God must néedes be the greatest of all euils and that euil is called sinne for sin depriueth a man of the chiefest good which is God and therfore sinne must be the greatest euill of all other Will you sée how sin is opposite and contrarie vnto the thrée properties of good and so by consequence vnto God namely vnto honestie profite and delite then giue you me leaue a litle to examine each propertie apart and with patience and attention harken what I shal say First of all Sin as the Philosophers define it being no positiue thing but a priuation or taking away it is as much to say it hath in it nothing that is good but taketh from a man all that is good And the chiefest property wherein goodnes consisteth and without the which there can indéede be no goodnes is honestie and that sinne depriueth a man of for sin in his owne nature is shameful and opposit vnto honesty in so much as it is written Qui malè agit odit lucem He that doth euil he hateth the light Sinne is a worke of darknes it feareth to be séene it is loth to come to the light it séeketh darke places and secret corners Examples of this matter we haue great store euerie man can witnes it in his own conscience Adam so séene as he had sinned in Paradice Gen. 3. that he sawe himselfe to be naked was he not ashamed did he not hide himselfe from the presence of the Lord What shall we say of Dauid that after he had committed adultery with Bethsabe in sending for Vrias home in procuring him to goe home to fléepe with his wife in giuing him meat and drinke apt for that purpose was it for any other thing but that he was ashamed of his fact he would faine haue had the matter couered but it would not bee the Lord did bolt it out sending Nathan the Prophet to him who reprehēded him of his falt 2 Sam. 11. then hee could crye Peccatum meum coram me est se mper My sinne is alwaies in my sight Psal 51. I am ashamed O Lord of that which I haue done This may you sée how opposite a thing sinne is vnto honestie that it bringeth with it nothing else but confusion and shame Let vs now sée how it contrarieth the second propertie of goodnes which is profite How vnprofitable a thing sinne is To speake of the disprofite that sin bringeth if I should say so much as might be sayd I should neuer make an end what greater disprofite can it be to a man or woman thē to loose their soule eternally In so much as our Sauiour him selfe saieth Mat. 16.26 What shall it profit a man to haue gayned the whole worlde and after shall sustaine the losse of his soule or what exchaunge or commutation can a man make for his soul Shall I bréefly discurre vnto you what losse sin did bring Note first in the Aungels them selues Gen. 1. who for sinne were depriued for euer from the vision of God and are now damned for euermore For sinne Adam and Eue were exyled Paradice Gen. 3. and al their posteritie made subiect to death miserie For sinne the whole world was drowned Gen. 7. 8. persons excepted For sinne Sodom and Gomorrha with other Cities there adiacent were consumed and burnt by fire Gen. 19. and all the people perished For sinne the Children of Israell were caried twise captiue 2 Reg. 17. once vnder Salmanasar king of the Assirians and an other time vnder Nabuchodonosor king of Babilon besides a number other plagues and losses the came to them through sin 2 Reg. 25. Finallie sinne brought such a losse vnto mankinde as the raunsome therof was neuer able to be paied but by the death and passion of Iesus Christ the onely sonne of the liuing God Let this at this time suffice for the losse or disprofit that commeth vnto mā or woman by sinne Perhaps this matter or losse may be requited with the delite that sinne bringeth with it and so great may be the delite the a man careth neither for honestie nor profit If it bee so then let vs consider the delite that sin bringeth a part and sée what is the pleasure that a mā receiueth in the cōmitting of sinne And that is the third property of goodnes that I haue to speak of namely delite And now shall you sée how opposite a thing sin is vnto delite also Sinne as I said is a thing opposite vnto that part of good which is called delight for it is a most sad and sorrowfull euil full of griefe and pensiuenes Sin is so sad and pensiue a thing that it doth not onely bring a man vnto eternall death but it leaueth a man full of trouble and griefe also in this life The iustice of God can not suffer the guilt of sin to be vnpunished And therfore the Prophet Ieremie gaue vs to vnderstand the euil of sinne in this point Ier. 8. when he said Know thou and sée how euill and bitter a thing it is to haue forsaken the Lord thy God For besides the eternall and euerlasting punishment which excéedeth al other punishmentes and I haue no leisure to stād to discourse vpon at this