thereof and also to purchase vnto your selfe the sincere ministery of the Gospell and to make conscience to liue vnder it estéeming your selfe happy if you haue it though you want other things and vnhappie if you haue it not though you haue all other things For it is a péerelesse pearle an incomparable Jewell For the purchasing whereof we are aduised by our Lord Jesus to sel all that we haue rather then to goe without it Againe our Sauiour Christ giueth the same counsell to the Church of Laodicea in these words I counsell thee to buy of me gold tried by the fire that thou maiest be rich and white raiment that thou maist be cloathed and that thy filthy nakednesse do not appeare and annoint thine eies with eie-salue that thou maist see Where you sée the word of God is compared to most pretious gold whereby we are made spiritually rich and to glittering attire wherewith our naked soules are cloathed and to an eye-salue wherewith our spirituall blindnesse is cured We are aduertised also by Jesus Christ whose counsell is euer the best that wée should buy these things whatsoeuer they cost vs. The same counsel also giueth wise Salomon saying Buy the truth but sell it not So then you sée the counsell which héerein I giue you is not mine owne but the counsell of Iesus himselfe and Salomon the wise And who can or who dare except against their counsell Asune Is your meaning that men must of necessitie frequent preaching of the word will not bare reading serue the turne Theol. I tolde you before that reading is good profitable and necessary but yet it is not sufficient We must not content our selues with that onely but wée must goe further and get vnto our selues the sound preaching of the Gospell as the chiefest and most princiyall meanes which God hath ordained and sanctified for the sauing of men As it is plainely set downe 1. Cor. 1. 21. When as the world by wisedome knew not God in the wisedome of God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleeue The meaning of it is that when as men neither by naturall wisedome nor the contemplation of the creatures could sufficiently attaine to the true knowledge of God the Lord according to his heauenly and infinite wisedome thought of an other course which is to saue men by preaching which the world counteth foolishnesse And by the way note that the preaching of the word is not a thing of humane inuention but it is Gods owne deuice and came first out of his braine as the next and néerest way to saue mens soules Wise Salomon also in the Booke of the Prouerbes telleth vs that the preaching of Gods word which hée calleth Uision vsing the word of the Prophets which called their Sermons Uisions is not a thing that may be spared or that wée may be at choise whether we haue it or no but he maketh it to be of absolute necessity vnto eternall life For he saith Where vision faileth the people are left naked So indéede it is in the Originall But the old translation giueth vs the sense thus Where the word of God is not preached there the people perish Then you sée that Salomon striketh it dead in telling vs that all they which are without preaching of the word are in excéeding danger of losing their soules Oh that men could be perswaded of this Saint Paul also saith that faith commeth by hearing the word preached For hée saith How can they heare without a Preacher If faith come by hearing the word preached then I reason thus No preaching no faith no faith no Christ no Christ no eternall life For eternall life is only in him Let vs then put them together thus Take away the word take away faith take away faith take away Christ take away Christ and take away eternall life So then it followeth Take away the word and take away eternall life Or wée may reade them backeward thus If we will haue heauen we must haue Christ If we will haue Christ we must haue faith If we will haue faith we must haue the word preached Then it followeth thus If we will haue heauen we must haue the word preached Then I conclude that preaching generally and for the most part is of absolute necessitie vnto eternall life as meate is of absolute necessity for the preseruation of our bodies as grasse and fodder are of absolute necessity for the vpholding of the life of beasts and water of absolute necessity for the life of fishes Then this being so men are with great care and conscience to heare the Gospell preached to frequent Sermons to resort much to Gods house and habitation where his honour dwelleth with Dauid to say One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I will require euen that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beautie of the Lord and to visit his holy Temple With godly Mary to say One thing is necessary and so choose the better part With the poore Cripple at Bethesda to wait for the moouing of the waters by the Angell that his impotency may be cured I meane that wée should tie our selues to the first moouing of the spirituall waters of life by the Preachers of the Gospell that our spiritual impotency may be holpen and relieued For the ministery of the Gospell is that golden pipe whereby and where-through all the goodnesse of GOD all the swéetenesse of Christ and all heauenly graces whatsoeuer are deriued vnto vs. Which thing was shadowed in the law by the Pomegranates in the skirts of Arons garments and the golden Belles betwéene them round about that is a golden Bell and a Pomegranate a golden Bell and a Pomegranate The golden Belles did signifie the