that man which is not taken with the baite of worldly pleasure nor turned into the way of destruction Blessed is he that hath not walked in the way of sinners Psal 1.5 yea ten times blessed is he whose burthen is borne here with patience and so tied vnto the anchor of faith as it weanes him from this present world and winnes him to breath onely for the world to come Then medicina est non poena then is this burthen physicke to salue our soules and not continuall paine to torment them Aug. in psal 103. Chrysosto Then is this burthen pedagogus a schoolemaster to traine vs in true doctrine and teach vs in the way of life Which who so wanteth may rightly suspect himselfe seeing the Lord speaking to the Angell of Laodicea saith Reu. 3.19 Whom I loue I rebuke Christ must passe by the crosse vnto glorie and all that will liue godly must endure crosses Wherfore saith Salomon the wise Prou. 3.1 My sonne refuse not the chastening of the Lord neither be grieued at his correction for the Lord correcteth him whom he loueth euen as the father the childe in whom he delighteth Is God a Father then when he correcteth and sheweth he most loue when he beates Aug. in psal 91. Quid si te flagellat modo propterea quia tibi non seruat ignem sempeternum Quid si illum dimittit quia auditurus est Ite in ignem What if God thy Father whippeth and scourgeth thee in this life is it not because he prepareth thee for a better inheritance and not preserues thee for euerlasting fire And what if he letteth him or another man go scot-free and escape is it not because he giues him his portion of pleasure and profit in this life and shall therefore heare that fearefull sentence Go yee cursed into euerlasting fire O then blessed is he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil which shaketh off the world and the pleasure therof neither putteth any confidence in the things of this life but placeth all his hope trust and affiance vpon God alone his maker Sauiour and redeemer And so much for the first point why man is thus burthened The second is what brought this burthen vpon man and that is in a word Sinne. For Adam sinning caused the earth to be cursed lost his dignitie ouer the creatures became subiect to sicknesse and death and made himselfe and his posteritie obnoxious vnto destruction For this cause saith our Sauiour Christ vnto the man that had lien sicke eight and thirtie yeares Behold thou art made whole sinne no more least a worse thing happen vnto thee noting unto vs that sicknesse is laid vpon vs for our sinne For this cause labour and paine was laid vpon Adam and his posteritie and most grieuous paines in childbirth vpon the woman Gen. 3. For this cause hath God added to this burthen fearefulnesse consumption burning agues enemies yea saith God if ye will not obey me then will I punish you seauen times more according to your sins Leuit. 26.16.17.18 namely with weaknesse drought barrennesse and famine And if ye will not yet obey me saith God I will bring seauen times more plagues vpon you according to your sinnes as the sword plagues wilde beasts And if ye will not yet obey me then wil I chastise you seauen times more according to your sinnes you shall eate the flesh of your sonnes and daughters your places shall be destroied and your carkasses shall be burnt your Cities shall be desolate your sanctuarie brought to nought and your land turned into a wildernesse I will scatter you among the Heathen and draw a sword after you I will send a faintnesse into your hearts and the sound of a leafe shaken shall chase you you shall fall and no man shall pursue you ye shall perish and your enemies shall eate you vp Thus the Lord ariseth in that Chapter from seauen times to seauen times threatning most fearefull punishments and that by a thundring gradation and all for sinne Gen. 4.14 For this cause is added vnto this burthen horror of conscience madnesse blindnesse and astonishment of heart yea what is not added to this burthen and all for sinne If thou wilt not keepe my commandements saith God then all these curses shall come vpon thee and ouertake thee Cursed shalt thou be in the towne and cursed also in the field cursed shall thy basket be and thy dough cursed cursed shall be the fruite of thy land the increase of thy kine and the flockes of thy sheepe cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in and cursed when thou goest out The Lord shall send vpon thee cursing trouble and shame in all which thou settest thy hand vnto vntill thou bee destroyed and perishest quickly because of the wickednesse of thy workes And if for all this thou wilt not keepe his law then will hee make thy plagues wonderfull the plagues of thy seede He will bring vpon thee all the diseases of Egipt and euery sicknesse and euery plague will he heape vpon thee with many other fearefull threatninges forespoken in the booke of the scriptures Thesialonians 1.1 cap. 8.9 Yea for this cause doth he adde to this burden euerlasting destruction when the Lord Iesus shal shew himselfe from heauen with his mightie Angels in flaming fire rendering vengance vnto them that do not knovv God and will obey not the Gospell of our Lord Iesus Christ which shall be punished with euerlasting perdition from the presēce of the Lord and from the glorie of his power Dam infelix homo a domino recedit à carne molestias à monte augustias vndique premitur anxietatibus vrgetur infirmitatibus polluitur passionibus graue pondus seipsum portat Greg. 8. mora Cap. 21. while man vnhappie man recoyles from the seruice of his God he is molested by the flesh vexed by the spirit yea both body and soule are nothing but a burden to heauy too heauy to bee borne yet foolish mā hoped by disobeying God to haue bettered himselfe But anima versa reuersa in tergum ventrem latera sentit quodomnia sunt dura Aug. Confess 6. Turning and returning from backe to belly searching the heart the sides the intrales found all out of quiet and nothing to his expectation And why Basilius As smoake driueth away the Bee from the hiue so surfeiting drunkennesse and other sinnes chase away Gods spirit and all other spirituall graces which are the onely comfortes of the soule Iosephus reporterh that a little before that Hierusalem was beseiged by Titus the doores of the sanctuarie suddenly opened and a great noyse was hearde saying migremus hinc Iosephus lib. 7.12 let vs go hence To note vnto vs that neither God nor his Angels will make aboad where sin hath once obtained dominion and preheminēce For anima peccatoris magis fet at cor am deo quam putridum carnis cadauer The sinfull soule