time I wil reckon vp four greate euils that it bringeth vnto a man or woman in this life which no man what soeuer hee bee can by any means auoid The first is the sting of a mans conscience which hee hath pricking within after he hath committed the sinne Of al other thinges how swéete soeuer sin séemeth in the beginning it hath the vilest end yea such an ende that it bringeth many a man or woman vnto desperation after they haue committed a wicked fact When a man hath satisfyed his filthy lust what lothsomnes doth he finde remaining in his soule and conscience a fitter example I cannot giue you then Amon Dauids sonne who falling in loue with his Sister Thamar in such wise 2 Sam. 13 as he almost perished for loue and lust yet when he had accomplished his will and purpose there remained such a lothsomnes behind of sinne that he could neuer abide to looke vpon Thamar afterward And this I dare be bold to say that there is no sinner aliue let him bée neuer so shamelesse and impudent in his sinne let him face and braue it out with neuer so desperate a minde yet he can not so extinguish that touch of conscience but his soule at one time or other shall finde the torment of the same The second euill that sinne bringeth to a man or woman to contrarie delite is shame of the which for that I haue touched it alreadie I wil spare to speak any more of it but come vnto the Text. The third euil that sinne bringeth in this life to contrarie delight is feare of punishment for the sinfull man after he hath committed a naughtie fact he is by and by afraid Hee knoweth ther
not a dead faith or a deuilish faith Iac. 2. such a faith as S. Iames doth mention in his Epist This iustifying faith I say who so euer hath not hée is emptie no doubt of all goodnes without that faith as S. Paul saith 11. to the Hebr. vers 6. It is impossible to please God This emptinesse of faith Heb. 11.6 and consequently of all good workes procéedeth of a kind of idlenes which is the mother and nurse of all kinde of mischiefe and him I account to bee idle that is not well occupied for all such as occupye themselues in vaine and tristinge busines as in carding dicing vnlawfull gaming 's or exercises vnlesse it be for an honest moderat recreation I say those labours are no better thē idlenes for that they be childish there is no profit in them And such actions or labours which conteine in thē manifest and apparant euil I say those are deuillish worse then if a mā were childishly occupied or ydle altogether That mā or woman that wanteth a true and perfect faith that is fruitful by good works can neuer be wel occupied It is not inough for a man by faith to apprehend Christ Iesus our Sauiour as he is mercifull as he hath redéemed vs and payd for vs the price of our redēption but we must apprehend him also as he is iust as he hateth sin crutifiing it in his owne flesh and contēning it in vs and vs for sin we must apprehend him as he is risen againe from death to life with whom wée must also arise againe from death to life Colos 3. by dying to the world and liuing vnto him by crucifying old Adam with all his concupiscences and putting on the new in iustice and righteousnes for he that is not partaker of the first resurrection which is to rise from sinne to grace shall neuer be partaker of the second to rise from death to euerlasting life Let vs not therefore deceaue our selues with the bare name and title of faith 2. Pet. c. 1. v. 10. but let vs rather as Peter sayth by good workes endeuour to make our vocation and election certaine Let vs alwaies be working and labouring like good and painfull seruantes in the vineyard of the Lord euery man in his vocation That we should so do we are admonished by that wéekly labour that the children of Israel had in the desert where euery day by the commaundement of the Lord they were cōmaunded to gather Manna Exod. 16. onely the Sabaoth they should rest Surely so with vs we ought all the wéeke daies of this our pilgrimage short and transitorie life to be gathering of Manna of spiritual food for our soules so long as we remain in this world we must not be Idle nor séelt for any rest vntil our Sabaoth cōmeth which is the day of our ioyful resurrection when as with bodie and soule wée shall remaine in the Kingdome of our Father for euermore there we shal rest and then we shal rest and not before The second cause that moued Sathan to make reentrance was for that hee found his house swept and as our Text hath it it was swept with a Besom A house that hath bin long vnswept and contracted great corruption it is impossible with a Besom swéeping it to make it cleane for the dyrt and filth being baked on the ground and hardned is not so easily taken away in such a case it is necessarie and requisite that a man vse the helpe of a paring-knife