as neither counsell nor strength could deliver Ionas so neither counsel nor strēgth can deliver vs as it was the wil of God to drown Ionas so it is the will of God some way or other to dissolue vs whether the time is limited within 10. or 100. or 1000. yeares there is no defence against the hād of the grave the very remēbrance hereof would be as cōfortable and as fortunate a staffe vnto vs to walke the pilgrimage of our few evil daies as the staffe that Iacob had to go over Iordā with O looke vnto your end as the wise men looked vnto the star which stood over Bethlehē it shal happily guide you to heaven as that guided thē to Bethlehē where the king of the Iews now sitteth reigneth at his fathers right hād it shal lead you frō the East to the West as that led them frō the rising of the sun I meane the state and time where your life begā to the going down of the same But it is a death vnto vs to remēber death I will say with the son of Sirach whilst wee are able but to receive meat whilst ther is any strēgth livelihood in vs but appetite to our food it is a death to remēber death though we dwel in ruinous rottē houses built vpōn sand ashes which the wind raine of infinite daily casualties shake about our eares yet we walke in this brittle earthēhouse as Nabuchodonosor in his galleries and aske Is not this greate Babell Is not this my house a strong house is not my body in good plight haue I not bloud in my veines fatnesse in my bones health in my iointes am I not likelye to liue these many yeares and see the succession of my sonnes and nephewes what will bee the ende of all this Ducunt in bonis dies sues in puncto descendunt in infernum They passe their daies with pleasure and in an instant of time goe downe into hell Therefore they are deceived which thinke it an easie matter speedily to returne vnto God when they haue long beene straying from him that are gone with the prodigall childe in longin quam regionem into a farre countrey farre from the thought of death and consequently farre from the feare of God yet promise themselues a quicke returne againe Doe they not know that it will aske as long a time if not a longer to finde God as to loose God Ioseph and Mary left their sonne at Ierusalem and went but one daies iourney from him but they sought vp and down three whole daies before they coulde finde him these goinge from the wayes of the Lorde a iourney of fortie or fifty yeares hope in a moment of time to recover his mercies I woulde never wish so desperate an adventure to bee made by any man that the sinnes of his soule and the ende of his life shoulde come so neare togither as the trespasse of Ionas and his casting forth For thinke with your selues how feareful his thoughts were being at the best to be rockte tost to and fro in a dangerfull shippe the bones whereof aked with the violence of every surge that assayled it the anchors cables and rudders either throwne away or torne in pieces having more friendship profered him than he had happe to make vse of at length to bee cast into the sea a mercilesse and vnplacable sea roaring for the life and carkase of Ionas more than ever the lion roared for his pray the bottome whereof seemed as low vnto him as the bottomlesse destruction and no hope lefte to escape either by shippe boate or by a broken peece of boord or to bee cast to lande and besides all these the anger of GOD burning against his sinnes like a whole river of brimstone This is the case of vs all in any extreme and peremptorie sickenesse or to speake more largely in the whole course of our liues for our liues are nothinge but vncertainety as Ezechias sange in his songe From day to night thou wilt make an ende of mee We are tumbled and tossed in a vessell as fraile as the ship was which every streame of calamity is readie to breake in shivers where neither anchor nor rudder is lefte neither heade nor hande nor stomacke is in case to giue vs comforte where though wee haue the kindenesse of wife and friendes the duety of children the advise and paines of the Physitians to wish vs well vvee cannot vse their service where we haue a graue before our eies greedie inexorable reaching to the gates of hell opening her mouth to receiue vs and shutting her mouth when shee hath received vs never to returne vs backe againe till the wormes and creepers of the earth haue devoured vs. There is terrour enough in these thinges to the strongest man Aristippus feareth death as well as the common people But if the anger of God for our former iniquities accompanie them thrise woe vnto vs our heavy and melancholicke cogitations will exclude al thought of mercie and our soules shall sleepe in death clogged with a burthen of sinnes which were never repented of Therefore if we desire to die the death of the righteous as Balaam wished let vs first liue the life of the righteous and as wee girde our harnesse aboute vs before the battell is ioyned so let vs thinke of repentaunce before death commeth and the ordinance of God be fully accomplished that we must be cast forth And the sea ceased from her raging As the rising of the sea vvas miraculous so it is not a lesse miracle that her impatience was so suddainely pacified Heate but a pot with thornes and withdraw the fire from it can you appease the boyling thereof at your pleasure Here the huge bodie and heape of waters raised by a mightie winde in the aire or rather the winde and breath of Gods anger what shal I saie remitteth it the force of her rage by degrees falleth it by number and measure giveth it but tokens and hope of deliverance vnto them nay at the first sinking of Ionas it standeth as vnmooueable as a stone as dead as the dead sea having fretted it selfe before with the greatest indignation and wrath that might bee conceaved as if hee that bounded the sea at the first creation Hitherto shalt thou come and no further had spoken vnto it at this time Thus long shalt thou rage no longer Let me obserue vnto you thus much from the phrase If the commotion of the sea even in the greatest and vehementest pangues thereof as greater than these coulde not be by a translation of speech for likenesse of natures be tearmed her indignation and rage then by as good a reason on the contrary side the anger of man throughlie kindled may bee matched with the commotion of the most vnquiet sea And how vnseemely a thing it is that the heart of man should reake with anie passion as that vast
altered his nature to haue boyled him into nourishmente and to haue incorporated his flesh into an other substaunce Yet Ionas liveth But if the LORDE had not beene on my side might Ionas nowe say if the LORDE had not beene on my side vvhen the beast rose vp against mee hee had swallowed mee vp quicke vvhen his vvrath vvas so sore enflamed But praysed bee the LORDE vvhich hath not given mee over a pray to his teeth My saule is escaped even as a birde out of the snare of the fowler The snare is broken and I am delivered Let all those whome the LORDE hath redeemed from the hande of the oppressour from fire or water or from the perill of death take that songue of thankesgiving into their lippes and singe it to his blessed name in remembraunce of his holinesse O thou the hope of all the endes of the earth sayeth that other Psalme and of them that are farre of in the sea shevve vs but the lighte of thy countenaunce and vvee shall bee safe giue vs but the comforte of thy mercies and wee will not feare though the earth bee mooved and the mountaines fall dovvne into the middes of the sea and the sea and the vvaters thereof rage fearefully though Leviathan open his mouth wee will not quake at it yea though the Leviathan of the bottomelesse pit open the throate of hell never so vvide to devoure vs wee vvill not bee disquieted VVee knowe that there is mercy vvith the LORDE and that vvith him there is plentifull redemption I meane redemption a thousande waies by nature and against nature by hope and against hope by thinges that are and thinges that are not Hee that hath saved his people by gathering the vvaters in heapes like vvalles and making a path in the redde sea hee that hath kept his children in the middest of a fiery oven when if arte coulde adde any thinge to the nature of fire they shoulde have beene burnt seven times for one because it was seven times hote and delivered his prophet in a denne of lyons though dieted and prepared for their pray before hand yet shuttinge their mouthes so close and restrayninge their appetite that they forbeare their appointed foode and committed this servaunt of his to the belly of a fishe as if he had committed him to his mothers vvombe to be kept from harme he is the same GOD both in mighte and mercye to preserue vs no time vnseasonable no place vnmeete no daunger vncouth and vnaccustomed to his stronge designementes Our onely helpe therefore standeth in the name of the LORDE that hath made heaven and earth blessed and thrice blessed bee that name of the Lorde from this time forth for evermore Amen THE XXIII LECTVRE Chap. 2. vers 1. Then Ionas praied vnto the Lord his God out of the fishes belly and saide THIS second section or division of the prophecie wherein the mercy of God towardes Ionas is expressed I parted before into three branches 1. That he was devoured 2. praied 3. was delivered The tearmes that Lyra giveth are these the place the manner the successe of his prayer The marvailes that I haue already noted vnto you were 1. that so huge a creature was suddeinely provided by the providence of God 2. that a whole man passed thorough his throate 3. that he lived in his bowels three daies three nightes Now whither he fulfilled that time exactly yea or no three naturall dayes complete consisting of twenty foure howres neither can I affirme neither is it materiall over-busily to examine Our Saviour you know in the gospell applyeth this figure of Ionas to his buriall As Ionas was in the belly of the whale three daies and three nights so shall the sonne of man bee in the heart of the narth But if you conferre the shadowe and the body togither you shall finde in all the evangelistes that the Lorde of life was crucified the 6. howre of the preparation of the sabbath and the ninth gaue vp the ghost that late in the eveninge his bodie vvas taken downe from the crosse and buried that hee rested in the graue the night that belongeth to the sabbath togither vvith the daie and night nexte ensuinge after it and that in the morning of the first day of the weeke he rose againe So as indeede the body of Christ was not in the heart of the earth more than 36. hovvers to weete two nightes and a daie vvhich is but the halfe space of 72. howers Some to supply this defect of time accompte the lighte before the passion of Christ and the darkenesse till the 9. howre one day and a night because they say there vvas both lighte and darknes And then the light that followed from the 9. howre and the succeeding night a secōd day night likewise the third til the time he rose againe Others expoūd it by a mistery thus 36. hours they say to 72. which is the absolute measure of 3. daies 3. nights is but simplum ad duplū one to two or the halfe of the whole Now ours was a double death both in soule by sin in body by paine Christes was but single only in the body because concerning his soule he was free frō sin therfore they infer that the moity of time might suffice him Hugo Cardin. hath an other conceite that from the creation of the worlde till the resurrection of Christ the day was evermore numbred before the night both in the literall and in the mysticall vnderstanding first there was light then darknes but from the resurrection of Christ forwardes the night is first reckoned for which cause he thought the vigiles were apointed for sabbathes other festivall daies that vvee might be prepared with more devotiō to solemnize them herehēce he cōcludeth that the night which followed the sabbath of the Iews was the angular night must twice be repeated as the corner of a square serveth indifferently for either side which it lyeth betwixte for both it belonged saith he to the sabbath praeceding must be ascribed againe vnto the Christian sabbath or Lords day whereon the son of God rose from death And he thinketh there is great reason of his invention because Christ by one night of his tooke away two of ours So they are not content to be sober interpretours of the minde of God but they wil ghesse and divine at that which he never meant They thinke their cunning abased if they go not beyond the moone to fetch an exposition What needeth such curious learning to apoint every egge to the right hen that laid it as some did in Delos so these to think their labor vnprofitable in the church of God vnlesse they can make the devises of their own heads reach home to the letter of the booke in al respects Our soundest divines agree that the triduan rest of Christ in the graue must be vnderstood by the figure synecdoche