preaching of the Gospel and the Pomegranates the swéet sauour of Christes death Noting thereby that the swéet sauour of Christs death and all the benefits of his passion should be spread abroad by the preaching of the Gospell Thus you sée that if euer men purpose to be saued they must make more account of the preaching of the Gospel then they haue done not thinke as most men do that they may be without it yet doe well enough And some had as léeue be without it as haue it For it doth but disquiet them and trouble their consciences but woe be vnto such Phila. Yet we see where the word is soundly preached there be many bad people and the reasons thereof in mine opinion are two The one that God taketh his holy spirit from many in hearing the word so that their hearing is made vnfruitfull The other that the diuell hath an hundred deuices to hinder the effectuall working of the word so as it shall doe no good at all nor take any effect in multitudes of men But you Master Theologus can better laie open this matter then I. I pray you therefore
an harlot drop as an honie-combe the roofe of her mouth is fofter then oile yet her latter end is bitter as worm-wood and as sharpe as a two edged sword All these prudent speeches of the holy Ghost doe most euidently shew vnto vs what a feareful thing it is to commit whoredome and so to fall into the hands of whores and harlots Therefore Iob saith of the wicked Their soule dieth in youth and their life among the whore-mongers Phila. You haue very well shewed out of Gods booke the great danger of whoredome and adultery And it is greatly to be lamented that men in this age make so light of it as they doe and that it is so common a vice nay that some alas with griefe I speake it doe professe it liue by it and prostitute themselues wholly vnto it Theol. Such men and women may iustlie feare the plaguing hand of God for the Lord saith by his Prophet Though I fed them to the full yet they commited adultery and assembled themselues by companies in harlots houses They rose vp in the morning like fed horses euery man neigheth after his neighbours wife Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Shall not my soule be auenged on such a nation as this Phila. Me thinketh if men were not altogether hardned in this sinne and euen past feeling and past grace this threatning and thundring of God himselfe from heauen should terrifie them Theol. A man would thinke so indéede but now we may take vp the old complaint of the Prophet I hearkened and heard and loe no man spake aright no man repented him of his euill saying What haue I done Euery one turned to their race as the horse rusheth into the battell Antile Tush whoredome is but a tricke of youth and wee see all men haue their imperfections Theol. You speake prophanely and wickedly For shall wee count that but a trick of youth for the which the Lord smote thrée and twenty thousand of his owne people in one day Shall we count that but a trick of youth for the which the Lord threatned Dauid his owne seruant that the sword should neuer depart from his house Shall we count that but a trick of youth for the which Hamor and Shechem the father and the sonne and many other both men women and children were cruelly murdred by Simeon and Leui the sonnes of Iacob Shall we count that but a trieke of youth for the which the Lord slew Hophni and Phineas the two sonnes of Eli the Priest in the battell of the Philistines Shall we thus set all at six and seuen and make light of such horrible villanies Doth not the seueritie of the punishments shew the greatnesse of the sinne Doth not the Apostle say These things came vpon them for our ensamples vpon whom the ends of the world are come and yet you passe it ouer with a tush and a tricke of youth as if God were to be dallied with No no be not deceiued God is not mocked They which will not be mooued now in hearing shall one day be crushed in pieces in féeling And they which now call whordome a tricke of youth shall one day howle and crie yell and yelpe for such trickes with woe and alas that euer they were borne Antil Oh sir you must beare with youth youth you know is fraile and youth will be youthfull when you haue said all that you can Theol. Yes but God doth allow no more libertie vnto youth then vnto age but bindeth all vpon paine of death to the obedience of his commandements The Apostle saith Let yoong men be sober minded Dauid saith Wherewith shall a yoong man cleanse his way In taking heede thereto according to thy worde The wise man saith Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth And further addeth that if they will needes follow their lusts their pleasures and their owne swinge yet in the end he will bring them to iudgement arraigne them condemne them and tame them in hell fire well enough Phila. Yet we see men are so violently carried after their lust and so desperately bent that they will haue the present sweet and pleasure of sin come of it what will Come sicknesse come death come hell come damnation they are at a point they will pay the highest price for their lustes They will purchase their pleasures with the losse of their soules Oh wofull purchase O damnable pleasures Theol. Swéet meat will haue sower sawce and a dramme of pleasure a pound of a sorrow Such cursed catifes shal at last pay a deare shot for their pleasures Such desperate wretches shall one day know to their euerlasting woe what it is to prouoke God to sin with so high an hand against him They shall well know in spight of their hearts that vengeance is prepared for the wicked and that there is a God that iudgeth the earth Let al men therfore take héed in time For whoremongers and Adulterers God will iudge And the Apostle saith flatly That whoremongers and Adulterers shall not inherit the kingdome of God Let therefore no fornicator or vncleane person bee found amongst vs as was Esau But let vs abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule And let euery one know how to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour and nor in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles which know not God 1. Thess 4. 