or a scraping-iron for if a man do but superficicially swéepe it with a broome assuredly it will be litle the better Euen so it fareth with the soule of a sinner how many sinnes by long continuance haue we contracted in our house how many wayes haue we defiled our selues with vile and filthy thoughtes how many foule and vnsauerie wordes haue wée breathed out of our mouthes to argue the vncleanes of our Soules within how many lewd and abominable actes haue we daily committed and do commit from time to time and do we think with a sleight and small repentance to be pardoned and forgiuen do we think by knocking once or twice vppon our breast and saying Lord forgiue mee Lord haue mercie vpon me our sinnes shall be remitted and taken cleane away What should then that noble king Ezechias mean when hée lay sicke of an infirmitie Esai 38. v. 10.15 so to crie out and say in the moitie of my yeares I will descend into the graue and to say that hée would call to remēbrance all his yeres in the bitternes of his soule What ment the Prophet Dauid Psal 51. v 1. after hee had committed adultery to crie out and say Haue mercie on me O God according to thy great mercie And in another place to say I haue laboured in sighing Psal 6. v. 7 I shal wash my bed euerie night and water my Couch with tears Such and the like signes of repentance vsed this noble King and Prophet What maner of repentance was that of Magdalen when shée entered into Simon the Pharyses house bathed our Sauiour his féete with teares Luc. 7. and washed them with the hairs of her head O Lord how farre are we in these daies from this sorrow for our sinnes We thinke it inough if we crie once vnto the Lord for mercie we neuer studie to take reuenge of sinne in our owne flesh we are not minded with the Niniuites to repēt in Sackcloth and Ashes Ionas 3.6 when as our sinnes are no lesse grieuous then theirs and as many in number if not more Wée thinke perhaps that Christ mocked when he said contend yée to enter in at the narrow gate Luc. 13.24 for many I say vnto you shal séek to enter in cannot or that he spake not in earnest when hée said The Kingdome of Heauen suffereth violence and they that get it must get it by violence I know not surely how we practise now a daies to get heauen by violēce vnlesse eating and drinking banqueting and sporting daunsing and vising swearing and staring bée violence If this violence or the like kinde would get heauen perhaps a number should come to Heauen who for vsing the same shall bée assured neuer to come there but violently to bée thrust into hel where they shal remaine and abide for euermore There be many now a dayes when they are reprehended of sinne and perswaded to holines of life can be content to say it is a good thing it is méete it should be so but to studie as they should amendment of their liues to plucke sin by the rootes out of their hart there are few that will do so Let a man cut his haire neuer so shorte yet in short time it wil grow long againe and why surely there is no other reason but for that the rootes be left in the skull stil so let vs clip our sinnes neuer so short and swéep our
is a God aboue that wil reuenge all sinne and he is afeard of Gods iudgementes and of sodeine death This feare remaineth of inferiour Magistrates that are administers of Gods iustice For if a Théefe after he haue committed a roberie be brought before a Iustice to be examined forthwith he feareth and faultereth in his spéech answers a guiltie conscience bewrayeth it selfe so that he that sinneth is alwayes fearfull and as Salomon saith Prou. 28.1 the wicked man hée fléeth when no man persecuteth him In so much as sinne is a continuall hangman that tormenteth a mans conscience where so euer he goeth The fourth and last euill that sinne bringeth contrarie to delight is a continuall combat and conflicte betweene reason and sensualitie In so much as when sensualitie entiseth vs to a thing that is naught reason sayth do it not sensualitie saith do it And such a contrariety a man shal find in him self that oft times he is forced to crie out and say with Iob. Factus sum mihimetipsi grauis Iob. 7.20 I am become troublesome vnto my selfe Thus haue I made a briefe description of the vilenes and crookednes of sinne which if it be laied to the right rule of goodnes that is honesty profit and delite You may sée how vile a thing it is and far from all goodnes that hath in it neither honestie profit nor delite And depriuing a man of all honestie profite and delite which is the greatest good that may be and cōteined in God himselfe from whō sin excludeth vs. Also it cannot be but wee must necessarilie conclude that sin is the greatest euil that may be and that there is no euill to be cōpared or matched with sin Thus hauing found out the