we thinke the best of vs all haue great neede to haue our hearts washed cleansed and purged together cum magna comitante caterua with an innumerable company of our secret sinnes which neuer come within the compasse of our knowledge to be repented of And if euery one haue neede to pray with Dauid that the Lord would forgiue vs our secret sinnes Psal 19.12 how much more neede haue we to pray the Lord of Lords to wash our hearts our tongues our hands our thoughts our wordes our workes being so grosly polluted and defiled with all manner of sinne and pollutions And thus much for the Exhortation Wash thine heart from wickednesse wherein if any shall thinke I haue beene too long and tedious let him know if so long time neede to be spent only in exhorting to such a businesse how much time had we need to spend to act and performe the same rightly and religiously as we ought to doe The fourth circumstance The reason Now come we to the reason why we should wash our hearts from wickednesse Which is in a word that we may be saued A reason of all reasons to be regarded for what should it gaine vs to win the whole world c And that we may the better consider of it let vs obserue from thence these three points Three things First the great patience mercy and loue of God towards vs in wayting for our Repentance that we might be saued Secondly the care of all good Pastors in all Ages to exhort Gods people to repentance that they may be saued Thirdly we may here-hence collect and plainely conclude that except we repent we cannot be saued Of these three particulars as briefly as I may and as the Lord shall inable me with his grace Touching the first To what thing else may we ascribe this so long forbearance of punishment for our so manifold transgressions but to the long patience and meere mercy of our so good and gracious a God for the earth is wearie to beare the burden of our sinnes the heauens are ashamed of them and the Angels of glorie blush to behold them Only God in his mercy and for his Sonnes sake turneth the face or edge of his iustice from them that so we might repent and be saued But sinfull man which either cannot or will not repent heapeth sinne vpon sinne to his owne destruction Whereof S. Paul giueth good warning in the second to the Romanes Rom. 2.4,5 aduising that we should not despise the riches of Gods bountifulnesse and patience and long sufferance vsing so many wordes to expresse Gods Ioue towards vs adding that this bountifulnesse of God should leade vs to repentance But thou saith the Apostle speaking to such despisers of Gods mercies after the hardnesse and heart which cannot repent heapest vnto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and declaration of the iust Iudgement of God And S. Peter saith likewise That the Lord is not slacke concerning his promise 2. Pet. 3.9 of comming to Iudgement but is patient toward vs and would haue no man to perish but would haue all men to come vnto repentance for it is not mans merit but of Gods mercy that we are not daily consumed in our sinnes and as Esay saith Except the Lord of Hosts had reserued a remnant Esay 1.9 we should haue beene as Sodom and like vnto Gomorrah Whereby we are also taught that the wicked are oftentimes spared from punishment for the Godlies sake for Sodom it selfe should not haue beene destroyed if there could haue been but ten godly persons found in it Therefore the Prophet Ieremie is willed as we heard before to runne to and fro by the streets of Ierusalem and to inquire in the open places thereof if he could finde a man Ier. 5.1 And God himselfe complayneth in Ezechiel that he could not finde a man Ezech. 22.30 Wherein appeareth the infinite patience and mercy of God towards vs in expecting our repentance and staying his hand from punishing as long as possible may be The vse of this point may be Vse 1 To teach vs to be thankefull vnto God for this mercy who wayteth daily for our conuersion and to praise him continually for the same for if we be sinnefull and vnthankefull too then wo wo be vnto vs. Vse 2 To teach vs to loue heartily and to make much of such as feare the Lord for it is for the godlies sake many times that a whole Citie or Countrie is saued and preserued and when the godly Magistrates or Ministers are taken away it is a fearefull signe some imminent danger may insue for Aaron and Moyses may preuaile more in the Lords warres with feruent prayers then the people with all their Pikes Therefore Esay complayned not without cause That good men perished though he knew they were taken away from the euill to come Yea Dauid himselfe cryed out for helpe to God when godly men were diminished from the earth Psal 12.1 therefore I say still if thou canst not thy selfe attayne to be so godly as thou desirest yet pray heartily and praise God continually for them that are godly for God harkeneth and is attentiue to their prayers as Malachy speaketh Malach. â— And we know that S. Iames saith The prayer of one righteous man auayleth much if it be