thereof For what vse had he either of his hands to helpe himselfe withall more than Ieroboam had when his hande was withered or of his eies to beholde the light of heaven more than if the eagles of the valley had pickt them out or of his eares to heare any sentence of comforte more than if they had never beene planted The grinders within his head what did they for him vnlesse they ground and whetted themselues His tongue what tasted it excepte his owne spittle He might truly say with the prophet Esay that from the crowne of the heade to the sole of his foote there was no parte that did the duties of it But all those former defectes and impotencies are nothinge to that he nowe speaketh of VVhen my soule fainted within mee For as the soule is of more worth and excellencie than the body so the languishmentes of the soule more grievous and the death of the soule more remedilesse than those of the bodie and therefore as the hazarde exceedeth so the health of the soule is more dearely to bee tendered In the greatest distemperatures and disorders of the body vvhen the bones are smitten asunder and the loynes filled vvith a sore disease when the woundes are putrified and stinke the marrow and moysture quite dryed vp yea though it bee brought and dissolved into the dust of death yet the soule may bee safe and sounde notwithstanding and in farre better case than vvhen shee lived in her house of claie But if the soule bee sicke can the body have any comforte Maie vvee not then inferre vvith him in the comedie My hearte is sicke my raines sicke my splene sicke my liver sicke and all my other partes are out of frame Out of this comparison betweene the body and soule let mee make my perswasion vnto you The men of the world were wâ—nt to say saith Bernarde that hee that keepeth his bodie keepeth a good castell A castell how long to continue this is the errour of worldly men to call their tabernacle which was made to be removed and pulled downe vpon every light occasion a castell VVee say not so but hee that keepeth his bodie keepeth a base dunghill He that had seene the body of righteous Iob vlcerated botched and blained sitting vpon the dunghill woulde he not haue thought that a dunghill had sitten vpon a dunghill But hee that keepeth his soule hee keepeth a good castell indeede borne to eternity hee keepeth a heaven in comparison the sunne and moone and starres whereof are vnderstanding faith and hope with other Christian graces and the Lord of hostes himselfe hath his dwelling therein There is no man so simple no man so vile but taketh this to bee a castell of honor and strength because they beleeue it to be immortall Our saviour manifested this difference both by the ende of his comming in the flesh which was principally for our soules after for our bodies first to take away the sinnes of the worlde which are spirituall diseases then to remooue corporall infirmities and by the behaviour of his owne person amongst vs who though he suffered his body to bee tried with all kindes of ignominious and accursed vexations with spittings whippings buffetings and the bitterest death of the crosse yet was it ever his care to preserue his soule free from staines and corruptions It is not thus with the sonnes of men nowe a daies They neglect the care and culture of their soules but the lustes of the flesh they make provision for with all possible diligence They haue learned from the schoole of Hippocrates the physitian and Epicurus the swine to physicke and diet their bodies but the sicknesse and death of the soule which are their sinnes they never account of till they see they must bee punished O yee sonnes of men foolish and slowe of hearte to conceiue the rightest thinges howe long will yee loue such vanities and seeke after leasing These times are allotted to the soule not to the bodie Nowe is the time of salvation not of pleasure and pastime Let the flesh alone a while more then nature and necessity require let it not bee favoured either in food or rayment or any the like transitorye and fading benefite And vvhen it is vveary of walking vpon the face of the earth let it goe downe in peace and rest in hope till hee that came for your soules before shall also come to raise and reforme it In the fainting of our soules there is a grosse difference betwixte Ionas and vs. His soule fainted vvithin him through paine ours through pleasure and that pleasure the mother and nurse of a worser paine Our fleshe is too insolent against the spirite and keepeth it vnder with a stronge hande Hagar despiseth Sara the servaunt setteth her foote in the necke of her mistresse The flesh is cloathed like the raine-bowe with colours of all sortes wee goe into the bowels of the earth wee goe into the bowelles of the sea as farre and as lowe as ever Ionas went to seeke pearles and the riches of the sea to adorne it VVe forget our selues shamefully in such vnnecessary travaile It is the Queene that shoulde bee cloathed in a vesture of needle vvorke wroughte with diverse colours but the Queene is stripte of her iewels the soule robbed of her ornamentes and rich attire and the body is the theefe that deceiveth it The flesh is daintily fedde with the finest flowre of the wheate and the reddest bloud of the grape wee care not what it costeth the vnworthiest member we haue is deâ—fied and made our God a sinne beyonde the sinne of the Pagans shamefull and beastly idolatry they made them Gods of silver and golde and marble wee of our bellies what is done with the soule the meane time behold shee is pined and famished the breade of life is not bought nor sought for to strengthen her withall shee is kept from the gospell of peace and from the body and bloud that inconsumptible meate of her holy redeemer Shee that was borne from aboue to eate the hidden Manna the foode of Angels and to be nourished with the tree of life whose beginnings call her home againe is lesse regarded than a lumpe of earth O consider that hee vvho looseth the life of a bodie maie finde it againe The time shall come vvhen they that are in the graues shall heare the voice of the sonne of GOD. But the losse of a soule is vnrecoverable If it die in sinne it shall also die in perdition Rather it shall not die for it is not as the soule of the beast that endeth with the bodie O living and ever-living death Let them take heede that haue eares to heare with Their price hath beene once paide vvhich if the riches of Salomon treasures of Ezechias all the silver and golde within the globe of the earth coulde haue satisfied God would willingly haue spared his owne bloude Let them not looke for more Christs
vvisedome of the king of Babylon to take the young children of Israell whom they might teach the learning and tongue of Chaldaea rather then their olde men so it is the wisedome of the Devill to season these greene vesselles vvith the liâ—our of his corruption that they maie keepe the taste thereof while life remaineth But their bones are filled with the sinne of their youth and it lyeth downe with them in the dust and when their bodies shall arise then shall also their sinne to receiue iudgement So sayeth the wise preacher giving them the raines in some sort but knowing that the end of their race vvill be bitternesse Reioice O young man and let thy hearte cheare thee in the daies of thy youth walke in the waies of thine hearte and in the sight of thine eies but knowe that for all these thinges God will bring thee to iudgement Let the examples of Elie his sonnes whome hee tenderly brought vp to bring downe his house and whole stocke to the ground and the boies that mockt Elizaeus be a warning to this vnguided age that the LORDE will not pardon iniquitie neither in young nor old and that not only the bulles and kine of Basan but the wanton and vntamed heighfers and the calues that play in the grasse shall beare their transgressions It is the song of the young men Wisedome the seconde Let not the flowre of our life passe from vs c. and it is the cry of the young men in the fifth of the same booke vvhat hath pride profited vs For whilst they take their pleasures vpon earth the Lord writeth bitter thinges against them in heaven Iob. 13. and shall make them possesse the iniquities of their youth And hee cryed His manner of preaching was by proclamation lowde and audible that it mighte reach to the eares of the people hee hid not the iudgementes of God in his heart as Mary the words of her Saviour to make them his proper and private meditations but as ever the manner of God was that his prophets should denounce his minde least they might say wee never hearde of it so did Ionas accordingly fulfill it Thus Esaye was willed to cry and to lifte vp his voice like a trumpet Ieremye to crye in the eares of Ierusalem to declare amongst the nations and even to set vp a standarde and proclaime the fall of Babylon And Ezechiell had a like commaundement Clama vlula fili hominis Crie and hovvle sonne of man for this shall come vnto my people and it shall lighte vpon all the princes of Israell Our Saviour likewise bad the Apostles vvhat they heard in the eare that to preach vpon the house toppes They did so For being rebuked for their message and forbidden to speake anie more in the name of Iesus they aunswered boldly in the face of that vvicked consistory vvhether it bee fitte to obey God or man iudge yee Wisdome her selfe Proverbs the first crieth not in her closet and the secret chambers of her house but vvithout in the streetes neither in the vvildernesse and infrequent places but in the heighth of the streetes and among the prease and in the entrings of the gates that the sounde of her voice may be blovvne into all partes If Iohn Baptist vvere the voice of a crier in the vvildernesse then vvas Christ the crier and Iohn Baptist but the voice Surely it wanted not much that the very stones in the streetes shoulde haue cried the honour and povver of God for even stones vvoulde haue founde their tongues if men had helde theirs The commaundement then and practise of God himselfe is to crie to leaue the vvorlde vvithout excuse the nature of the vvord biddeth vs crie for it is a fire and if it flame not forth it vvil burne his bovvels harts that smothereth it I thought I woulde haue kept my mouth bridled saith the prophet Whilst the wicked was in my sight I was dumbe and spake nothing I kept silence even from good but my sorrowe vvas the more encreased My heart vvas hot within mee and while I was musing the fire kindled and I spake with my tongue lastly the nature of the people vvith vvhome vvee haue to deale requireth crying Deafe adders vvill not bee charmed with whispering nor deafe and dumbe spirits which neither hear nor answere God cast forth without much praier and fasting nor sleepie and carelesse sinners possessed with a spirite of slumber and cast into a heavy sleepe as Adam vvas vvhen he lost his ribbe so these not feeling the maines that are made in their soules by Sathan awaked without crying Sleepers and sinners must be cried vnto againe and againe for sinne is a sleepe What can you not watch one houre And dead men and sinners must be cried vnto for sinne is a death and asketh as manie groanings and out-cries as ever Christ bestowed vpon Lazarus Exiforas Lazare Lazarus come forth and leaue thy rotten and stinking sinnes vvherein thou hast lien too manye daies Happy were this age of ours if all the cryings in the daie time could awake vs. For I am sure that the cry at midnight shall fetch vs vp but if the meane time vvee shall refuse to hearken and pull awaie the shoulder and stoppe our eares that they shoulde not heare and make our heartes as an adamant stone that the vvordes of the Lorde cannot sinke into them it shall come to passe that as hee hath cried vnto vs and vvee vvoulde not heare so wee shall crie vnto him againe and hee vvill not answere And saide yet fortie daies and Niniveh shall bee overthrowne The matter of the prophets sermon is altogither of iudgement For the execution whereof 1. the time prefined is but forty daies 2. the measure or quantity of the iudgement an overthrow 3. the subiect of the overthrow Niniveh togither with an implication of the longe sufferance of almighty God specified in a particle of remainder and longer adiourment in the fourth place yet forty daies asmuch as to say I have spared you long enough before but I will spare you thus much longer The onely matter of question herein is how it may stande vvith the constancie and truth of the aeternall God to pronounce a iudgement against a place which taketh not effect within an hundred yeares For either he was ignorant of his owne time which we cannot imagine of an omniscient God or his minde vvas altered vvhich is vnprobable to suspect For is the strength of Israell as man that hee shoulde lie or as the sonne of man that hee shoulde repent is hee not yesterday and to day and the same for ever that vvas that is and that is to come I meane not onelye in substance but in vvill and intention doeth hee vse lightnes are the wordes that hee speaketh yea and nay Doth hee both affirme and deny to are not all his promises are not all his threatnings