the bottome of the sea and the belly of the Whale cried vnto the Lord and he heard him If we be in igne in the fire by this we shall be deliuered Dan. 3. as were the three children in the middest of the firie furnace who cried vnto the Lord and he deliuered them If we be inter medios Leones among the middest of the Lyons Dan. 6. as was Daniel in the middest of the Lyons denne who cried vnto the Lord and he deliuered him This is Gods precept and Dauids practise For the first saith God Psal 50.15 Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee And for the second saith Dauid out of the deepes haue I called vnto thee O Lord and thou deliueredst me Psal 130. If we be besieged by our enemies by this we shal haue deliuerance as was Elisha 2. Kings 6.18 who prayed vnto the Lord and was deliuered vertit se eo vbi omnes verum auxilium inuenerunt scilicet ad orationem quae vnica desper atorum ancora est And lastly if a whole army be set against vs by this we shall ouercome them Numb 17 as did Moses the Amalekites who prayed vnto the Lorde and was deliuered Glossa For plus valet vnus sanctus orando quam innumeri peccatores praeliando one good man will do more good by praying then an innumerable number of sinners by fighting Thus in the army of Marcus Antonius the Philosopher at the prayers of a band of Christians God sent water and things necessarie for the army Xiphilinus togither with a mightie tempest to the destruction of the enemy And thus the kingly Prophet Dauid praying against his persecuting enemies saith That the Lord thundred from heauen hee sent out his arrowes and scattered them and increased his lightnings and destroyed them Psal 18.13,14 God hath called our army abroad the enemy is encamped about vs and hath shaken his sword against vs and who can tell whether the Lord will likewise shew mercie vpon our prayers The Heathens could giue this report of the Christians Capitolin in Marco nihil esse quod ij qui Christiani nominantur precibus à Deo impetrare non possent That there is nothing which the Christian man by his prayers may not obtaine at Gods hand This was it that so troubled the cruell persecutors in the primitiue Church as Plinius Iunior writing to Traian about the professours of Christianitie acquites them of all faults and offences both against Prince and people excepting this one quod ante Lucanos hymnos in cuinsdam hominis laudem qui 〈◊〉 Palaestina crucifixus erat decantarent That they sung hymnes and psalmes before breake of day touching thankesgiuing and praise for Christ which was crucified in Palestina O has Plinie liued in these daies he would neuer haue found this fault with Christians among whom the name of God and his sonne Christ is more abused to his dishonour then rightly vsed for his praise and honour Notwithstanding neuer was there more neede of prayer then in these daies wherein faith is almost forgotten and charitie waxeth too colde wherein the world is turned vpsidowne and Christ begins to summon vs to our account and wherein God and Satan haue this long time bent their bowes against vs. God hath bent his bow but it is the bow of long suffering the wood whereof is iustitia iustice the string misericordia mercie and the arrowe vindicta reuenge and if we stil abuse his patience by our sins as we haue begun and despise his long suffering by our iniquities as we go forwards then must needs his iustice forget his mercie and send the arrowe of reuenge against vs. Happy therefore shall they be that can cast this anchor of faith and prayer vpon Christ Psal 2.12 For when his wrath shall suddenly burne then blessed are all they that put their trust in him The Diuell likewise hath bent his bowe but it is the bowe of eternall death destruction the wood whereof is malitia the Diuels malice the string experientia his experience and the shafte temptatio alluring and deceitfull temptation which he often le ts flie round about vs woūding some and killing others This man with pride that with gluttony another with couetousnesse and a fourth with periurie Filling the world full with all vnrighteousnesse fornication wickednes maliciousnesse enuie murther deceit debate and what not to bring vs all vnto confusion O beloued neuer more shooting and neuer lesse praying neuer more dartes and yet few or none applies his shield For who now moisteneth his prayers with the teares of true repentance thereby to quench the firie dartes of Satan O lacrymae quo fugistis redite obsecro redite lacrymae flete me coelum terra Lugete me omnes creaturae me plorate omnia elementa peccaui enim crudeliter lapsus sum grauiter cecidi mirabiliter Nullus est morbus vitiorum à quo non contraxi contagium Isiodore Dial hominis deflentis lib. 1. cap. 41. High time it is to crie with the penitent person O teares whither are you fled ô sighes whither are you gone Come againe ye teares and returne ô ye sobs Come heauen come earth and bewaile me O ye creatures lament ouer me For I haue sinned cruelly I haue fallen grieuously there is no sinne wherewith I am not fowly bespotted Did not the heauens raine at Elias prayer 1. King 18 and the rocke send foorth flouds at Moses stroke Exod. 17.6 and shall God smite Satan wound and yet we bee without prayers of repentance The Poets report of Hector that so long as he liued Troy could not be destroyed calling him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the immoueable and inexpugnable pillar of Troy But much more may it be spokē of the beleeuing mā whose praier bindeth God to doe good vnto the countrey As was Lot vnto the Sodomites of whom God witnesseth that he could doe nothing against them so long as Lot liued amongst them Gen. 19.22 In what a lamentable case then is that countrey and place wherein there is no Moses Eze. 22.30 no man of prayer to stand in the gappe before God for the land A token that God intends a present punishment to fall vpon that countrey and on the contrarie where God bestoweth the spirit of prayer he will likewise giue a blessing of mercie For this cause Dauid ioynes prayer and mercie togither saying Psal 66.20 Praised be God which hath not put backe my prayer nor hid his mercie from me noting prayer to be the especiall meanes whereby God will conferre a benefit vpon a people Because Aug. quamdiu Deus non tollit à te orationem tuam non amouebit à te miserecordiam suam so long as God depriues thee not of the spirit of prayer he will not denie thee his mercifull kindnesse Seeing therefore that by prayer Cassianus Ira Dei suspenditur