feruent Vse 3 The last vse must be to teach vs to call our selues to a reckoning how long God hath with-holden his iudgements from vs for any sinne which long since haply we haue iustly deserued to be powred vpon vs euery man is Conscius sibi best knowne to himselfe therefore following the counsell of S. Paul Let euery one examine himselfe for his owne sins and let him doe this businesse throughly as he ought to doe and he shall finde little leisure to prie into other mens faults which is the fault of all the World O deare Christians if this course of examination might be presently put in practice without fauour or affection to our selues what a crying of consciences would there be among vs seeing they are priuie to all our faults yea our owne soules would exclaime against our owne bodies and against euery member and facultie thereof One would crie out Oh my head for craftinesse another O my heart for couetousnesse another Oh my throate for drunkennesse another Oh my belly for beastlinesse another Oh my tongue for blasphemie another Oh mine eyes for adulterie another Oh my hands for briberie another Oh what shall become of my poore soule for vsurie To speake nothing of Enuie Malice Pride Theft Murther and Trecherie with an innumerable multitude of all sinnes which like a great floud haue ouer-flowne all our Countrie of all which sinnes we may I feare me too too truely say as the yong man did in the Gospell though in another sense All these sinnes haue we commited from our youth and it is only of Gods mercy that we haue not beene consumed in them and for
Martin Luther and other godly Preachers stirred vp and preserued by Gods owne power to oppose themselues against the Pope and to bring a new light as it were vnto the World So were many godly Bishops and Preachers saued and preserued in Queene Maries raigne from the rage of that bloudy Bonner and other cruell persecuters So was our renowned Queene Elizabeth worthy of lasting memory very strangely and miraculously saued and preserued at that time when shee had often written her owne Epitaph Tanquam Ouis with her owne hand And to conclude for of such examples there is no end who doth not see and with all thankefulnesse acknowledge the blessed prouidence of a gracious God in preseruing King Iames our most gracious Soueraigne from danger of death euen before he was borne as his Maiestie confesseth in his speech to the Parliament from the point of the Dagger before he was our King and from many most vile Treasons and Treacheries sithence God gaue him vnto vs Not to name the Gunne-powder Treason for the horror thereof and all this doubtlesse if God make vs thankefull for the euerlasting good of those Churches and Kingdomes ouer whom Gods only prouidence hath placed him whose grace guide him in all the pathes of pietie and whose right hand shield him from all malignitie either of forraine or domesticall foes Vse 1 The vse that must be made hereof is this that whether he be a King or a Prince a Priest or a Prophet or whatsoeuer office wee haue either in Church or Common-weale we must know and acknowledge that God hath aduanced each one to this or that place that dignitie or this honor onely or chiefly for the glory of his owne name and for the speciall good of his Church and Children Vse 2 And we must all know farther that no man commeth into this world by chance but for some end and purpose and that God doth set euery one his taske allotting some speciall dutie to euery one of his seruants whereunto he ought specially to attend This point is not vnnecessary to be vrged in these dayes but I cannot stand to insist vpon it Only this may be remembred in particular that because our Prophet Ieremie was specially and extraordinarily chosen and ordayned of God to so great and hard a taske as to be opposite to the whole world as it were therefore God did extraordinarily comfort and encourage him as he did the rest of his Prophets and Apostles The same God no doubt it is that to this day doth and for euer will helpe and strengthen the poore indeuours of all faithfull and painefull Pastors that labour in the worke and Ministerie of his Word for the increase of your faith the end whereof is the saluation of our soules And so much for the first circumstance who exhorteth namely Ieremie a great Prophet of God yet a man subiect to many sorrowes and sundry infirmities as the best of Gods seruants euer haue beene and euer shall be in this world The second circumstance The second circumstance is VVho they are that are exhorted And I say the people of Ierusalem all the inhabitants thereof both King Priest and People none excepted But the Prophet Ieremie saith O Ierusalem I answere it is a figuratiue speech vsuall in the Scripture Continens pro contento naming the Citie for the Citizens therein contayned In the Gospell it is said that all Ierusalem went out into the wildernesse vnto Iohn Baptist that is the people of Ierusalem And Christ saith O Ierusalem Ierusalem which killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent vnto thee Now we know it was not the Citie but the Gouernours of the Citie the Kings the Priests and the People that killed the Prophets and after that CHRIST IESVS the Prince of Prophets Therefore by Ierusalem is meant the people of Ierusalem like as by the world is meant the things and people of the world So then it is the people of Ierusalem that are here exhorted to Repentance notwithstanding they were the peculiar people of God and dwelt in the most famous Citie of the World Doct. The lesson that we may learne hereby is this that no place in the world can priuiledge any one from sinne for had not Ierusalem sinned and grieuously sinned they should not haue needed exhortation to Repentance nor reprehension for not repenting Adam sinned in Paradise the Iewes sinned at Ierusalem the Pope sinneth at Rome the Hermites in the Wildernesse no change of place but the gift of grace stayeth the course of sinne all men haue sinned at all times and in all places Vse 1 The vses hereof may be first for reproofe against Pelagians and Semipelagians the Papists which dreame I know not of what perfection as though they had beene borne aboue the Moone and had had no touch or taste of Adams sinne and contagion but this heresie though it be ancient needs no other confutation then the common experience of all the world Vse 2 Secondly it may serue to teach vs all to walke warily and circumspectly in euery place because we can come into no place but we shall meete with occasions enow to entice vs vnto sinne which occasions wee must auoide as much as possibly we may Vse 3 A third vse may teach all Pastors and Preachers to labour by all meanes possible in this dutie to conuince the world of sinne as Christ exhorteth wheresoeuer they be placed Vse 4 The fourth vse may be for Magistrates to learne them to looke well about them to haue their eyes in euery corner to seeke and finde out the tract and haunt of sinners to punish sinne seuerely when and where it is found lest it be said vnto them They haue borne the sword in vaine It was a sage saying Seeke not to be in authoritie except thou canst mightily put downe sinne the Sword and the Word should goe together in this dutie A fifth vse we might here insert that seeing Ierusalem it selfe nor any other Church or Kingdome in the world is free from sinne and the purest Churches that euer were had their many imperfections therefore none should separate * Papists for Rome and Rhemes Brownists for Amsterdam themselues from the societie of the faithfull in any Church State or Kingdome where Christ his Gospel is purely preached his Sacraments rightly administred and good discipline established for the punishment of sinne And this doctrine will fall hard vpon the consciences of Recusant Papists that runne to Rome or Rhemes as also vpon our Brownists or Separatists whosoeuer that like Amsterdam better then England haply because it is better and fitter for their purposes And so much for the second circumstance The third Circumstance The third circumstance and which is most materiall and therefore hath neede most to be stood vpon is The matter or thing wherevnto they are exhorted and that is doubtlesse vnto Repentance a point very much vrged but coldly practized Iohn Baptist began with this doctrine Christ the
Son of God did second him saying Repent for the Kingdome of beauen is at hand repent and beleeue the Gospell This we know was alwayes the manner of the Prophets before that time to call people to Repentance And it was the first and chiefest point of doctrine which the Apostles of Christ were commanded by our Sauiour to vrge after his Resurrection That Repentance and Remission of sinnes should be preached in the name of IESVS beginning at Ierusalem Luk. 2. Where our Prophet Ieremie prophesied long time before Ob. But if Ieremies minde and purpose were to exhort the Iewes vnto Repentance why doth he not vse plaine words to perswade thereunto Answ I answere that this Metaphor of washing which our Prophet vseth in this place is farre more significant then if he had exhorted to Repentance in plaine termes For now in stead of one word which he might haue vsed namely Repent he vseth such wordes whereby they are both exhorted to Repentance and also taught how to repent We will therefore consider the wordes in particular and take them both for an exhortation and as a direction to Repentance Only this one thing I would craue by the way of intreatie that hereafter in all this Sermon you would not take these wordes of our Prophet any more as spoken to the Iewes but directed vnto vs for whatsoeuer is written you know it is written for our learning And as Ierusalem to whom this was first spoken was a type and figure of the Church of God so doth this exhortation Wash thine heart from wickednesse belong to all Churches and Kingdomes Cities Countries Nations and People to all I say in generall and to euery one in particular euery one hath neede to haue his heart washed and clensed from