and the like so vvhen the soule is taken from the body either of man or beast there remaineth but a carkas Therefore the Apostle calleth death the dissolution or pulling downe of our earthly house Peter the deposition or laying along of a tabernacle And our saviour bade the Iewes speaking of his bodilie death Destroie this temple and in three daies I vvill reare it vp againe There are many phrases throughout the scripture abroad wherby the terrour of death is lenified and tempered vnto vs and the very nature thereof wholy changed For whereas the nature of death is to kil and to spoile the being of living things by these we may gather that touching the elect death it selfe is slaine and deprived of it owne being God telleth Abraham Gen. 15. that his seed should be a stranger in a land that was not theirs but himselfe shoulde goe to his fathers in peace What is that shall hee travaile againe as hee did to Chanaan or Egypt no but hee shall bee buried in a good age not prevented by vmtimely death nor carried into captivity but laide in the graue amongst his auncient friendes and acquaintance A thing vvhich a man vvoulde desire with much suite if hee were held from it To Moses his servant hee altereth the phrase For Numb 27. hee shall bee gathered to his people as one that were scattered and straied from the rest of the flocke and Deut. 31. he must sleepe vvith his fathers and take a comfortable rest wiâ—h others that haue laboured in their times David beginning as it vvere vvhere Moses leaveth calleth it the rest of the flesh in hope Psalme the sixteenth Esay addeth the place and noteth where that rest shall bee They shall enter into their chambers and shutte the dores vnto them and hide themselues for a time But in the fifty and seventh of his prophecie more perfitely speaking of the deliverance of the righteous they rest in their beddes So first they go to their fathers as men left behinde to the company of strangers after their going they are gathered vnto them that as there vvas but one folde of the living so there may bee but one folde and condition of the deade after their gathering vnto them they sleepe and take their rest the visions of their heades not making them afraide nor breaking their quiet as in their life time not vpon a stone as Iacob did nor in the tent of an enemy as Sisera but in their chambers and vpon their beddes the dores beeing close about them and their bones delivered from former disturbances But all these concerne the bodie alone The sweetest and ioyfullest of them all I meane to the Lordes inheritance is the surrendring of the soule into the LORDES custodie and protection and the resigning vp of the spirit to him that is the LORDE of the spirite of all flesh Numbers the sixteenth So was the praier or rather bequest of David Psalme 31. leaving his crowne to Salomon his body to wormes and rottennesse or to their lodging in darkenesse as Iob called it Lorde into thy handes I lay downe or pavvne my spirite And CHRIST of the seede of David commended his spirite to none other keeper nor in other tearmes And that you may know how vniforme like it selfe the Spirit of God is the blessed Apostle keepeth the same stile 2. Tim. 1. These things I suffer but I am not ashamed for I know whom I haue trusted I am perswaded that he is able to keepe my pledge that I haue coÌ„mitted vnto him against that day To those that must die more surely than they liue for Iosuah calleth it the way custoÌ„e of the whole earth can there be a greater coÌ„fort than this that when the dust shall returne to the earth as it was yet in fulnesse of time to be formed into a new Adam as that first originall dust the spirit returneth to God that gaue it that we may as boldly go to our maker as ever Paul weÌ„t to Carpus at Troas to leaue his cloke bookes parchments in his handes so we to commend the richest iewels we haue vnto his fidelity to say with his holy martyr Lord Iesu receaue our spirtes But to cease from farther discussion of the phrase wee may a little enquire whither it were lawfulll for Ionas to wishe for death Many I graunt oppressed with misery and not able or willing to beare their crosse doe little lesâ—e than call to mountaines and rockes to fall vpon them and to end their wretched daies I am sure they complaine that light shoulde bee giuen vnto those men whome God hath hedged in and they reioyce for gladnes when they can finde the graue For then they say wee shoulde haue lien and beene in quiet vvee shoulde haue slept then and beene at rest As if they had beene borne with any other coÌ„dition theÌ„ to walke a pilgrimage of few evill daies or as if the evill day which the Apostle warneth vs of were not the whole course of our life partely through him who is principally evill breathing out his malice against vs partly through evill men infesting and disturbing our peace but rather through the evill of sinne procuring wrath and the evill of adversity ensuing thervpon In consideration of which troubles of life it was that Simonides being asked as Iacob was by Pharaoh how long he had lived made answere but a little though many yeares For if wee remember how much of our better and vitall life goeth away in agues and feeblenesse and other the like annoiances we may seeme perhappes olde men and are indeede but children It was a worthy aunswere that Artabanus gaue to Xerexes the mighty Emperour of Persia when viewing his huge army of at least a thousand thousand men drinking whole rivers dry as they vvent and commaundinge both hilles and seas to giue vvay vnto them hee vvepte because it came to his minde that vvithin the space of an hundreth yeares not one of that goodlye companye shoulde bee founde aliue I vvoulde that vvere the vvorst saith hee For vvee endure much more sorrowe by retayning life Neither is there any one of these nor of all men living besides so happye vpon the earth that hee doth not once and often cast in his minde how much more pleasure there were in dyinge than in living As our life is replenished with all kinde of misery so death by nature is an enemy to life which both man and beast flye from All thinges desire being And God never created death amongst his good workes It came partlye through the envye of the devill vvho lied vnto man saying yee shall not die partely through the transgression of Adam and partlye through the anger of God rendring the right stipend due to sinne VVherefore hee threatned it as a punishment Genesis the second The day vvherein thou shalt eate of the forbiedden fruite thou shalt dye the death Afterwardes vvhen
are duo in carne vnà as it were two in one flesh Some are vnskilfull in their profession such as Plinie speaketh of experimenta per mortes agunt they kill men to gaine experience And Seneca noteth the like officiosissimè multos occîdunt they are very busie to cast many men away Others are vnfaithfull these in my iudgment are moe to be eschewed than the former evil couÌ„sailors healing the hurts of the people with sweet words crying peace peace al is wel wheÌ„ behold Annibal is at the gates death is entered in at the windowes and at the dores and hath taken the fort of the body into her handes Such are very vnlikely to make found bodies because they come with vnsound hearts and of these is the proverbe verified tituli pharmaca habent pyxides venena al their titles pretences and promises are health health but their drugges and receiptes are poyson I meane not so much to the bodies as the soules of men Trust not in man therefore neither in his strength nor in his skil fidelity for there is no helpe in him Why no help His spirit departeth not only his strength his health his agilitie his liuelihood but his breath I wil ioine the residue of my thxt all in one nor only his breath but his flesh bloud bones marrow sinewes arteries al must goe There is a resolution of his whole substance his last garment which is his skin shal be pulled of he hath here no abiding place nor any state of perpetuity but returneth not immediatly to heaven but to the earth nor to the earth as a straÌ„ger vnto him or an vnknown place but to his earth as his familiar friend of old acquaintaÌ„ce Neither is there only an end of these materiall partes but part of his inward man also perisheth so farre as his carnall and wordly designements went which he fansied to himselfe in his life time Here is the end of al flesh they soiourne vpon the face of the earth their spirit also soiourneth within their bodies It coÌ„meth returneth as a ttavailer by the way staieth perhaps for an houre a daie a yeare a decade of yeares more or lesse theÌ„ exit spiritus our breath departeth from vs. And God called Abraham â—xi de terra tua goe out of thy countrey vvherein thou wert borne bred so he calleth to our spirites come out of your houses wherein you haue long dwelt There is but one manner of entering into the world but many waies of going out we are full of holes wee take water at a thousand breaches one dyeth younge another in a good age some in their full strength vvhen their breasts are full of milke some by the hande of God some by sicknes infirmity some by violence The infants of Bethelem are slaine in their cradles Eglon in his parlour Saule in the field Isboseth vpon his bed Zenacharib in the teÌ„ple Ioab at the very altar some die by famine as the cildren of Ierusalem some by saturitie and surfetting as the children of Sodome some by beares as the boies that mocked Elizeus some by lioÌ„s as the disobedient prophet some by wormes as Herod some by dogges as Euripides but Lucian better deserved that death and he also sustained it The sonnes and daughters of Iob in the middest of their leasting with the fall of an house Chore his complices with the opening of the arth the captaines and their fifties with fire from heaven the coles whereof were never blowne Zimri with fire from earth which himselfe kindled eosdem penates hahuit regiam rogum sepulchrum as Val. Maximus writeth of Tullus Hostilius who was smitten with lightning the same house was both his pallace pile graue to be buried in I adde that which is more admirable Homer died of griefe because he coulde not aunswere a riddle which fisher-men proposed vnto him Sophocles with ioy because in a prize of learning after long expectation he got the victory of his adversary but by one voice Behold ye despisers ' woÌ„der at the haÌ„d of God you that are in league with death make a truce with the graue you that say to your soules take thine ease bee at rest for many yeares to morrow shal be as this day much better with whoÌ„ there is nothing but as in the daies of Noah eate drinke marry vntill the floud coÌ„meth Seeing that both sorrow ioy are able to kil you and your life hangeth vpon so small a thread that the least gnat in the aire can choke you as it choked a Pope of Rome a little haire in your milke strangle you as it did a counsailour in Rome a stone of a raisin stop your breath as it did the breath of Anacreon put not the evill daie far froÌ„ you which the ordinaÌ„ce of God hath put so neare remeÌ„ber your Creator in time before the day come wherin you shal say we haue no pleasure in them walke not alwaies with your faces to the East somtimes haue an eie to the West where the sun goeth downe sit not ever in the prow of the ship sometimes goe to the sterne stand in your watch-towres as the creature doth Rom. 8. and waite for the houre of your deliverance provide your armies before that dreadful king coÌ„meth to fight against you with his greater forces order your houses before you die that is dispose of your bodies and soules and all the implements of them both let not your eies be gadding after pleasure nor your eare itching after rumors nor your mindes wandering in the fields when death is in your houses your bodies are not brasse noâ— your strength the strength of stones your life none inheritance your breath no more than as the vapour and smoake of the chimny within your nostrels or as a stranger within your gates comming going againe not to returne any more til the day of finall redemption It is a wonder that there should be need of any such exhortation after so long experience If we were as Adam was who never saw the example of any precedent death we might the more iustly be excused for as Christ spake in the gospell of the vertues done in Chorazin Bethsaida if the vertues wrought amongst you had beene wrought elsewhere c. So if those innumerable deathes which haue bin shewed amongst vs had beene shewed in the daies of Adam before his fall he would never haue runne into that contempt We know that we must die and as Calvus spake againg Vatinius you know that he hath practised ambition and there is no man but knoweth that you know so much so we know the certainety of our death as we knovv our names and the iointes of our fingers and yet we regard it not What are all the citties and townes of the earth so farre as the line thereof is stretched but humanarum cladium miseranda
