heauen and wide gates into hell I pray you therefore proue them out of the Scriptures and lay them forth somewhat more largely Theol. The first which is Infidelity is proued out of the fourth chapter to the Hebrewes where it is written Vnto vs was the Gospell preached as vnto them but the word which they heard profited them not because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it And againe They could not enter in because of vnbeliefe Héere we sée that vnbeliefe did barre out the old people from entring into the land of promise which was a figure of Gods eternall kingdome And sure it is that the same vnbeliefe doth barre out thousands of vs. For many will beléeue nothing but their owne fansies They will not beléeue the word of God especially when it is contrary to their lustes and likings profits pleasures Though things be manifestly prooued to their faces and both the Chapter and the Uerse shewed them yet will they not beléeue or though they say they beléeue yet will they neuer goe about the practise of any thing but reply against God in all their actions And for the most part when God saith one thing they will say another When God saith yea they will say no and so giue God the lie Some againe will say if all bée true that the Preachers say then God helpe vs. Thus you sée how Infidelity doth barre men out of Heauen and cast them into hell Phila. Let vs heare of the second gate which is Presumption of Gods mercy Theol. This is set downe in the 29. of Deuteronomy where the Lord saith thus When a man heareth the words of this curse and yet flattereth himselfe in his heart saying I shall haue peace although I walke according to the stubbornnesse of mine owne heart thus adding drunkennesse to thirst that is one sinne to another the Lord will not be mercifull vnto him but the wrath of the Lord and his iealousie shall smoake against that man and euery curse that is written in this booke shall light vpon him and the Lord shall put out his name from vnder heauen Héere we sée how the mightie God doth thunder downe vpon such as goe on in their sins presuming of his mercy and saying in their hearts If I may haue but a Lord haue mercy vpon me thrée houres before death I care not But it is iust with God when those thrée hours come to shut them vp in blindnesse and hardnesse of heart as a iust plague for their presumption Therefore the Prophet Dauid seeing the grieuousnesse of this sin praieth to be deliuered from it Keepe me ô Lord saith he from presumptuous sins let them not raigne ouer me Let all men therfore take héed of presumptuous sins For though God be full of mercy yet will he shew no mercy to them that presume of his mercy But they shall once know to their cost that iustice goeth from him as well as mercy Phila. Let vs come to the third gate which is the Example of the multitude Theol. This is prooued in the 23. of Exod. where the Lord saith flatly Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe euill In another place the Lord saith After the doings of the land of Egypt wherein yee dwelt shall yee not doe and after the manner of the land of Canaan whither I will bring you shall yee not doe neither walke in their ordinances Against this Law did the Children of Israel offend when they said in the stubbornnesse of their heart to the Prophet Ieremy The word that thou hast spoken vnto vs in the name of the Lord wee will not heare But we will doe whatsoeuer goeth out of our owne mouth and we will doe as we haue done both we and our Fathers our Kings and our Princes in the cities of Iudah and in the streets of Ierusalem Note héere how they doe altogether refuse the word of the Lord and how to follow the example of the multitude Wée sée in these our daies by lamentable experience how thousands are violently carried down this streame and for defence of it some will say Doe as the most men doe and the fewest wil speake of you Which is a very wicked speach For if wée will follow the course of the most we shall haue the reward of the most which is eternall perdition Let vs therefore take héed of bending with the sway For the sway of the world doth waigh downe all things that can bée spoken out of the word of God and openeth a very wide passage into Hell Phila. Proceed to the fourth gate into Hell which is the Long custome of sinne Theol. This is noted by the Prophet Ieremy to be a very dangerous thing For he saith Can the blacke More change his skinne or the Leopard his spots then may yee also doe good which are accustomed to doe euill Noting thereby that it is as hard a matter to leaue an old custome of sinne as to wash a black-more white or to change the spots of a Leopard which because they are naturall are most impossible So when men through custom haue made swearing lying adultery and drunkennesse as it were naturall vnto them oh how hard it is to leaue them For custome maketh another nature and taketh away all sense and féeling of sinne Phila. Let vs heare of the fift gate which is the Long escaping of punishment Theol. This is auouched by the wise man in these words Because sentence against an euill worke is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men are set in them to doe euill Where he sheweth that one cause why men