wickednesse So that now in this third circumstance we must speake of three things Three things First of washing or clensing Secondly of washing or clensing of the heart Thirdly of vvashing or clensing the heart from vvickednesse And first of vvashing or clensing 1. Note Washing This Metaphor of vvashing as it is very significant so it is very vsuall among the Prophets The Prophet Esay vvhen he had most sharply reproued the same Nation of the Iewes calling the Princes thereof the Princes of Sodome and the People thereof the People of Gomorrah vpbrayding them that they were a finnefull Nation a People laden vvith iniquitie and corrupt children telling them plainely and peremptorily that the whole head vvas sicke and the vvhole heart vvas heauy that from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head there vvas no vvhole part but vvounds and swellings and sores of sinne full of corruption and so proceedeth on with such terrible menacings and threatnings as though the Lord had vtterly reiected them and would neuer receiue Prayer or Oblation more at their hands for it was a burthen vnto him Yet on a sudden the Prophet changeth his speech and exhorteth them to Repentance with these like vvordes of our Text Wash you make you cleane take away the euill of your workes from before mine eyes cease to doe euill learne to doe well seeke iudgement releeue the oppressed iudge the fatherlesse and defend the widdow Obser Where-hence I obserue that washing and clensing are fit vvordes to expresse the nature of true Repentance which thing also vvas plainely signified by the diuers vvashings in the Leuiticall Law Leuiticall Law for such indeede is the nature of sinne before it be truely repented of that it maketh man more vgly in the sight of God then the foulest Leper in the vvorld can be in the sight of man And indeede to speake all in a vvord sinne is a spirituall Leprosie and therefore if Naaman the Syrian had neede to vvash himselfe seuen times in the floud of Iordan vvhich signifieth the Riuer of Iudgement before the could be clensed from his bodily Leprosie how many times aboue seuentie times seuen times haue wee neede to be washed and clensed from our spirituall Leprosie which hath so taynted and soyled our bodies and soules that all the vvater in Iordan is not able to clense one soule from this disease of sinne but only the blessed bloud of our sweet Sauiour that was baptized in Iordan is it that must clense vs from all sinne For this cause Christ the true Physician of our soules did of his gracious goodnesse cure and clense many Lepers from the filth of their bodies that thereby he might make knowne to the world that it is he onely which was appointed by God to bee to the purgator and clenser of our soules as Saint Iohn sayth The bloud of Christ clenseth vs from all sinne 1. Iohn 1.7 And the same Apostle in the Reuelation signifyeth vnto the seuen Churches that it is Iesus Christ which loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his bloud Reuel 1.5 This cleansing and washing of our sins in the bloud of Christ was prefigured in that bloud of the Paschall Lambe wherewith the Doore postes of the children of Israel were stricken Exod. 12.7 And also in the bloud of those sacrifices which Aaron was to offer part of the bloud whereof was to be put vpon the hornes of the Altar with his finger and the rest of the bloud to be powred on the foote of the Altar Exod. 19.12 Many such Ceremonies and prefigurations are euery where to be read in the old Testament the truth and substance whereof was accomplished in the new Therefore Saint Austen saide well The new Testament was wrapped vp in the olde and the olde vnfolded in the new Nouum in veteri obuolutum vetus in none explicatum All which are more plainely opened vnto vs by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrewes where he sheweth that all things almost were by the Lawe purged by bloud and without sheading of bloud was no remission Hebr. 9.22.23 And hee addeth further that it was necessary that the similitude of heauenly things should be purified by such things but that the heauenly things themselues are purified with better sacrifices then these Moreouer Isaack Isaack who was readie to be sacrificed was a true figure of Christ which was the substance that was sacrificed for vs being both Priest and sacrifice who offered himselfe for our sinnes vpon the Altar of the crosse his holy body being the night before he suffered washed all ouer with his owne most precious bloud like as the high Priest was vsed to bee washed the night before hee came into Sancta Sanctorum And his sacred side when he hung vpon the Crosse to the very piercing of his harmelesse heart was opened with a speare or launce Vt pateant viscera per vulnera saith Saint Austen sweetely vt per foramina Corporis pateant arcana cordis Augustin That the bowels of Christs loue might appeare in his wounds and that the secret sweetnesse of his heart towards vs might be shewed foorth through the windowes