vvith a vvitnesse their disobedience in the day of his visitation So the disciples of CHRIST vvere vvilled to proclaime in everye citye of the earth vvhere they vvere not received even in the streetes and thorough-fares thereof The verie dust of your citye vvhih cleaveth vnto vs wee vvipe of against you Notwithstanding knowe this that the kingdome of GOD was come neare vnto you You see the scourge of those places from vvhich the Disciples are enforced to goe for want of entertaynement the kingdome of GOD goeth vvith them And if that kingdome bee once gone their ioye goeth vvith it all the Empires and dominions in the worlde subdued all scepters and crownes heaped togither cannot blesse them Paul and Barnabas observed the direction of their maister to the Ievves at Antioch both in gesture and speech for they first shooke of the dust of their feete against those that dispised them and then vvent to Iconium but they had tolde them before their going vvhich if they had anie sense was as the wounding of penkniues and rasours vnto their harts It was necessarie that the worde of God shoulde first haue beene spoken vnto you because the lawe must come out of Sion and the gospell beginne at Ierusalem but seeing you put it from you and iudge your selues vnworthy everlasting life beholde wee turne to the Gentiles Gospell and everlasting life you heare are ioyned together And therefore the iudgement of God was sharper against them there pronounced then if they had brought them tydinges Beholde the Romanes are come to take away your kingdome to fire your townes ruinate your houses ravish your wiues and daughters to dashe your infantes against the stones in the streetes to pull your eyes from out your heades and your bovvelles from out your bodies Beholde vvee turne to the Gentiles vvilde vnnaturall and neglected branches and herein beeholde the full measure of your miseries beeholde the dispersion and dissipation of your persons vpon the face of the earth beholde the desolation and wast of your country behold the detestation of your names the hissing and clapping at your downfal amongst all nations The losse of the word of God hath lost you credite libertie peace prosperity salvation both in your owne daies and in the daies of your childrens children In the eighteenth of the Actes when the Iewes at Corinth resisted and blasphemed the doctrine of Paul testifying vnto them that Iesus was that Christ he shooke his rayment as before and loosed his tongue with much boldnes against them your bloud be vpon your owne heades I am cleane froÌ„ hence-forth I will goe to the Gentiles As if he had said I found you the children of death and so I leaue you growe in your filthinesse and vnrighteousnesse till you haue fulfilled the measure of your forefathers for mine owne part I wash my hands in innocency I can free my soule in the sight of God I was carefull to apply my cure to the hurtes of Corinthe but you were not healed Lastly at Rome in the last of the Actes he made an open proclamation to the vnbeleeuing Iewes Bee it knowne vnto you that the salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles and they shall heare it And so be it knowne vnto vs my brethren that the meaning of the holy Ghost in these tearmes of promulgation knowe and bee it knowne was to make these despisers of Antioch Corinthe and Rome examples to all posteritie especially to vs on vvhome the endes of the vvorlde are come and vvith the ende of the vvorlde an ende of all goodnesse that if vvee take not vvarninge heereby as vvee plough the like disobedience so vve shall reape the like vvretchednesse If ever the like transgression be founde in this lande of ours I will sooner wish it a wildernesse for serpentes and dragons to dvvell in that as Iordan went backe and turned his course so the gospel go backe and turne his passage and as it was saide to a prophet in Israell Arise and goe to Niniveh so it be saide to the prophets in Englande Arise and goe into India Turckie or Barbarie and there prophecie and there eate your bread I will then say that iudgement hath both begunne and made an ende with vs and that our case is more desperate then if the grounde of this ilande had opened her â—awes and in one common graue buried all her inhabitantes If ever the like transgression bee founde in this citie of yours I vvill sooner vvish it pooles of vvater and all the stones of your building throwne downe into emptinesse that as the brutish people of the Gadarenes esteemed of their svvine so you of the pleasure of sinne for a season more then Christ Iesus and even hunte him from your coastes as they did and as it vvas saide vnto a prophet in Israel Arise and go to Niniveh so to the prophets amoÌ„gst you Arise and go to the borders where theft and reuenge are helde for currant law and all the streames of bloud vvhich Christ shed vpon the tree cannot begge redemption for one iniury done vnto theÌ„ goe carry your tidings of peace to those vnpeaceable vncivill lavvles gracelesse persons then were your honor gone And though the gravell of your river that bringeth in marchaÌ„dise vnto you were turned into pearles every showre of raine from the clouds aboue were a showre of siluer and golde into your houses yet then vvere you cast from the favour of God your sonnes and your daughters accursed the sinne of their fathers not to be forgotten nor the iniquity of the mothers to be done away whilst your name and memory should continue The prophets are yet in Israell long may they prophecie in Israell the pearle is yet in our fielde forraine Marchants haue not bought it from vs the gospell is yet amongst vs O alwaies may it florish and spread like a palme tree amidst our tabernacles the kingdome of God is now not farre off neither in heauen aboue that we neede climbe vp neither in the earth beneath that we need digge low neither beyond the sea that we neede go over for it neither in those mists and obscurities wherein former ages had involved it we haue the sounde thereof daily in our eares the bookes in our houses and handes the letter walking through our lippes O that we wanted not the power of the gospell in our consciences the life and manifestation of it in our liues The Lord make an happy and an inseparable coniunction betweene all these and graunt that his law and our obedience may alwaies meete togither his gospell and our fruites kisse each other his trueth and our righteousnes his blessings and our thankefulnes neuer be founde a sunder Let him say of England even for ever and ever as Sometimes he saide of Sion Here will I dwell I haue chosen Englande for my habitation let him confirme that blessing of the Psalme vpon vs The Lord gaue the word great was the company of the
him 4. He heareth of a great city of a wearisome peraÌ„bulation asking the travell of 3. whole daies but he saveth the labor of his feete goeth into a litle vessel travelleth by sea a far easier iourney 5. He is bidden to cry but he is so far from making any noise that al the clamour and noise of the marriners could not awake him stir him vp 6. He heareth that the wickednesse of Niniveh is come vp before the presence of the Lorde notwithstanding hee feareth not to mocke and abuse the presence of the same Lord neither despaireth he to avoide it There is nothing in all these but stubbornes and rebellion which is as kindly to man as the flesh and bones that he beareth about him Amongst the other plants in the garden of EdeÌ„ not far froÌ„ the goodliest trees of life knowledge grew the bitter roote of disobedience which our forfathers no sooner had tasted but it infected their bloud and the corrupt nutriment thereof converted it selfe into the whole body of their succeding linage The breasts of Eue gaue no other milke then perversnesse to her children and Adam left it for a patrimony and inheritance vnto all his posterity Though God had precisely said Of the tree of knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eate for in the daye that tâ—ou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death though there were no comparison betweene their maker and a murtherer froÌ„ the beginning the father of truth and the father of lies a God and a divell and the one had forbidden but one tree and fenced it as it were with a double hedge of a two-fold death yet when the serpeÌ„t came to the woman with a meere contradiction to the voice of God yee shall not die the death how credulous and forwarde was shee to entertaine his suggestion Moses proved to the children of Israel in the 9. of Deuteronomy by a perfect induction that there was nothing but rebellion in them Remember and forget not saith he how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to anger in the wildernesse also in Horeb afterwardes in Taberah and in Massah and at the graues of lust likewise when the Lord sent you from Cadesh Barnea c. At length hee concludeth yee yaue beene rebellious vnto the Lorde since the day that I knevve you And God pronounceth of the same people in the fourth of Num. that though they had seene his glory and the miracles which he did in Aegypt and in the wildernesse yet they had tempted him ten times and had not obeyed his voice In the 17. of the same booke the Lord gaue commaÌ„demeÌ„t vnto Moses that Aarons rod which budded for the house of Levi when the other rods budded not should be kept in the arke for a monumeÌ„t of their murmurings rebellions forepassed To forbeare infinite other testimonies the whole world may bee the arke to keepe the monumentes of their and our disobedience it is so common to vs both when we are willed to aske for the old way which is the good way to answere wee will not walke therein when the watchmen cry vnto vs take heede to the sounde of the trumpet to answere wee will not take heede when wisedome crieth abroade and vttereth her voice in the streetes O yee foolish how long will yee learne foolishnesse c. to despise her counsell and to make a Skorne of her correction What worke of our handes bewrayeth not this malice vvhat word of our mouthes speaketh not perverse thinges almost what thought of our heartes kicketh not against the prickes of Gods sacred commaundementes and desperatelye adventureth her selfe vpon the point of his sharpe curse O that our waies were made so direct that wee might keepe his statutes then shoulde wee never bee confounded whilst wee had respect vnto all his commaundementes It is a question made by some though I make no question of it vvhether this detraction and refusall of Ionas vvere a faulte yea or no Dionysius Carthusianus vpon this place doeth partly excuse it I thinke it farre from excuse fot doubtlesse the voice of GOD is the first ruâ—e and rudimentes of all Christian instruction the first stone to bee laide in the whole building that cloud by day that piller of fire by night vvhereby all our actions are to bee guided Paule in his marveilous conversion desired no other lighte and load-starre to bee governed by but the vvill and vvorde of his Saviour Lorde what wilt thou haue mee doe The verie Prophet of Moab vvoulde not departe from this standarde for vvhen Balaac by his messengers sent him worde that hee woulde promote him and God did but keepe him backe from honour hee made this answere vnto him If Balaac woulde giue mee this house full of silver and golde I cannot passe the commaundement of the LORD to doe either