are so hardned in their sinnes is because God winketh at them and letteth them alone not punishing them immediately after they haue sinned For if God should forthwith strike downe one and raine fire and brimstone vpon another and cause the earth to swallow vp the third then men would feare indéed But it hath béene shewed before that God taketh not that course but though he méet with some in this life yet he lets thousands escape and that makes them more bold thinking they shall neuer come to their answer Euen as an olde théefe which hath a long time escaped both prison and gallowes thinkes he shall alwaies so escape and therefore goeth boldly on in his thefts But let men take héed For as the prouerbe saith Though the pitcher goeth long to the well yet at last it commeth broken home So though men escape long yet they shall not escape alwaies For there will come a day of reckoning a day that will pay it home for all Thus you sée how impunity leadeth numbers to destruction That is when men are let alone and neither smitten by the hand of God nor punished by the law of the Magistrate Phila. Let vs come to the sixt gate which is the Hope of long life Theol. This is affirmed by our Lord Iesus concerning that rich worldling who
apparell 49 51 Whooredome and the dangers thereof 54 Excuses of whooredome 56 The fearefull effects of whooredome 60 The punishment of whooredome 56 57 The causes of whooredome 63 Remedies against whooredome 67 Couetousnesse what ibid. Couetousnesse wherein it doth consist 68 Foure notes to discerne the inward couetousnesse of the heart by 69 The euill effects of couetousnesse 71 The vanitie of this world and all worldly things 76 Excuses of couetousnesse 90 Remedies against couetousnesse 97 Gods prouidence for his children in the things of this life 98 For the things of this life Gods blessing is all in all 104 Outward meanes alone do not vphold vs. ibid. 105 Gods children sometimes are brought to great distresse 108 Gods children alwaies sure to be deliuered out of trouble 113 The great priuiledges of Gods children 116 Contempt of the Gospell a grieuous sinne 120 Contempt of the Gospell punished 121 Contempt of the Gospell the sinne of this age 122 Contempt of the Gospell a foresigne of wrath to the Land 130 Swearing and the punishments thereof 138 Excuses for swearing 146 Causes of swearing 149 Remedies against swearing ibid. Lying flattering and dissembling 150 Punishments for lying 158. 159 Excuses of lying 160 Causes of lying 161 Remedies against lying ibid. Drunkennesse and all the euill effects thereof 163 Excuses of drunkennesse 167 Causes of drunkennesse 167 Remedies for drunkennesse 168 Idlenesse and the wofull effects thereof 174 Causes of Idlenesse 179 Remedies against Idlenesse 179 Oppression a most horrible sinne 180 Many woes denounced against oppressours 181 Sundry kinds of Oppression 182. 183 Causes of Oppression 197 Remedies of Oppression 197 Sinne hurteth men in their bodies goods and name ibid. Sinne bringeth great danger to the whole Land 205 Nine predictions of wrath to the Land 210 The praiers and teares of the faithfull keepe backe the wrath of God from the Land 213 Praiers of the elect of great force 214 The wicked fare the better for Gods children 220 The best course to preuent Gods iudgements and to keepe backe his wrath from our Land 224 Tenne speciall things concerning the continuance of our peace 230 Nine signes of a found soule 232 Saint Peters eight markes of saluation ibid. Seuen infallible tokens of saluation 223 Assurance of saluation in this life prooued 352 Obiections against the assurance of saluation answered 237. The ground-worke of our saluation 241 Some doubts may stand with the assurance of faith 242 It is no presumption to bee perswaded of our saluation 244 The wicked cannot be assured of their saluation 245 The security of saluation which the wicked bragge of is vaine 247 Nine things required of all that shall be saued by Christ 250 Many say they hope to be saued by Christ but few can giue a reason why Christ died for them particularly and by name 252 Few shall be saued proued by scriptures reasons and examples 256 But few euen in the visible Church shall be saued 262 Obiections against the small number of the elect answered 263 Obiections of Atheists and vnbeleeuers answered 264 Reading of the Scriptures much commended 272 Deferring of repentance dangerous 277 God no authour of mans condemnation but himselfe 278 Obiections against predestination answered 279. 280 Gods decree no cause of Adams fall 283 The decree of reprobation prooued 284 Prescience in God what 285 The decree of election prooued 286 The first mouiue of election is in God himselfe 287 Fore-seene faith and fore-seene works no motiues of saluation ibid. Faith dependeth vpon election not election vpon faith 288 A reason yeelded why there is no end of cauilling and obiecting against the truth 292 Nine barres out of heauen 293 Nine gates into hell 294 The ignorance of the world 301 The answers of ignorant men to the grounds of religion 319 The meanes to get out of ignorance 322 Ignorance a most dangerous thing 323. 