5. Héerein let vs consider the wise spéech of an ancient Father Sinne while it is in dooing ministreth some pleasure but when it is committed the short pleasure thereof vanisheth awaie and long sorrow commeth in stead of it Neither let vs héere reiect the saying of a wise Heathen Shunne pleasure for feare of smart Sowre things follow sweet and ioy heauinesse Antile Yet for all this you shall not make me beleeue that whoredome is so hainous a mattter You make more of it then it is Theol. True indéed For you and such as you are will beléeue nothing against your lusts and fleshly delights and that is the cause why you are deafe on this eare I will therfore adde a word or two more out of the oracles of God to that which hath vin spoken The wise king saith He that committeth Adulterie with women destroieth his owne soule and so is accessarie to his owne death which is no small matter For wée vse to say if a man hang himselfe drowne himselfe or any manner of way make away himselfe that he was cursed of God that Gods hand was heauie against him that the diuell ought him a shame and now he hath paid it him And all the countrey rings of such a strange accident when and where it falleth out and the Crowner of the Countrey doth sit vpon it How much more may all the world wonder at this that a man should destroy his owne soule and wittingly and willingly cast
away himselfe for euer Now the holy Ghost saith the Adulterer doth such an act giueth such a venture and willingly murthereth himselfe Oh therefore woe vnto him that euer he was borne For sure it is that great Crowner of heauen that crownes whom hée will crowne shal one day sit vpon it and giue iudgement Moreouer as the Adulterer sinneth against his soule so also he sinneth against his bodie after a speciall manner as witnesseth the Apostle Also he sinneth against his goods and outward estate as the holy man Iob testifieth saying Adulterie is a fire that deuoureth to destruction and it will roote out all our encrease Furthermore he sinneth against his name For the Adulterer shall finde a wound and dishonour and his reproch shall neuer be put away Item he sinneth against his wife who is his companion and the wife of his couenant And God saith in the same place Let none trespasse against the wife of his youth keepe your selues in your spirit and transgresse not Last of all he sinneth against his children and posteritie as the Lord said to Dauid Because thou hast despised me and done this therefore the sword shall neuer depart from thy house Beholde I will raise vp euill against thee out of thine owne house Now therefore to conclude this point we may sée how many deadly wounds men make in themselues by committing of adultery They wound themselues in their soules They wound themselues in their bodies They wound themselues in their goods They wound themselues in their names They wound themselues in their wiues and in their children What man except he were stark mad would thrust in himselfe in so many places at once The adulterer with his owne sin of adulterie maketh all these deadly wounds in himselfe And it is a hundred to one he will neuer get them cured but will die and bléed to death of them Lo thus you sée the dangerous quality and condition of this sin Shall we now therfore make light of it Shall we say it is but a tricke of youth Shal we smooth ouer the matter with swéet words when the holy Ghost maketh it so hainous and capitall Shal we make nothing of that which draweth downe Gods wrath vpon the soule body goods name wife and children That were an intolerable blindnesse and most extreame hardnesse of heart An ancient writer hath long agoe passed sentence vpon vs who make so light of this sin for saith he Adultery is the very hooke of the diuell whereby he draweth vs to destruction And another godly Father saith that Adulterie is like a furnace whose mouth is gluttonie the flame pride the sparkles filthy words the smoke an euill name the ashes pouertie and the end shame And so wée plainly sée that howsoeuer wée regard not this sinne but flatter our selues in it yet those whose eies the Lord hath opened haue in all ages condemned it as most flagitious and horrible yea the very Heathen will rise vp in iudgment against vs who haue spoken and written many things against this filthy beastly vice Phila. Now indeede you haue sufficiently branded the vice of adulterie and laid out the vglinesse thereof that all men may behold it starke naked and abhorre it If any man notwithstanding all this will venture vpon it hee may be saide to be a most desperate monster For what doth he else but as it were put his finger into the Lions mouth and as it were take the beare by the tooth and they may well know what will follow and what they may looke for Let all men therefore in time take heed to themselues and to their owne soules as