good or badde of mine owne minde what the Lorde shall commaunde that same will I speake Hee had saide before to the king in person Loe i am come vnto thee and can I nowe saye anye thinge at all the worde that GOD putteth in my mouth that shall I speake The vvordes of Samuel to Saule determine the doubt and make it as plaine as the light at noone day that the fact of Ionas here committed was an vnexcusable offence Beholde saith hee to obey is better then sacrifice and to harken is better then the fat of rammes For rebellion is as the sinne of witchcraft and transgression is wickednes and idolatrie It followeth in the next wordes Because thou hast cast away the worde of the Lord therefore he hath cast away thee from being King You heare the nature of these two contraries Obedience and Disobedience kindly disciphered the one to be better then sacrifice for he that offereth a sacrifice offereth the flesh of a beast but he that obeyeth offereth his owne will as a quicke and a reasonable sacrifice which is all in all the other to be as witchcraft and idolatrie for what is disobedience but when the Lord hath imposed some duety vpon vs wee conferre with our owne hearts as Saul consulted with the woman of Endor or Ahaziah Kinge of Samaria with the God of Eckron Belzebub whether the word of the Lord shal be harkened to yea or no Thus we set vp an idol within our own breasts against the God of heaveÌ„ forsaking his testimonies we follow the voice and perswasion of our owne devises Bernard alluding to this place before recited writeth thus The children of disobedience make their will their Idoll Hee addeth for further explication that it is one thing not to obey an other thing to purpose and prepense disobedience Neither is it the simple transgression of Gods commandement but the proud wilfull contempt of his will which is reputed the sin of idolatry And surely I see no reason they haue to conceale the infirmity of Ionas herein when Ionas himselfe if I mistake not the meaning
flesh and bloude but against principalities and powers and vvorldly governours the princes of the darkenesse of this worlde against spirituall vvickednesses which are in high places Our enimies you see are furnished as enimies should be with strength in their handes and malice in their heartes besides all other gainefull advantages as that they are spirit against flesh privie and secret against that that is open high against that that is lowe and farre beneath them Now in this combate of our soules our faith is not onely our prize exercise and masteries which vvee are to prooue as it is called the good fighte of faith but a part of our armour which vvee are to weare our target to defend the place where the heart lieth Ephe. 6. our brest-plate 1. Thes. 5. and more then so For it is our victorie and conquest against the worlde of enimies So faith is all in all vnto vs. Blessed bee the Lorde for hee hath shewed his marveilous kindnes towards vs in a strong citty He hath set vs in a fortresse and bulwarke of faith so impregnable for strength that neither heighth nor depth life nor death thinges present nor things to come nor al the gates devils of hel nor the whole kingdome of darknesse can prevaile against it I grant there are many times whē this bulwarke is assaulted driven at with the fiery darts of the devill vvhen the conscience of our own infirmity is greater then the view of Gods mercy when the eie of faith is dim the eie of flesh and bloud too much open when the Lord seemeth to stand far of to hide himselfe in the needful time of trouble To be deafe and not to answere a word To hold his hād in his bosome not to pul it out whē this may be the bitter mone that we make vnto him My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and this our dolefull song which we sing to our souls in the night season will the Lord absent himselfe for ever wil he shew no more favor is his mercy cleane gone for euer doth his promise faile for euermore hath God forgottē to be gracious doth hee shut vp his mercies in displeasure Lord how long wilt thou hide thy selfe for ever and shall thy wrath burne like fire These be the dāgerous conflicts which the captaines of the Lordes armies and the most chosen children of his right hand sometimes endure The lyons themselues sometimes roare with such passions how shall the lambes but tremble if the soules of the perfite which haue beene fedde with the marrowe of fatnesse and drunke of the fulnesse of the cuppe haue sometimes fainted in themselues for want of such reliefe much more vnperfite and weake consciences which haue tasted but in part how gracious the Lord is I aunswere in a word The faithfull feare for a time but they gather their spirites againe and recover warmth at the sunne-shine of Gods mercies their feete are almost gone and their steppes well neere slipt but not altogither they finde in the sanctuary of the Lorde a proppe to keepe them vp at length they confesse against themselues This is my infirmity they curbe and reproue themselues for their diffidence and vvhatsoeuer they say in their haste that all men are lyars and perhappes God himselfe not true yet by leasure they repent it The Apostle doth pithily expresse my meaning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 staggering but not vvholy sticking Againe they feare the particular they distrust not the generall it may bee victorie on their sides it may be overthrowe it may be shipwracke it may be escape it may be life it may be death whether of these two they know not for both they are somewhat indifferent As when Shemei cursed David the speech that the king vsed for his comfort was this It may be the Lord will looke vpon my teares and doe mee good for his cursing this day As who would say if otherwise the care is taken I referre it to his wisedome Amos hath the like speech It may bee the Lorde God of Israell will bee mercifull to the remnante of Ioseph he meaneth in preventing their captivity But whether captivity or deliveraunce they are at peace as perswading themselues that if the mercy of God faile them in one thing it maie embrace them otherwise for they know that all thinges worke togither for the best to them that loue God as the Apostle writeth Though such be the hope of sonnes and daughters yet the case of straungers is otherwise For they are secure neither in particular nor in generall they measure all things by their sense and as the manner of brute beasts is consider but that which is before their feete and having not faith they want the evidence and demonstration of thinges that are not And therefore the master of the ship as I conceiue it knowing that life alone which belongeth to the earthly man perhaps not kenning the immortality of the soule or if hee thought it immortall by the light of reason in some sorte as the blinde man recovered savve men like trees vvith a shadowed and mistie light yet not knowing the state of the blessed setteth all the adventure vpon this one successe and maketh it the scope of all their praiers and paines Ne percamus That we perish not For such is the condition of heathen men they knowe not what death the righteous die as Balaam plainly distinguished it they are not translated like other men nor dissolved nor taken away nor gathered to their fathers and people nor fallen a sleepe which are the milde phrases of scripture whereby the rigour of death is tempered their life is not hid for a time to be founde out againe but vvhen they are deade in body they are deade in bodie and soule too their death is a perishing indeede they are lost and miscarried they come to nothinge their life their thoughtes their hope all is gone and vvhen others departe this life in peace as Simeon did and go as ripely and readily from this vale of miserye as apples fall from the tree with good contentation of heart and no way disquieted these as if they vvere giuen not lent to their liues must bee dravven and pulled away from them as beastes from their dennes vvith violence Hierome reporteth of Nepotians quiet and peaceable departure from his life Thou wouldest thinke that hee did not die but walke forth And Tertullian hath the like sentence It is but the taking of a iourney which thou deemest to be death Whereas the Emperour of Rome for want of better learning ignorant of the life to come sang a lamentable farewell to his best beloved nor long before they were sundred My fleeting fonde poore darling Bodies ghest and equall Where now must be thy lodging Pale and starke and stript of all And put from wonted sporting Compare with these wretched creatures some plainely denying the
so disguised with our owne corrupt additions THE XI LECTVRE Chap. 1. verse 8. Whence commest thou which is thy country and of vvhat people art thou THese three questions now rehearsed though in seeming not much different yet I distinguished a parte making the first to enquire of his iourney and travaile for confirmation whereof some a little change the stile quo vadis whither goest thou askinge not the place from which hee set forth but to which hee was bounde or of the society wherewith hee had combined himselfe the seconde of his natiue countrey the thirde of his dwelling place For the countrey and citty may differre in the one wee may bee borne and liue in the other as for example a man may be borne in Scotlande dwell in England or borne at Bristow dwell at Yorke Wherein that of Tully in his bookes of lawes taketh place I verily thinke that both Cato and all free denisens haue two countreyes the one of nativity the other of habitation as Cato being borne at Tusculum was receaved into the people of the citty of Rome Therefore beeing a Tusculan by birth by citty a Romane hee had one countrey by place another by law For we tearme that our country where wee were borne and whereinto wee are admitted So there is some oddes betweene the two latter questions There was greate reason to demaunde both from whence hee came and whither hee would because the travelles of men are not alwaies to good endes For the Scribes and Pharises travaile farre if not by their bodilie pases yet by the affections of their heartes they compasse sea and land to an evill purpose to make proselytes children of death worse then themselues As the Pope and the king of Spaine send into India they pretende to saue soules indeede to destroy the breede of that people as Pharaoh the males of the Hebrewes and to wast their countries They walke that walke in the counsell of the vngodlie and in the waies of sinners but destruction and vnhappinesse is in all their waies They walke that walke in the waies of an harlot but her house tendeth to death and her pathes to the deade they that goe vnto her returne not againe neither take holde of the waies of life Theeues haue their ranges and walkes Surgunt de nocte latrones they rise in the nighte time they goe or ride farre from home that they may bee farre from suspicion but their feete are swifte to shed bloude and they bestowe their paines to worke a mischiefe Alexander iournied so farre in the conquest of the worlde that a souldier tolde him we haue doone as much as mortalitie was capable of thou preparest to goe into an other worlde and thou seekest for an India vnknowne to the Indians themselues that thou mayest illustrate more regions by thy conquest then the sunne ever saw To what other ende I knowe not but to feede his ambition to enlarge his desire as hell and to adde more titles to his tombe They haue their travailes and peregrinations that walke on their bare feete with a staffe in their hand and a scrip about their necke to Saint Iames of Compostella our Lady of Loretto the dust of the holy land What to doe the dead to visit the deade to honour stockes and to come home stockes to chaunge the aire and to retaine their former behaviour to doe penaunce for sinne and to returne laden with a greater sinne of most irreligious superstition meeter to bee repented if they knew their sinne Of such I may say as Socrates sometime aunswered one who marveiled that hee reaped so litle profit by his trauell Thou art well enough served saith he because thou didest travell by thy selfe for it is not mountaines and seas but the conference of wisemen that giveth vvisedome neither can monumentes and graues but the spirit of the Lord vvhich goeth not with those gadders put holinesse into them They haue their walkes and excursions which go from their natiue countrey to Rome the first time to see naught the second to be naught the third to die naught was the olde proverbe The first last now a daies are not much different they go to