324 The charge of Ministers exceeding waightie and most carefully to be looked vnto 328 What is the best course for Ministers to take to bring the people out of ignorance 331 What is the best course for the people to take that they may be brought out of the bondage of sinne and captiuitie of Satan 333 Preaching a matter of absolute necessitie vnto eternal life 337 Without preaching the people are in great danger of losing their soules 336 Sathans cunning in frustrating the hearing of the Word and making all preaching vtterly vnprofitable 339 The Preachers counsell to the ignorant man 341 Six great dangers in sinne 342 Six most fearefull euents of sinne 343 God in all ages hath seuerely punished the transgressers of his law 344 Euery sinne though neuer so little in our eies is hainous and capitall because it is against a person of infinite maiestie 346 Nine profitable considerations 346 If men would leaue words and fall to doing great good would come of it 348 Nine things much to be thought vpon 350 The description of Christs comming to iudgement 351 The terror the suddennesse the end the maner and the vse of Christs second comming described 352 353 The torments of hell with the extremitie perpetuitie and remedilesnesse thereof described 361 The ignorant man vpon the hearing of the day of iudgment and hell fire laide open is pricked in his conscience bewaileth his former life repenteth earnestly for his sinne and ignorance and desireth spirituall Physicke and comfort of the Preacher 374 The Preacher ministreth vnto him much spiritual comfort and doth in ample manner laie open vnto him all the sweete promises of the Gospell and the infinite mercy of God in Christ to all true penitent and broken hearted sinners 375 The ignorant man being afflicted in his conscience is exceedingly comforted with the hearing of Gods abundant mercy preached vnto him and thereupon doth gather great inward peace conuerteth vnto God with all his heart and doth exceedingly blesse God for the Preachers counsell 391 FINIS A Morning prayer to be vsed in priuate families O Lord our God and heauenlie Father we thy vnwoorthy children doe heere come into thy most holy and heauenly presence to giue thee praise and glory for all thy great mercies and manifold blessings towards vs especially for that thou hast preserued vs this night past from all the dangers and feares thereof hast giuen vs quiet rest to our bodies and brought vs now safely to the beginning of this day dost now afresh renew all thy mercies vpon vs as the Eagle reneweth her bill giuing vs all things abundantly to enioy as foode raiment health peace libertie and freedome from many miseries diseases casualties and calamities which we are subiect vnto in this life euery minute of an houre and not onely so but also for vouchsafeing vnto vs many good things not onely for necessitie but euen for delight also But aboue all deare Father we praise thy name for the blessings of a better life specially for thy most holy word and sacraments and all the good we enioy thereby for the continuance
the grosse sinnes of the world you will by and by say he is an hypocrite And thus you take vpon you to iudge mens hearts as though you knew with what affection these things are done Antile I confesse I am a sinner and so are all other for ought I know There is no man but he may be amended I pray God send vs all of his grace that we may please him and get to heauen at last Theol. Now you would shuffle vp all together as though you were as good as the best and as though there were no difference of sinners but you must learne to know that there is great difference of sinners For there is the penitent and the vnpenitent sinner the carefull and the carelesse sinner the sinner whose sinnes are not imputed and the sinner whose sinnes are imputed the sinner that shall bée saued and the sinner that shall bée damned For it is one thing to sinne of frailty another thing to liue in it dwell in it and trade in it and as the holy Ghost speaketh to sucke it in as the fish sucketh water and to draw it vnto vs with cart-ropes and cords of vanity To conclude therefore there is as great difference betwixt a sinner and a sinner as betwixt light and darkenesse For though Gods children be sinners in respect of the remnants of sin within them yet the Scriptures call them iust and righteous because they are iustified by Christ and sanctified by his grace and holy spirit And for this cause it is that S. Iohn saith He that is borne of God sinneth not Antile What I pray you did you neuer sin Theo. Yes and what then what are you the better Antile You Preachers cannot agree amongst your selues One saith one thing and another saith another thing so that you bring the ignorant people into a mammering and they know not on which hand to take Theol. The Preachers God bée thanked agrée very well together in all the maine grounds of religion and principall points of saluation But if they dissent in some other matters you are to trie the spirits whether they be of God or no. You must try all things and kéepe that which is good Antile How can plaine and simple men trie the spirits and doctrines of the Preachers Theol. Yes For the Apostle saith The spirituall man discerneth all things And S. Iohn saith to the holy Christians You haue receiued an ointment from that holy