they will answer it at their vttermost perill at the dreadfull day of iudgement when the secrets of all hearts shal be disclosed But now one thing resteth to wit that you should shew vs the speciall roots and causes of adulterie Theol. There be fiue speciall causes of it The first is our naturall corruption for the verie spawne and séed of all sinne is in our corrupt nature and this of all other is a most inherent sinne as witnesseth the Apostle Iames saying When lust hath conceiued it bringeth foorth sinne and sinne when it is perfected bringeth forth death The second is gluttonie and fulnesse of Bread for when men haue filled their bellies and crammed their paunches as full of good cheare wine and strong drinke as their skins can hold what are they méet for or what mind they else but adulterie and vncleannesse And therfore well saith one Great nourishment and grosse feed it is the shop of lust The Heathen Poet could skill to say Sine Cicere Baccho friget Venus Without meat and drinke lust waxeth colde And to this effect the wise king saith that their eies shall behold strange women whose hearts are set vpon wine and belly-cheare And therefore he aduiseth all men not to looke vpon the wine when it appeareth red when it sheweth his colour in the cup or stirreth very kindely and that for feare of this after-clap An ancient writer saith to the sam purpose Hee that delicately pampereth his belly and yet would ouercome the spirit of fornication is like him that will quench a flame of fire with Oyle Therefore to close vp this point sure it is though men pray heare and read much and be otherwise well disposed yet except they be absteinous in diet they will be much troubled with lust The third cause of adulterie is Idlenesse For when men are lazie luskish and idle hauing nothing to do they lie wide open to adulterie and lust créepeth into them Some Historiographers write the Crab-fish is very desirous to eat Oysters but because she cannot perforee open them she watcheth her time when they open themselues vnto the sun after the tide and then she putteth in her claw and pulleth out the Oyster Euen so sathan watcheth his opportunity against vs that he may infect and breath into vs all filthy lusts and adulterous desires when wée lie open vnto him by idlenesse Wisely therfore to this point said the Gréeke Poet Much rest nourisheth lust And another Poet saith Quaritur agistus quare sit factus adulter In promtu causa est desidiosus erat Slothfull lazinesse is the cause of Adulterie And therefore another saith Eschew idlenesse and cut the sinewes of lust The fourth cause of adultery is wanton apparell which is a ministrelsie that pipes vp a daunce vnto whoredome But of this enough before The fift and last part of adultery is the hope of impunitie or escaping of punishment For many being blinded and hardened by Sathan thinke they shall neuer be called to an account for it And because they can bleare the eies of men and carry this sin so closely vnder a cloud that it shall neuer come to light they thinke all is safe and that God séeth them not And therefore Iob saith The eie of the adulterer waiteth
fire vpon Gods Altar were consumed with fire He that blasphemed and transgressed the third commandement was stoned to death He that brake the fourth commandement in gathering sticks vpon the Sabbath was likewise stoned Absolon transgressing the fift Commandement was hanged in his owne haire Cain transgressing the sixt in flaying his brother Abel was branded with the marke of Gods wrath Sichem the sonne of Hamor transgressing the seuenth in defiling Dina the daughter of Iacob was slaine by Simeon and Leui the sons of Iacob Achan sinning against the eight Commandement in stealing the wedge of Gold and the Babylonish garment was stoned to death Ananias Sapphira sinning against the ninth commandement in liing and dissembling were suddenly smitten with death Ahab transgressing the tenth commandement in ceueting and discententment was deuoured of dogges Or if you will haue originall sinne therein onely forbidden then infants are therefore punished with death Thus we sée there is no dallying with God but if we sin we are as sure to beierkt for it as the coat is on our backe Therfore let vs not deceiue our selues nor make light of sin For sin is no scar-bugge and we shall one day finde it so And howsoeuer we make light of some sins yet in very déed all sinne is odious in the sight of God yea all sin is hainous and capital in this respect that it is against a person of infinite being it is against God himselfe it is against the highest Maiesty For the greatnesse of the person offended doth enhaunce and increase the greatnesse of the sinne As for example If a man raile at a Justice of peace hée shall be stocked if hée raile being the sonnes of idlenesse will step short in the end of that they looked for For the spirit saith The sluggard lusteth but his soule hath nought We must therefore leaue bare words and come to déeds For our Lord Iesus saith Not euery one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth the will of my father which is in heauen Where wée sée Christ in plaine tearmes doth exclude out of his kingdome all those whose Religion consisteth onely in good words and smooth spéeches but make no conscience to practise the Commandements of God Dauid hauing made some good preparation for the building of the Temple and perceiuing his sonne Salomon to haue stuffe and prouision enough to perfectt and finish it