learne naught they drinke vp poison there like a restoratiue vvhich they keepe in their stomacks along Italy France other nations not minding to disgordge it till they come to their mothers house where they seek to vnlade it in her bosome to end her happy daies Ionas for ought these knew might haue come from his countrey a robber murtherer traitor or any the like transgressor therfore haue ran frō thence as Onesimus from his master Philemō to escape iustice wherevpon they aske him whence commest thou that they may learne both the occasion scope of his iourney And if you obserue it well there is not one question here moued though questions only cōiecturall but setteth his conscience vpon the racke and woundeth him at the hart by every circumstance whereby his crime might be aggravated Such is the wisdome that God inspireth into the harts of men for the triall of his truth in the honor of iustice to fit their demands to the conscience of the transgressours in such sort that they shall even feele themselues to be touched and so closely rounded in the eare as they cannot deny their offence There are diverse administrations yet but one spirit Warriours haue a spirit of courage to fight counsellors to direct prevent magistrates to governe iudges to discerne examine convince and to do right vnto all people For the questions here propoūded were in effect as if they had told him thou dishonourest thy calling thou breakest thy commission thou shamest thy country thou condemnest thy people in that thou hast committed this evill They aske him first What is thine art that bethinking himselfe to be a prophet not a marriner as these were not a master in the ship but a master in Israell set over kingdomes Empires to builde pull downe plant roote vp he might remember himselfe and call his soule to account Wretched man that I am how ingloriously haue I neglected my vocation They aske him next whēce cōmest thou that it mighte bee as goades prickles at his breasts to recount in his minde I was called on lande I am escaped to sea I was sent to Assyria I am going to Cilicia I was directed to Niniveh I am bending my face towardes Tharsis that is I am flying frō the presence of my Lord following mine own crooked waies Thirdly they aske him of his coūtry that hee might say to himselfe What are the deeds of Babylō better then the deeds of Sion was I borne brought vp instructed an instructor in the lande of Iurie in the garden of the worlde the roiallest peculiarest nation that the Lord hath and haue I not grace to keepe his commaundemente Lastly they enquire of his people a people that had al things but flexible
lesse I would not that iustice shoulde thrust mercy out of place but mercy and pitty differ as much as religion and superstition the one honoureth the other dishonoureth God the one is an ornament to man the other reprocheth him Be compassionate to the life of man and spare it as discretion shall require but rather be compassionate to the life of the common wealth for bee yee assured that the punishment of bloud-shedde is not to shed but to saue more bloude Melius est vt pereat vnus quam vnitas It is better that one should die by lawe then numbers without law The dogge that liveth in the shambles hath commonly a bloudy mouth and he that hath beene flesht vpon the bloud of man will not easily leaue it I leaue the answere of Ionas to the next place â—et vâ— beseech our mercifull God the preserver of mâ—n as Iob calleth him that hee would vouchsafe to preserue vnto vs this vertue of humanity without which we are not men putting softnes and tendernes in them that are cruell iustice into those that must bridle the rage of cruelty kindnesse and compassion into vs all that whatsoever wee are to deale in with any sorte of men wee may carefully cast before â—ande as these marriners did what we should doe vnto them setting their rule of friendship and brotherhood before our eies not to doe wrong or violence in oppressing the state or life either of brethren or strangers but to measure vnto them all such duties of nature and charity as wee wish should be measured againe to our owne soules THE XIIII LECTVRE Chap. 1. verse 12. And he saide vnto them Take mee and cast mee into the sea so shall the sea bee calme vnto you For I knowe that for my sake c. THE order I kept in the verse going before was this Three persons were proposed vnto you 1. the person of Ionas standing vpon his delivery 2. the person of the marriners being in ieopardy 3. the person of the sea continuing troublesome and vnquiet vnto them The two latter whereof the furiousnes of the vvaters and their owne perill were mighty arguments to incense them against Ionas In this verse he answereth their whole demaunde 1. touching my selfe you aske what you shall doe vnto me Take me cast me into the sea By this meanes 2. the sea shall be quieted 3. towardes you against whome it is now enraged This for the order and coherence Now for the matter it selfe it is devided into three branches 1. the resolution decree and sentence of Ionas vpon himselfe Take me cast me into the sea 2. the end and it may be the motiue to harten them So shall the sea be quiet vnto you 3. the reason warrant or iustification of their fact For I knowe that for my sake c. The verse riseth by degrees You aske what you shall doe with me Cast me into the sea What is that for our safety Yes the sea shall be quiet vnto you But howe may we purchase our peace with so vniustifieable an action Right well For I know that for my sake the tempest is vpon you Rabbi â—zra and some of our later expositors following his opinion thinke that he maketh this offer vnto them vpon an obstinate obfirmed minde against the commaundement of God that rather than he would be helde in life to goe to Niniveh to gaine a forreine vncircuÌ„cised nation he would die the death And they ghesse moreover that he would never haue given that liberty vnto them against his life but that he heard them say vnlesse he went to Niniveh they would cast him forth There is not a syllable in the text to iustifie this iudgement For Ionas had made a reverent confession of God a singular testimony of a minde recalling it selfe And as for the marriners what kindnes they shewed him both before and after the letter of the scripture plainly demonstrateth I rather take it to be a doome of most propheticall and resolute magnanimity wrestling with the terrors of death as Israell with God and prevailing against them As if he had saide you shall not lose an haire of your heades for mine offence I will not adde murther to rebellion and the wracke of so many soules to my former disobedience Take mee Not as if you feared to touch me â—ollite me take me on high take me with force and validitie of armes take me with violence lift and hoise me vp when you haue so done vse no gentlenes towardes me let me not downe with ropes neither suffer mee to â—ake my choise howe or where I may pitch Cast me at adventures as you threw forth your wares And though the sea hath no mercy at all threatning both heaven and hell with the billowes thereof at this tiâ—e and bearing a countenance of nothing but destruction and it had beene a blessing vnto me to haue died one the land in some better sort or to haue gained the favour of a more mercifull death yet cast me into the sea and let the barbarous creature glut it selfe Ionas might haue stood longer vpon tearmes I haue committed a fault I am descried by the lots I confesse my misdeed the sea is in wrath your liues in hazard what then will it worke your peace to destroy me Say I were gone and perished is your deliverance nearer than before it was But without cunctation and stay possessing his soule in patience and as quiet in the midst of the sea as if he beheld it on firme grounde making no difference betweene life and death animated with a valiant and invincible spirite triumphing over dread and daunger charitable towardes his companions faithfull and bold as a Lion within himselfe and yeelding to nothing in the world saue God alone he giveth not only leaue and permission vnto them doe what you will I can not resist a multitude you may trie a conclusion by the losse of a man but with a confident intention as willing to leaue his life as ever hee was to keepe it and as ready to goe from the presence of men as before hee went from the presence of GOD First hee putteth them in right and possession of his person Take mee Secondly hee prescribeth them the maner and forme of handling him Cast mee into the sea Thirdly driveth them by agreements therevnto not of coniecture and probability It may bee thus and thus but of certaine event the sea shall bee calme vnto you and of vndoubted perswasion I knowne that for my sake c. It is a question not vnmeete to be considered in this place which many haue handled from the first age of the world not onely with their tongues but with their handes and insteede of sharpenesse of wit haue vsed the sharpnes of kniues and other bloudy instrumentes to decide it whether a man may vse violence in anye case against himselfe I finde it noted vpon these wordes God vvoulde not let Ionas caste foorth himselfe
but woulde haue it doone by the ministerie of the marriners But the oddes is not greate in effecte if you obserue vvhat is mentioned For Ionas setteth on the marriners and not onely counselleth but in a sorte compelleth them to caste him foorth Saul was not deade by the woundes which hee gaue himselfe till an An alekite came and dispatched him yet was Saul an homicide against his owne person and the other that made an ende of him filius mortis the childe of death Surelye GOD hath given a commaundement in expresse tearmes against this horrible practise Non occîdes Thou shalt not kill praesertim quia non addidit Proximum tuum especiallye because he added not Thy neighbour thou maiest the rarher vnderstand thy selfe as in the other commaundement vvhen hee forbâ—d false witnesse hee saide Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour Althoughe if the lawe had spoken more fullye Thou shalt not kill thy neighbour thou haddest not beene freed thereby quomam regulam diligendi proximum à semetipso delector accipit because hee that loveth taketh the rule of loving his neighbour first from himselfe And the conclusion holdeth good Non occîdes non alterum ergo nec te Nec enim qui se occîdit altum quà m hominem occîdit Thou shalt not kill no other man therefore not thy selfe for he that killeth himselfe killeth no other but a man I will require your bloud saith the Lord at the handes of beastes at the handes of man himselfe at the handes of every brother will I require it Will hee require bloud at the handes of beastes in whome there is no vnderstanding and at the handes of every brother which coniunction of brotherhood is the effectuall cause why we should spare one the others life and will hee be slacke to require it at thine owne handes vvho art nearer to thy selfe than thy brother is Tho. Aquinas giveth three reasons to condemne the vnlawfulnes of these bloudy designments 1. They are evill in nature because repugnant to that charity wherewith a man should loue himselfe And death wee all know is an enemy in natuâ—e and life is a blessing of God in the fifth commaundement 2. Each man is a part of the communion and fellowship of mankinde and therfore he doth iniury to the common wealth that taketh away a subiect and member thereof 3. Life is the gift of God and to his onely power subdued who hath saide I kill and I giue life Therefore Ierome writing to Marcell of Blesillaes death in the person of God abandoneth such soules Non recipio tales animas quae me nolente exierunt è corpore I receiue not such soules which against my will haue gone out of their bodies And he calleth the Philosophers that so dyed Martyres stultae philosophiae Martyrs of foolish philosophy There were two vile kindes of deathes wherewith of olde it seemeth they were wont to finish their vnhappy daies Laqueus praecipitium either they hung themselues or brake their neckes from some steepe place Petilian an enemy to the catholicke church had thus reproachfully spoken against the sound belevers The traitour Iudas died by an halter and the halter he bequeathed to such as himselfe was meaning the orthodoxe Christians No saith Augustine this belongeth not to vs for we doe not honour those by the name of Martyres who halter their ovvne neckes Howe much more doe we say against you that the Devill the maister of that traitour woulde haue perswaded Christ to haue fallen dovvne from the pinnacle of the temple and tooke repulse then what are