foure more and yet for two hee accepts two For as the Church of GOD is like IACOBS ladder though none but Angels climbe it yet there are some ascending some descending some above some below and all upon the Ladder so the Grace of GOD it is like Manna in the Wildernesse So strict an exactor is hee of the utmost of all that wee can doe as that hee that gathers much ZACHARIE and ELIZABETH who all theyr life long feared GOD and walked blameless shall have nothing over no workes of Supererrogation no Treasure for the Church and yet so mercifull is hee unto those on whom he will have Mercy as that hee that gathers little the Thiefe upon the Crosse not till his last houre bethinking himselfe of his last end though hee take up but a short Memento Remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdome shall have no lacke Let not him then that is now reaching the top of the Ladder despise him who perhaps is yet but on his knees humbly creeping to the foot Let not the tall Cedar who once himselfe hee knoweth was but a broken Reede for what hath hee which hee hath not received let him not fall heavie on the smoaking Flax. For even babes in CHRIST they are the children of GOD and may live to become Men and where the stomacke is not able to digest strong meate life a while may bee maintain'd with milk You know what a smart answer our SAVIOVR gave St. PETER whē partly out of good will he was but a little inquisitive after IOHN Master what shall hee doe What 's that to thee follow thou mee Surely then what excuse shall wee make who not onely by way of inquisition but by way of censure and despaire as any mans life and actions nay such is the touchinesse of this waspish age but his opinion onely shall but a little thwart us presently wee give him over with a Lord what shall become of this man when as indeed the conscience of our owne infirmities might farre better busie our meditations to inquire Lord what shall become of mee and I could wish that golden sentence of the Heathen were imprinted in the heart of every Christian Optimum ego et emendat issimum existimo Plin.
the first of the Acts Lord wilt thou not now restore the Kingdome or the Kingdome of Heaven unto Israel meaning thereby such a felicitie in this life whereby they hop't to enjoy a little heaven upon earth and this seemeth to bee one maine reason of MARIES excessive joyes and salutations now at length shee hop'd the Kingdome would bee restored the Thrones erected the Houses and Lands divided upon the false apprehension of which imaginarie happinesse our SAVIOVR thus gently correcteth and informeth her Touch mee not Be not therefore overjoy'd with my presence doe not for this cause so zealously imbrace mee as if I were now risen to restore the Kingdome unto Israel for my Kingdome I have told you is not of this world but as I am now risen from the grave so must I shortly ascend from the earth too to ascend to Heaven unto my Father and there is the place of your true happinesse there are the mansions which I am going to prepare and therefore now arise and that my brethren may not deceive themselves with the like worldly expectations Goe tell them that I ascend unto my Father And indeed very remarkable it is that however our Saviour after his rising from the dead intended to stay forty dayes before his ascension up to Heaven to certifie and publish the truth of his Resurrection to recollect the distracted thoughts of his Disciples yet in all his apparitions hee discovereth himselfe strangely and by starts in one forme to MARY in another to the two Disciples cōmeth sodainly to their astonishment while the doores are shut and after some short conference leaveth them as much amaz'd and vanisheth out of their sight and heere you see MARY hath scarce leasure to bid him welcome but presently he is ready to bid her farewell And all this was done that by thus strangely appearing it might manifestly appeare that therefore he declin'd the frequence and concourse of the people therefore he refrain'd the reiterating of his plausible miracles therefore he withdrew himselfe from the familiarity even of his owne brethren that hee might draw their mindes from that strong intention wherewith they were fastened on things earthly that he might let them understand that hee was not now risen to restore the Kingdome unto Israel and then afterwards as they perhaps might imagine dye againe but that as St. PAVL saith beeing raised from the dead hee might dye no more death might have no more dominion over him for in that he dyed he dyed unto sinne once but that he liveth he liveth unto God liveth not to continue upon earth but to ascend to Heaven unto his Father and therefore now Touch me not saith he Set not your affections on things below but seeke those things which are above And thus much for the Interpretation of my Text I come now to commend some observations to our selves First then when we see after so many heavenly instructions the earthly-mindednesse of Mary that so are her thoughts fixt upon things below and for this