doth most wisely incourage him to the worke in these words Vp and be doing and the Lord shall be with thee Oh that men would follow this counsell of Dauid That they would vp and bée dooing And not sit still and doe nothing that they would leaue words and countenances and set vpon the practise of Gods Law and study with all care and conscience to bée obedient to his will Then assuredly God would be with them and blesse them and much good would come of it For the Scripture saith In all labour there is profit or increase but the talke of the lips onely bringeth want Phila. Most mens minds are so wholly drowned in the loue of this world that they haue no heart to obey God nor any delight in his commandements Theo. The greatest part of men are like vnto the Gadarens which estéemed their Swine more then Christ As wée sée in these our daies how many make more account of their kine and shéepe then of the most glorious Gospell of Christ They highly estéeme dung and contemne Pearle They are carefull for trifles and regard not the things of greatest moment And therefore may very fitly be compared to a man who hauing his wife and children very sicke doth vtterly neglect them and is altogether carefull for the curing of his hogs eares Phila. We are somewhat digressed from the matter we had in hand I pray you therefore if you haue any more matter of good counsell to giue vnto Asunetus that you would presently deliuer it Theol. I haue little more to say saue onely I would aduise him often to remember and much to muse of these nine things The euill he hath committed The good he hath omitted The time he hath mispent The shortnesse of this life The vanity of this world The excellency of the world to come Death then the which nothing is more terrible The day of iudgement then the which nothing is more fearefull Hell fire then the which nothing is more intolerable Phila. This is short and sweet indeed You haue touched some of these points before in this our conference But I am very desirous to heare somewhat more of the two last which yet haue not beene touched Theol. Sith you are desirous I will briefely deliuer vnto you that which I haue receiued from the Lord. First concerning the day of iudgement I find in the volume of Gods booke that it shal be very terrible and dreadfull For The sonne of man shall come in the clouds of heauen with power and great glory S. Peter saith The day of the Lord shal come as a thiefe in the night In the which the heauens shall passe away with a noise the elements shall melt with heat the earth with the works that are therein shall be burnt vp The Apostle telleth vs that at the comming of Christ all the whole world shall bée of a light fire and that all castels towers goodly buildings gold siluer veluets silkes and all the glittering hue glory and beauty of this world shall be consumed to powder and ashes For he saith plainly The heauens and the earth which are now are reserued vnto fire against the day of iudgemēt and of the destruction of vngodly men Moreouer he doth strongly prooue that as the world was once destroied by water so the second time in the end thereof it shall be destroied by fire The Apostle Paul doth witnesse the same thing For he saith Christ shal come from heauen with all his mighty Angels in flaming fire And in another place he noteth the terrour of his comming to iudgement saying He shall come with a shout with the voice of the Archangel the trumpet of God We sée by experience that the comming of mortall Princes to any place is with great pompe glory They haue great traines and troupes behind them and before them They are accompanied with many Nobles goodly Lords and gallant Ladies doe attend vpon them The Sword-bearer Trumpetters and harbengers go before many flaunting and stately personages follow after Now then if the comming of mortall Princes be so pompous and glorious how much more glorious shall the comming of the sonne of man be in whose sight all mortal princes are but dust The Scriptures doe affirme that his second comming vnto iudgement shall be with such resplendent and vnspeakeable glory that euen the most excellent creatures shall blush at it For the Sunne shall be darkened the Moone shall not giue her light
speake something of it Theol. The sleights of Sathan in this behalfe are moe and more slie then I or any man else can possibly discouer For who is able to descrie or in sufficient manner to lay open the déepe subtilties and most secret and sinfull suggestions of the Diuell in the hearts of men Hée is so cunning a crafts master this way that none can perfectly trace him His workings in the hearts of men are with such close and hid deceits and most methodicall and craftie conueyances that none can sufficiently finde them out But yet notwithstanding I will béewray so much as I know or can conceiue of his dealings with men that heare the word that he may steale it out of their hearts and make it fruitlesse and vnprofitable First of all hée bestirreth him and laboureth hard to kéepe men fast asléepe in their sinnes that they may haue no care at all of their saluation and therefore disswadeth them from hearing or reading the word at all lest they should bée awaked If this will not preuaile but that they must néeds heare then his craft is to make their hearing vnprofitable by sléepinesse dulnesse by-thoughts conceitednesse and a thousand such like If this will not serue the turne but that the word doth get within them and worke vpon them so as