they to be tearmed whome hee hath both counsailed so to doe and prevailed with truely what else but the enemies of Christ the friendes of the Devill the disciples of the seducer fellowe disciples with the traitour for both from one maister haue learned voluntary deathes the one by strangling himselfe the other by falling downe headlong The same father bringeth these murtherers into streightes and holdeth them in so closely on both sides that there is no escapinge from them When thou killest thy selfe either thou killest an innocente whereby thou becommest guiltye of innocente bloud or an offendour which is as vnlawefull to doe because thou art neither thine owne Iudge and thou cuttest of space of repentance Iudas vvhen hee slewe himselfe hee slewe a vvicked man notvvithstanding hee is culpable both for the bloude of Christ and for his owne bloude because though for his wickednesse yet was hee slaine by an other wickednesse Some haue offered themselues vnto these voluntarie deathes to leaue a testimony of courage and vndaunted resolution behinde them of whome Saint Augustine speaketh Perhappes they are to bee admired for stoutnesse of minde but not to bee commended for soundnesse of wisedome Albeit if reason may be iudge wee cannot rightly call it magnanimity for it is a far greater minde which can rather endure than eschew a miserable life I am sure the Patriarchs the Prophets the Apostles never did thus and though they were pâ—nched in their reines and their soules heavy vnto the death as Christes was insomuch that they cried out take my life from mee my soule chooseth to be strangled oh that my spirit were stifled within my bones and wretch that I am who shall deliver me yet they never paide their debte of nature till their creditour called vpon them which time they would never haue staied if in a moment of an houre the service of their owne handes might iustly haue released them Cleombrotus Ambraciote having red Plato his bookes of the immortality of the soule threw himselfe headlong from a wall and brake his necke that he might the sooner attaine to immortality He had another reason than the former It was rather a great then a good act Plato woulde haue done so himselfe or at least haue advised it but that in that learning wherwith hee sawe the immortality of the soule hee also sawe such meanes to attaine it vtterly vnlawfull Some to avoide a mischiefe to come haue fallen into the greatest mischiefe As virgins and honest matrones in a time of warre to avoide the rapes and constuprations of enemies In two wordes doe they consent to that filthines or doe they not consent if they consent not let them liue because they are innocent Non inquinatur corpus nisi de consensu mentis The body is not defiled but when the minde agreeth If they consent yet let them liue too that they may repent it Whether is better adultery to come yet not certaine or a certaine murther presently wrought Is it not better to commit an offence which may be healed by repentaunce than such a sin wherein no place is lefte for contrition O rather let them liue who sinne that they may recover themselues before they goâ— hence and bee no more seene It is a reason sufficient to raze the history of the Machabees out of the canon of the scriptures that the
coaction It is vvritten in the booke that I shoulde doe thy vvill I am content to doe it O my God it is as deepelye vvritten in mine own wil and thy lavve is in the middest not in a corner of my hearte You see his willingnesse being called he aunswered beeing sent wente with as cheerefull a spirite as every any servaunt the Centurion kepte his eare vvas opened vvith attention as it were vvith the avvle of the lavve his desires accommodated no other way and not an angle but the hearte of his hearte and the inmost concavity vvhich they say is made to containe vitall breath was filled vp vvith subiection to his fathers pleasure Incredulous souldiours if yee beleeue not this open his side with a speare and pearce his hearte to the center of it and tell mee if he vvrote not vvith streames of bloude as sometimes hee vvrote in the dust perfitte obedience towarde his father vncredible loving kindnesse towards our vngratefull generation Looke into the Arke yee curious Bethshemites examine the secrets of it and tell me what yee finde Bring hither your fingers and thrust your nailes into the printes of his woundes and sounde the bottome if you canne of his vvilling and hearty disposition VVas hee not dumbe before the shearer or did hee ever abuse nay open his mouth before the slaughterer though they tooke both fleece and flesh from him his cloake and his coate to did hee ever repine vvas his voice hearde in the streetes though the verye stones in the streetes coulde haue founde in their heartes to haue spoken and cryed in his cause Augustine applyeth to his passion the vvordes of the Psalme I vvill lay mee dovvne in peace and take my rest Ego cum pondere pronunciandum est wee must pronounce I vvith vveighte to shevve that hee suffered death vvith his free assent And Bernarde noteth vpon the seconde of the Canticles Beholde hec commeth leaping by the mountaines and skipping over the hilles that being nimble of spirite fervent in loue zealous in pietie he overcame all others in the alacrity of his ministration as hee vvhome GOD had annointed vvith the oile of gladnesse aboue all his fellovves hee outleapte Gabriell the Archangell sayeth hee and came to the Virgine before him by the testimony of the Angell himselfe Haile Marie full of grace Dominus tecum The Lorde is vvith thee Beholde thou leftest him in heaven and findest him in the vvombe Hovve can this be volavit praevolavit super pennas ventorum Hee flevve and overflevve thee vpon the vvinges of the vvinde and hee that sent thee before is come before thee If you vvill knovve his other leapes Gregory setteth them downe that as he leapte from heaven into the vvombe so from the wombe into the manger from the manger to the crosse from the crosse to the graue from the graue into heauen againe and thence wee looke for his seconde comming I knovve that for my sake this greate tempest is vpon you Ionas knew the cause of their daunger partly by propheticall revelation which manner of knowledge was private to Ionas with but few other men partely by touch of conscience vvhich he liueth not vpon the earth that can escape Tempestes you haue had in your dayes vvithout number but first grandis tempest as haec This greate and vnvvoonted tempest which is not onely come vpon mee but secondly super vos vpon you also thirdly I knovve and am without doubte that it is raised fourthly for my sake Though it mingle the nocent and innocent vnrighteous and righteous togither as the nettes in the gospell mingle the good and badde fish yet am I the springe of it and thereof I am as certaine as that I knovve my righte hande I knovve that for my sake Ionas vvas very forvvarde before in Confession hee tolde them the vvhole progresse of his disobedience but never proceeded thus farre For yet hee mighte haue pleaded I graunt I am a sinner it may be you as deepely as my selfe but vvhen he seeth the siege of the anger of God lie so hote close to the wals of his conscience that it will not be remooved then Novi quia propter me I know that it is for my sake Many are straungers to themselues for a space and vvill seeme to bee ignoraunte of their owne doinges charge them vvith sinne they vvill say and sweare and binde it with cursing I knowe it not in the same tearmes that Peter denied his master Non novi hominem I knowe not the man But when Christ looketh backe I meane when they finde themselues narrowly eied and remembred then I knowe that for my sake it is that hee looketh backe VVhen our saviour toulde his people as hee sate at supper with them One of you shall betray mee doe you thinke the traitour would bewray himselfe no though they vvere all sorrowfull and asked one after one Is it I yet is hee as forwarde as the rest to aske that question also Is it I master albeit he knewe it as perfitly as his owne name Being but one amongst twelue and eleven more in company to beare a part of the burthen hee thoughte he was safe enough Seneca by his owne confession and preface to his tale reporteth a strange but a true thing of Harpastes a foole and and vvith age a blinde beldame Shee knoweth not that shee is blinde and often entreateth her guide to goe foorth of dores because the house is darke Neither is there any saieth hee amongst vs that knoweth his faultes Every man flattereth himselfe Non ego ambitiosus sum I am not ambitious nor covetous nor luxurious nor given to this or that vice David knewe not the man that Nathan spake of hee pronounced of a person vnknowne vnto him The man that hath done this is the childe of death This is but mufling of the conscience for a time as Thamar mufled her face to take a short pleasure but Thamar shall bee discovered and all heartes shall bee opened the cockatrice that hath lien in her hole will come to warme her selfe against the heate of the sunne Adam will be brought from his bushes and Sarah from behinde the doore and a man shall say to his consciâ—nce as Ahab said to Elias Haste thou founde mee O mine enemie The Delphians made no scruple to murther Aesope amongst them but when they were plagued with death and mortality therevpon they walked vp and downe in all the publicke assemblies of Greece and caused it to bee proclaimed by noise of criers that whosoever would should bee avenged vpon them for the death of Aesope they knewe that for their sakes the plagues came The accusers of the adulteresse in the Gospell hovve skilfull and busie were they in detecting and following her fact 1. they had taken her 2. in the acte 3. they set her in the midst 4. they vrged the law Moses commaunded that shee shoulde bee stoned
In alto non altum sapere not to bee high-minded in high desertes is the way to preferment Davâ—d asketh Quis ego sum domine O Lord who am I He was taken from that lowlines of conceipt to be the king of Israell Iacob protesteth Minor sum I am lesse than the least of thy mercies hee was preferred before his elder brother and made the father of the twelue tribes Peter crieth exi à me domine homo peccator sum Goe out from mee Lorde I am a sinfull man he heard feare not I will henceforth make thee a fisher of men Iohn Baptist soundeth Non sum diguus I am not worthy to loose the latchet of his shoe hee was founde worthye to laye his handes vpon the head of Christ. The Centurion treadeth in the same footesteps Non sum dignus I am not worthye vnder the roofe of whose house thou shouldest come his commendation was rare I haue not founde so great faith no not in Israell Paul departeth not from the same wordes Non sum dignus I am not worthy to bee called an apostle he obtained mercy to the example of those that were afterwardes to come The blessed Virgin in her aunswere to the Angell sheweth that the salutation no way lifted vp her hearte ecce ancilla Domini beholde the hande-maide of the LORD shee obtaineth that for which all the generations of the vvorlde shoulde call her blessed This base and inglorious style of the most glorious Saintes of God Non sum dignus and the like shall get vs the honour of Saintes shall raise vs from the dust and set vs vpon thrones take vs from amongst beastes and place vs with Angels What was it in the blessed Virgin the mother of Gods first-borne the glory and flowre of women-kinde that God regarded so much She telleth you in her songe of thanksgiving Hee hath regarded the lowlinesse of his hand-maide yea the bloude and iuice of that whole song is in praise of humility Hee hath scattered the proude in the imaginations of their hearte hee hath put downe the mighty from their seate and hath exalted the humble and meeke O that the women of our age could singe Magnificat with that humblenesse of spirite that Marye did My soule doth magnifie the Lorde that recompence woulde bee theirs which followeth hee that is mighty hath magnified mee againe and holie is his name But they magnifie themselues too much with pedlers ware what shall I tearme it vnprofitable garments which the moth shall fret and time it selfe rotte vpon their backes but they never thinke in their hartes how God may bee magnified It is not without some mystery that the Angels tolde the shepheards Luke 2. this shall be a signe vnto you you shall finde the infant wrapt in swadling clothes In signum positi sunt panni tui O bone Iesu sed in signum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A signe that is spoken against a signe that