cause so is shee overjoy'd with the presence of her Master as that hee is forc'd with a gentle checke to reprove her indiscretion Touch mee not This may teach us as St. IOHN hath already made the application to our hand that we love not love not too well the world nor the things of the world that in our prayers and desires we bee not too solicitous Would I had this House this Land this Wealth this Honour lest beeing guilty of the same errour wee may bee subject to the same censure and seeme to heare from Heaven a Noli me tangere doe not for this cause Touch me doe not importune mee It is a memorable answer of our SAVIOVR when the Mother made that ambitious request Grant that my two Sonnes may sit one at thy right hand and another at thy left hand in thy Kingdome Are you able saith he to drinke of the Cup that I shall drinke of and to bee baptized with the baptisme that I shall be baptized with not with the baptisme of water and the spirit but with blood and Martyrdome the more pleasing and honourable are the conditions she desireth the more harsh and unpleasant are the conditions he proposeth as indeed there is nothing more frequent with God then to answer the desires of men by contraries because they are contrary oft times to that main end which we should all desire the good and welfare of our soules And thogh we al know Not many noble not many rich but Blessed rather are the poore blessed are you when you suffer persecution yet we are all out of a sensual love to our selves too prone to presse God with that request of IABEZ O that thou wouldst blesse me indeed and inlarge my coasts and that thy hand might be with mee and that thou wouldst keepe me from evill that it may not hurt me so that God knowing better how to give then wee know how to aske as oft-times in his anger he granteth our requests so oft-times again in his love denieth them male usurus eo quod vult accipere Aug. in Iohan. Tract 73. deo potius miserante non accipit and such things which hee foreseeth wee aske to our owne hurt he granteth us a favor in not granting them When BALAAM tempted with the rewards of divination brought unto him by the Princes of Balack was desirous to goe and to curse Israel and for this cause ask't counsell of God the first answere he receiveth is a Noli me tangere Touch me not doe not intreat me for thou shalt not goe with them Thou shalt not curse this people for they are blessed But upon the second message when Balack sendeth more Princes and more honorable with promise to promote him and grant what ever he should ask he commeth the second time to God and then because hee was so earnest Rise up saith God and goe with them but presently we read that the anger of the Lord was kindled against him because hee went and wee finde him branded by St. Peter with the perpetuall ignominie of loving the wages of unrighteousnesse for the love wherof we read afterward that even by the hand of Israel for whose slaughter he was so ready to bee hyred himself was slain Nūb. 31. Thus oft times upon the covetous desires of worldly blessings God puts men off by the directiō of his word by the motiōs of his spirit with a Touch me not do not for these things so earnestly solicite me for that which you hope will raise you may chance to be your ruine But yet if with an impetuous affection the heart be so strong fixt that it wil not be removed he giveth them their harts desire and according to the largenesse of their heart suffereth them to inlarge their estate and make their gaine their godlines and now in a sensuall jollity when indeed they are most curst are they forward most to blesse themselves with a Soule take thy
not onely for feare of our day of death but out of some respect also even unto the day of judgment with the wife Virgins to begin betimes to prepare oyle ready for our lamps seriously oft times to catechise our soules w th the like question of the Psalmist Wherwithall shal a yong man clense his wayes and make answer with my Text Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth In the handling of which words three things I shall breefly commend unto you First I will propose some reasons and motives to perswade the young man to be thus mindfull of his Creator Secondly I will remove those excuses which all youth for the most part are ready to pretend for the neglect of this duty Lastly I will close up all with some short and usefull remembrances which may serve to imprint and fasten this so necessary duty into the meditation and practise of our Soules In the handling whereof though I have here a young man onely to remember yet you shall see no age shall be forgotten to begin then with the first Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth and even for this cause in the dayes of thy youth because thou knowest not whether ever thou shalt live till thou art old For the life of man it is as a Shadow and our dayes are now but a spanne long nay even this short measure as by sad experience wee have too frequent triall wee see so much contracted as that wee