thereby they grow to some knowledge and vnderstanding of the truth then he practiseth another way which is to make them rest themselues vpon their bare knowledge and so become altogether consciencelesse If this will not suffice but that men fall to doing and leaue some sinnes especially the grosse sinnes of the world and doe some good then he perswadeth them to trust to those doings without Christ and to thinke themselues well inough because they doe some good and leaue some euill If this bée not enough but that men attaine vnto the true iustifying faith which apprehendeth Christ and resteth vpen his merits then he deuiseth how to blemish the beauty of their faith and weaken their comfort through many frailties and wants yea grosse downefalles and ranke euils so as they shall bée but spotted and leaprous Christians If this weapon will not worke but that Christians doe ioyne all good vertues with their faith and abundantly shine foorth in all fruits of righteousnesse then he casteth about another way which is to daunt and dampe them with discouragements as pouertie necessity sicknesse reproches contempts persecutions c. If none of all these will doe the déeds but that men constantly beléeue in Christ and patiently and ioyfully endure all afflictions then his last refuge is to blow them vp with gun-powder that is to puffe them vp with a pride of their gifts graces and strength and so to giue them an vtter ouerthrow whilest they doe not walke humbly and giue God the praise of his gifts Thus haue you a little taste of Sathans cunning in making the word vnfruitfull amongst vs. Asune I pray you good sir seeing I am ignorant and vnlearned giue me some particular directions out of the word of Gnd for the good guiding and ordering of my particular actions in such sort as that I may glorifie God in the earth and after this life be glorified of him for euer Theol. It were an infinite thing to enter into all particulars but briefely doe this First séeke God earnestly in his word pray much in all things giue thanks Eschew euil and doe good Feare God and kéepe his Commandements reforme your selfe and your houshold loue vertue and vertuous men kéepe company with the godly and auoid the society of the wicked Liue soberly iustly and holily in the present euil world Speake alwais graciously ◠beware of filthy communication Recompense to no man euill for euill but recompense euill with good Be curteous and pitifull towards all men Take héed of swearing cursing and banning Beware of anger wrath and bitternesse Praise your friend openly reprooue him secretly Speake no euill of them that are absent nor of the dead Speake euill of no man speake alwaies the best or at least not the worst Reuerence Gods name and kéepe his Sabbaths Auoid all the signes of condemnation and labour after all the signes of saluation Aboue all things take héed of sin for that is the very cutthroat of the soule and bane of all goodnesse Tremble therefore and sinne not For if you sinne marke what followeth Sixe great dangers in sinne God seeth His Angels beare witnesse The conscience pricketh Death threatneth The Diuell accuseth Hell deuoureth You sée then that sinne is no scarcrow or iesting matter Euery sin that a man commiteth is as a thorne thrust déepe into the soule which will not be got out againe but with many a sigh and many a sorrowfull oh oh Euery sinne is written with a pen of iron and the point of a diamond vpon the conscience and shall in the last day when the bookes shall be opened accuse vs and giue in euidence against vs. If a man commit sinne with pleasure the pleasure passeth away but the conscience and sting of the sinne abideth and tormenteth deadly but if a man doe well though with labour and painfulnesse the paine passeth away yet the conscience of well dooing remaineth with much comfort But the best end of sinne is alwaies repentance if not in this life then with woe and alas when it is too late Therefore take héed in time take héed I say of sinne Six most hurtfull effects of sinne Sinne hardneth the heart Sinne gnaweth the conscience Sinne fighteth against the soule Sinne bringeth foorth death Sinne maketh ashamed Sinne procureth all plagues of bodie and soule Behold therefore the euil effects of sin For this cause Zophar the Naamathite speaketh very wisely to Iob saying When thou shalt lift thy face out of thy sinne thou shalt be strong and shalt not feare thou shalt forget all sorrow thou shalt temember it as the waters that are past Where Zophar plainly sheweth that the auoiding of sinne is our strength and the committing of it our weakening According to that of Salomon The way of the Lord is the strength of the vpright man Therefore walke in the way of God and take héed of the waies of sinne For God punisheth euery sinne his way some one way and some another and no sinne can escape vnpunished For because God is iust therfore he must néeds punish sinne in all men though in diuers manners as the wicked in their owne persons the godly in Christ Beware of it therefore and flatter not your selfe in your sinnes Remember how euery disobedience and euery transgression hath had a iust recompence of reward God hath in all ages matched the causes with the effect that is sinne with the punishment of sinne The Isralites for breaking the first commandement in making other Gods were often smitten by the hand of God Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron for the breach of the second commandement in offering strange