vilenes of the first euill it resteth that wee know how the seconde euill may bee worse then this for that it is said in our text The last state of that man is worse then the first A man would thinke that the first is so bad as lightly there could be no worse but how the last becommeth worse then the first in few wordes I shall shew If we respect sin in his owne nature it is alwaies euill so euil as it can not be worse But if we respect it as it is renued in action the more an ill thing is renued the worse stil it is by reason of the ingratitude that remaineth in the offender As for example A man committing a trespasse once he is pardoned of his Prince and after cōmitteth the same offence again in the same nature both the offences in their own nature are bad and neither worse then the other but in respect of the ingratitude of the offender who being pardoned once would not take héede the second time And so foorth of all other sinnes that so shal be renewed the more they are renewed the more hainons they are by reason of the ingratitude Now where our Text sayth that the last state of such a one shall bee worse then the first I will shew you briefly also how that may be ment and the is for thrée respects First in respect of the Deuil that tempteth a man to sin Secondly in respect of the offender that committeth the sinne Thirdly in respect of God that punisheth sin All these I shall make plaine by a familiar example And first in respect of the Deuil that tempteth vnto sinne I will shew you how the last euill is worse then the first Take the example of a Iaylour that taketh a man to prison the man being committed but for debt or some such other trespasse is indifferently wel vsed and entreated in Prison he hath as much libertie as the Prison can yéeld him and as much fauour as the Iailour can shew him But if this Prisoner watching his oportunitie do happen to breake forth and to make an escape how doth the Iaylour then rage and fume and how doth he threaten and lay about him saying that if euer he catch that Prisoner againe hee will vse him and so forth So as you sée it standeth the Prisoner vppon that is so broken away to looke vnto himselfe for otherwise it had bin better for him that hee had remained in Prison still and made no escape It commeth to passe that he is taken againe how is this poore wretch then vsed hee is layed in Boltes he is kept vnder locke and key hee goeth not out of his chamber he is continually watched you sée how his last imprisonment is worse then the first by reason of the cruell vsage of the Iaylour Euen so it fareth with a sinner who as long as he is in sinne is in the Deuils kéeping and so long as he continueth in sinne the Deuil letteth him alone doth not trouble him much but letteth him enioy the libertie of the Prison that is the pleasures of this world and suffreth him to goe from one to an other without contradiction But if this sinner chaunce at any time to be moued by grace to forsake sinne and the pleasures of this world and to breake prison that is to giue the Deuill the slippe and meaneth to returne to the seruice of Almightie God it standeth this man vppon to looke well vnto himselfe and to thinke that the Deuil hath a continuall eye vpon him and if euer hee can catch him againe and bring him within the compasse of his Prison let him be assured he wil kéepe him more warely the second time and remoue from him al the occasiōs that brought him to goodnes and locke him vp fast in a close dungeon where hee shall sée nothing and féele nothing but continuall temptations and allurements vnto sinne and shall be so watched guarded that he shal hardly make any escape againe And thus you sée how the second estate of a sinner is worse then the first in respect of the Deuill by comparison of a Iailour The last estate of a Sinner is worse then the first also in respect of the synner himselfe for experience and natural reason teacheth that many actions do at the last come to bee an habit and long custome in any thing doth alter nature wherefore that man or woman that frequenteth much synning in time can come to do nothing els Wee see by daily experience that a Childe that hath bin vertuouslie or wel brought vp when he commeth to yeares and beginneth to see the corruptions of the world how at first not being experienced with the filthines of sinne he accounteth it an abhominable thing but if after hee fall into ill companie among whom synne is boldlie vsed by litle and litle he may be drawen to commit it once If hée haue committed sinne one time hee wil be the more easyly drawen to the second and so to the third and at last he wil be as bold in synne as the best and as shamelesse as the rest And thus you se how the last state of a sinner is worse then the first by reason of the Synner