injoy oft-times but some few inches even of this Spanne neither Few and evill are the dayes of our Pilgrimage heere on earth have wee now more reason to complaine then IACOB had Now because our dayes are evill wee had need to remember our Creator to amend them because few we were best doe it quickly lest we forgetting him he may prove too mindfull of us and in his justice cut off those few dayes of ours wherein wee have beene so evill as not to flie unto his Mercy And hence is it I should think that St. IOHN in his first Epistle doth so often stile the Saints of GOD by the name of little Children My little Children these things I write unto you Little children keepe your selves from Idols little children it is the last time not onely to expresse his fatherly and tender affection over them with whom like PAVL hee did even goe in travaile till CHRIST should bee formed in them not onely to teach them gentlenesse and humility and that hee that will enter into the Kingdome of Heaven must first stoop to the confession of the Psalmist LORD I am not high minded but even as a Child weaned from his Mothers breast so doe I behave my selfe but even in this respect also to let us understand by reason of the shortnesse and uncertainty of the life of man that even from our Childhood wee are to be trayn'd up with the childe SAMVEL to minister unto the Lord girt with a linnen Ephod while our garments are yet white and spotlesse that both Body and Soule too may as it were hand in hand grow up from strength to strength till of Children wee become perfect Men and atteyne unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of CHRIST For wee are all by Nature the children of wrath all lyable to those everlasting chaynes prepared for the Divell and his Angels and as long as this state continueth wee may complaine with REBECCA I am weary of my life and wee may sit downe with IOB and curse the day that wee were borne in and can we then think any time too soone to begin to make an agreement with our adversary by the way by our Prayer our repentance our faith in the washing of the Bloud of IESVS get the hand-writing of tne Law cancell'd and washt off that as with PAVL and SILAS in the Prison our fetters may fall away and of the children of wrath we may be redeem'd into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of GOD. For was it not madnesse in PHARAOH when as the Frogges were now swarming in the Land in his Court in his Bedchamber in his bosome and MOSES came kindly to him and when sayth hee shall I intreat for thee to destroy these Frogs was it not madnesse I say to put him off and bid him come To morrow Surely wee would thinke even but that one nights torture hee would have redeem'd rather though with the one halfe of his Kingdome and are not our Sinnes as noysome companions as those unwelcome guests of his When then our conscience like Moses shall say unto our Soules when shall I intreat the Lord to destroy these sinnes should wee not be more mad then Pharaoh did we reply To morrow no To day if you will heare his voyce harden not your hearts For the life of man as it is sweet so it is short too and though but one onely way wee have into the world yet many out Whether this or that shall be our end whether sooner or later it shall come this is a secret which GOD hath purposely reserv'd unto himself that so wee may ever be prepared for that from which we can never be secure Let us not then put off necessary duties to uncertaine times let us not turne Prodigals in our youth in hope of I know not how many yeares are yet to come to cry Peccavi in our age For what know wee but that even in the midst of our jollitie when we shall say unto our soule Take thy ease and be merry what know wee but that even then we may be arrested with a Thou foole this night shall thy Soule be taken from thee and then as the Tree falls so it must lye Quid enim saeculi potest esse diuturnum Ambros in Luc. lib. 4. cap. 5. cum ipsa saecula non sint diuturna For why should wee presume of our life or any thing else to continue long in this world when as the world it self hath not long to continue Secondly Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy Youth because though thou wert sure to live and wert resolv'd to sinne when thou art young yet thou art not sure to repent when thou art old and therefore why shouldst thou venture on a certaine disease upon so uncertaine a remedy For the Grace of GOD it is like the Poole of Bethesda and cureth but at set times and therefore with the Cripples in the Gospell we must waite all opportunities and call upon the name of the LORD not when our selves at leysure shall bee pleas'd to seeke after him but when hee in his mercy will vouchsafe to be found of us Indeed some Examples wee finde in holy Scripture of men who have made but a short passage unto Heaven and having not set forward toward CHRIST till they came unto full yeares have yet liv'd to overtake him before they came unto the grave The Thiefe we reade it in the Gospell in one and the same day