one and know all things that is all things necessary to saluation Those therefore which haue the spirit of God can iudge and discerne of doctrines whether they be of God or no. Antile I am not booke-learned and therefore I cannot iudge of such matters As for hearing of Sermons I haue no leasure to goe to them I haue somewhat else to doe Let them that are bookish and heare so many Sermons iudge of such matters For I will not meddle with them they belong not vnto me Theol. Yet for all that you ought to reade the Scriptures and heare the word of God preached that you may bée able to discerne betwixt truth and falshood in matters of religion Antile Belike you thinke none can be saued without Preaching and that all men stand bound to frequent Sermons but I am not of your mind in that Theol. Our Lord Jesus saith My sheepe heare my voice And againe he saith He that is of God heareth Gods word Yee therefore heare it not because you are not of God You see therefore how Christ Jesus maketh it a speciall note of Gods child to heare his word preached Antile But I thinke we may serue God well enough without a Preacher For Preachers are but men and what can they doe A Preacher is a good man so long as he is in the Pulpit but if he be out of the Pulpit he is but as another man Theol. You speake contemptuously of Gods messengers and of Gods sacred ordinance But the Apostle doth fully answer your obiection saying Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God and how can they heare without a Preacher In which words the Apostle telleth you flatly that you can neither haue faith nor serue God aright without preaching Antile When you haue Preached all that you can you can make the word of God no better then it is and some put in and put out what they list The Scriptures are but mens inuentions and they made the Scriptures Theol. We preach not to make the Word better but to make you better As for putting in and putting out it is a méere vntruth And whereas you say the scriptures were made by men it is blasphemy once to thinke it and you are worthy to receiue your answer at Tiburne Antile Now I see you are hot I perceiue for all your godlinesse you will be angry Theol. I take it to be no sinne to be angry against sinne For your sinne is very great and who can beare it Antile All this while you speake much for Preaching but you say nothing for Praier I thinke there is as much neede of Praier as Preaching For I finde in the Scriptures Pray continually but I finde not Preach continually Theol. No man denieth but that praier is most néedfull alwaies to be ioyned vnto preaching al other holy exercises for it is the handmaid to all But yet we prefer preaching aboue it because preaching is both the directour and whetstone of praier yea it stirreth vs aright in all spirituall actions and seruices whatsoeuer without the which wée can kéepe no certaine course but are euer ready to erre on this hand or that Now whereas you say you find Pray continually but not Preach continually you might if you were not wilfully blinde finde also Preach continually For the Apostle saith to Timothy Be instant Preach the word in season and out of season that is alwaies as time and occasion shall serue Antile You extoll preaching but you say nothing for reading I beleeue you condemne reading Theol. Doth hée that highly commendeth gold condemne siluer I do ingenuously confesse that both publike and priuate reading of the scriptures are very necessary and profitable and would to God it were more vsed then it is For it is of singular vse both to increase knowledge and iudgement and also to make vs more fit to heare the word preached For such men as are altogether ignorant of the History of the bible can heare the word with small profit or comfort Phila. It seemeth that this man neither regardeth the one nor the other because for ought that I can see hee careth not greatly if the Scriptures were burnt Theol. Oh sirrah you speake very malapartly you may speake when you are bidden Who made you a Iudge You are oue of his Disciples and that makes you to speake on his side Phila. No sir I hope I am Christs Disciple and no mans But assuredly I cannot hold my peace at your vile
could I haue done more to my vineyard that I haue not done vnto it But to come néerer to your question I denie that God hath created the most part of men onely and solely vnto perdition as the proper end which he did aime at in creating them but hée hath created all things for the praise of his glorie as it is written Hee hath created all things for himselfe and the wicked also for the euill day Then it followeth that the cause and end why the wicked were created neither was nor is the onely destruction of his creature but his owne praise and glorie that that onely might appeare and shine foorth in all his works Yet certeins it is that God for iust causes albeit vnknowen and hidde to vs hath reiected a great part of men The causes I say of reprobation are hid in the eternall counsell of God and knowen to his godly wisdome only They are secret and hid from vs reserued in his eternall wisdome to be reuealed at the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus His iudgements saith the Scripture are as a great deepe and his wayes past finding out It is as possible for vs to comprehend the Ocean sea in a little dish as to comprehend the reason of Gods counsell in this behalfe Antile What reason iustice or equitie is there that sentence of death should be passed vpon men before they be borne and before they haue done good or euill Theol. I tolde you before that we can neuer comprehend the reason of Gods procéeding in this behalfe yet we must know that his will is the rule of righteousnesse and must be vnto vs in stead of a thousand reasons For whatsoeuer God willeth in as much as hée willeth it is to be holden iust We cannot conceiue the reason of many naturall things and things subiect to sense as the motion of the celestiall bodies their vnconceiueable swiftnesse their matter and substance their magnitude altitude and latitude We can not thorowly finde out the causes of the thunder lightning windes earth-quakes ebbing and flowing of the sea and many other things vnder the Sunne how then can we possibly ascend vp into the priuy chamber and counsell-house of God to sift and search out the bottome of Gods secrets which no wit or reach of man can any way attaine vnto Let vs therefore learne in Gods feare to reuerence that which we can not in this life comprehend This one thing I must say vnto you that whatsoeuer God decréeth yet doth he execute no man till he haue ten thousand times deserued it For betwixt the decrée and the execution thereof commeth sinne in vs and most iust causes of condemnation Antil If God haue decreed mens destruction what can they do withall who can resist his will why then is he angrie with vs For all things must needs come to passe according to his decree and determination Theol. First I answer you with the Apostle O man who art thou which pleadest against God! Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made mee thus Hath not the Potter power of the clay to make of the same lumpe one vessell to honour and another to dishonour Moreouer I answer That Gods decrée doth not enforce the will of man but it worketh and mooueth of it selfe It hath in it selfe the beginning of euill motion and sinneth willingly Therefore though the decrée of God imposeth a necessitie vpon all secondarie causes so as they must néeds be framed and disposed according to the same yet no coaction or constraint for they are all carried with their voluntarie motion Euen as we sée the plumbe of a clocke being the first moouer doth cause all the other whéeles to mooue but not to mooue this way or that way for in that they mooue some one way and some another it is of themselues I meane of their owne frame So Gods decrée doth mooue all secondarie causes but not take away their owne proper motion For God is the authour of euerie action but not of any euill 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 bodie So I say Gods decrée is the root and first cause of motion but not of defectiue motion That is from our selues Likewise that a bell soundeth the cause is in him that ringeth it but that it iarreth the cause is in it selfe Againe that an instrument soundeth is in him that plaieth vpon it but that it iarreth is in it selfe that is in it owne want of tuning So then to shut vp this point all instruments and middle causes are so mooued of God being the first moouer that he alwayes doth well holily and iustly in his moouing But the instruments mooued are caried in contrary motions according to their owne nature and frame If they be good they are caried vnto that which is good but if they be euill they are caried vnto euill So that according to the double beginning of motion and will there is a double and diuers worke and effect Antile But from whence commeth it that man of himselfe that is of his owne free motion doth will that which is euill Theol. From the fall of Adam whereby his will was corrupted Antile What was the cause of Adams fall Theol. The Diuell and the deprauation of his owne will Antil How could his will encline vnto euill it being made good and he being made good Theol. He and his will were made good yet mutably good For to be immutably good is proper only to God And Adam did so stand that he might fall as the euent declared Antile Was not the decree of God the cause of Adams fall Theol. No but the voluntarie inclination of his will vnto euill For Adams will was neither forced nor by any violence of Gods purpose compelled to consent but he of frée will and ready minde left God and ioined with the Diuell Thus then I do determine that Adam sinned necessarily if you respect the decree or euent but if you respect the first moouer 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 contingencie thereof but only order and dispose it Therefore as a learned writer sayth Volens peccauit motu He sinned willingly and of his owne motion And therefore no euill is to be attributed vnto God or his decree Antile How then do you conceiue and consider of the purpose of God in all these things Theol. Thus That God decreed with himselfe vno actu at once That there should be a world That Adam should be created perfect That he should fall of himselfe That all should fall with him That he would saue some of the lost race That he would do it of mercy through