is done against we cannot abide thy clowtes thy ragges O Lorde Iesu nor any part of thy humility His nativity was by his ordinance first preached to shepheardes hee contended with his fore-runner who shoulde bee the lowlier of the two hee tooke fisher-men to bee his disciples embraced young children paide tribute to his inferiours fled away that hee might not be made a king washed the feete of his apostles charged the leper not to tell any man rode vpon an asse sought his fathers glory not his owne to whome he was obedient to the death even to the death of the crosse In all which hee doth not lesse than proclaime vnto vs learne of mee to be humble and meeke and you shall finde rest for your soules I say but this The maister is worthy your hearing the lesson your learning the recompence your receaving In this beâ— of humility let mee rest your soules for this time and let vs beseech the God of maiesty who is higher than the highest in the earth who will resiste the proude and giue his graces to the humble and meeke that whether wee aske wee may aske in humility or whether wee haue receaved we may vse it without vaineglory that all our wordes and workes may be powdered with that salt in the Psalme which shall eate out all ostentation Not vnto vs O Lord not vnto vs but vnto thy name giue the honour and praise Amen THE XVII LECTVRE Chap. 1. ver 14. Wee beseech thee O Lord wee beseech thee let vs not perish for this mans life THe praier of the marriners beginneth not till you come to these wordes the other were the wordes of the history reporting vvhat they did these now propounded are their owne or at least the summe and effecte of them Wee may reduce them to two heads first a Petition and therein a preface Wee beseech thee O Lorde wee beseech thee comprising the manner and forme of praying and the matter or substance of the petition let vs not perish for this mans life c. 2. the reason For thou Lorde hast done as it pleased thee So as in the wordes of the history signifying howe they behaved themselues togither with the pitition and the reason of the same wee finde eight conditions requisite to the nature of praier Fiue wherof wee haue already dealt in the sixte vvee are to proceede vnto The Importunity they vse implied in the doubling and iterating of their suppliant tearmes Wee beseech thee O Lorde wee beseech thee Woe bee to him that is alone who when he hath spoken once speaketh no more as if he were weary of wel-doing and repeÌ„ted himselfe that he had begun If his former request be weake and infirme fainting in the way to the mercy of God hee hath not a friende to helpe it nor a brother to say vnto it Be stronge This double supplication of theirs falleth as the showres of the first and latter raine if the one faileth of watering the earth sufficiently the other fulfilleth the appetite and thirst thereof So should our praiers bee beâ—t that as the kine of the Philistines which bare the Arke though they were milche and had calues at home yet they kept the straight way to â—ethshemesh and held one path and lowed as they went and turned neither to the right hand nor the left neither ever stoode still till they came into the field of Iosuah where he was reaping his harvest so the affection of our soules bearing the Arke and coffer of our suites though it hath worldly allurements to draw it backe as the kine had calues yet keepeth on the way to the house of God as they to Bethshemesh holding one path of perseverance lowing with zeale turning neither to the right nor to the left hand with wandring cogitations till it commeth into the field and garden of God where her harvest groweth We beseech thee we beseech thee This ingemination of speech noteth an vnmooueable and constant affection to the thing we affect as if the tongue and hearte
were willing to dwell therevpon O Absalon O my sonne Absalon O Absalon my sonne my sonne was the mourning of David when hee heard of the death of Absalon as if his soule had beene tied to the name and memory of his sonne and his tongue had forgotten all other speech saue only to pronounce Absalon It sheweth what loue our Saviour bare to the holy city in that he repeated his sorrowes over it O Ierusalem Ierusalem as if hee had made a vowe with David If I forget Ierusalem let my right hand forget her cunning or rather my tongue her moving I caÌ„not leaue thee at the first naming thou art deeper in my hart therefore I say Ierusalem and againe Ierusalem I ever regarded thy welfare with vndoubted compassion The marâ—iners import no lesse in repeating their request we beseech thee O Lord and once againe we beseech thee pardon our importunate out-cries our heartes are fixed yea our heartes are fixed our soules are athirst for thy loving kindnes wee will giue thee no rest till thou receivest our praiers The longer AbrahaÌ„ talked with God Gen. 18. the more he gained Hee brought him from the whole number to fiftie and from fiftie to ten before he lefte him Behold I haue begunne to speake vnto my Lorde and am but dust and ashes let not my Lorde be angry and I will speake againe and once more I haue begun to speake and once more let not my Lord be offended Once more and againe you see are able to send away cloudes of fire and brimstone And so far was it of that God was angry with his instant request that he gaue him both a patient eare and a gracious answere If ten be found there I will not destroy it It pleaseth the eares of his maiesty right well to bee long intreated his nature is never so truely aimed at as when vvee persvvade our selues that our impatience in praier can never offende his patience He that hath twise and ten times togither ingeminated the riches of his mercy as Exod. 34. The Lord the Lord is mercifull gracious slowe to anger abundant in goodnes truth reseruing mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity sin transgressioÌ„ What did he meane therby but that twise and ten times togither we should cry for his mercy Wee beseech thee O Lorde vvee beseech thee A woman of Canaan in the gospell calleth vpon our Saviour Have mercie vpon mee O Lord thou sonne of David my daughter is miserably vexed with a devill hee answered her not one worde It appeareth that shee called still because his disciples said Sende her away for shee crieth after vs Then hee vvas not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israell yet shee came and vvorshipped him saying Lorde helpe mee hee aunswereth It is not meete to take the childrens breade and cast it to vvhelpes Shee replyed vpon him Truth Lorde but the vvhelpes eate of the crummes that fall from their masters table Then Iesus answered and said vnto her O woman great is thy faith Shee fastened vpon Christ with her praiers as the vvoman of Shunem vpon Elisha with her handes Shee caught him by the feete and saide vnto him As the Lorde liueth and as thy soule liueth I vvill not leaue thee Consider what discouragements her poore soule digested 1. shee was not aunswered by Christ 2. shee had backe-friends of his disciples 3. she was none of the lost sheepe 4. shee was a whelpe yet in the ende shee obtained both a cure for her daughters infirmity and a commendation for her owne faith Shee wrought a miracle by the force of her praiers shee made both the deafe to heare and the dumbe to speake she cried to the eares and tongue of her redeemer Ephata Bee yee opened heare and aunswere my petition fullfill my request Non importunus nec impudenses c. It is not a sawcie nor shamelesse part in thee to aske remission of thy sinnes at Gods handes without ceasing thou giuest him occasion to doe a memorable acte conveniente to his nature glorious to his holy name That which man giueth hee looseth and dispossesseth himselfe of it is not so with God thou art not the better God the worse thou the richer God the poorer for his giftes Open thy mouth wide and he will fill it enlarge thy belly and he will satisfie thee Fons vincit Sitientem The fountaine and source of his goodnes is aboue the desire and thirst of thy necessities If you observed it in the last historie The disciples of â—hrist thought it an impudent parte that the Syrophoenissian cryed after them Sende her avvaye Did Christe so accounte it or woulde he dismisse her Doubtlesse it ioyed his hearte to suspende her desâ—res in expectation and consequentlye to extende them to holde her long in his companye hee saide to himselfe I am vvell pleased that shee cryeth after mee it delighted his eares to heare her redoubled obsecrations more than the instrumentes of David coulde haue done it gaue him matter to vvorke vpon it tried a faith it vvanne a soule it occasioned a miracle Bernard to this purpose noteth of the spouse in the Canticles beginning her suite and woing of Christ so rudely as shee doeth let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth though to entreate a greate fauour of a greate Lorde shee vseth no flattery vnto him shee seeketh no meanes shee goeth not about by driftes and circumlocutions shee maketh no preamble shee worketh no benevolence but from the abundance of her heart sodainely breaketh forth Nudè frontesque satis Barelie and boldelie enough let him kisse mee vvith a kisse of his lippes The parables in Sainte Luke the one of a friende called vp at midnight the other of a wicked iudge instruct vs thus much that vnlesse vvee holde a meaner opinion of God than of a common vulgar friend which were too base to conceiue or a more vnrighteous iudgment of him than of the most vnrighteous iudge than which what can bee thought more blasphemous vvee shoulde not distrust the successe of our praiers but that improbitie and importunitie at the least would draw him to audience It was midnight with these marriners when they called at the gates of God the friende and louer of the soules of men the vnseasonablest and deadest time in the iudgement of humane reason They called for more than loaues the reliefe and succour of their liues more deare vnto them than any sustenaunce Their friende Nay their enemy vvas at hande and the last enemie of mankinde The gates seemed to be shut all hope of deliverance wel nigh past the children were in bedde a sleepe vaine was the helpe of man their arme was weake and their ores vnprofitable Angels and Saintes could not helpe them yet they knocked at the gates of their friend once We beseech thee O Lord and because he denied them the first time they knocked againe We beseech thee O Lord and I doubt not
into the secretes of God But it is as true which the Apostle demandeth on the behalfe of the Lord Is there any iniquity with God far bee it Therefore they sinne a sinne which the darkest darkenesse in hell is too easie to requite who when they haue spilte the bloud of the innocent like water vpon the grounde defiled their neighbours bed troubled the earth and provoked heauen vvith many pernitious infamous mischiefes rapes robberies proditions burninges spoylings depopulations c. spewe out a blasphemy against righteousnesse it selfe countenauncing their sinnes by authoritie of him who hateth sinne and pleading that they haue done but the will of God in doing such outrages I knovv that the vvill of God though they had staves of yron in their handes and heartes to resist shall be done Vngracious vnwillinge and vnbeleevinge instrumentes shall doe that service to God which they dreame not of When God saith kill not and they contradict wee will kill even then though they violate the law of God yet is his will accomplished He hath hookes for the nostrelles and bridles for the chawes of the vvicked which they suppose not I will adde more Iudge yee vvhat I saie and the Lord giue you vnderstanding in all thinges He hath spurres for their flankes and sides which they neuer imagined Senacharib founde a bridle to stay him and an hooke to turne him backe Pharaoh had a spurre to driue him forwarde I vvill harden the heart of Pharaoh Exod. 4. and in many other places Let him alone let him take his pleasure and pastime but when he hath hardened his ovvne heart by malice then will I also harden it by iustice Thus the will of God is one way renounced and as sure as hee liveth and raigneth in heauen shall at the same time and in the same action some other way be perfourmed And yet are the men wicked though they do that which God would God most holy iust though he would that which the wicked do They beguile theÌ„selues heerein by a fallacy they are taken in their owne nets which they lay for an other purpose For thus they presume Hee that doth the will of God sinneth not true keepe the commandements honour God obey the Prince loue thy neighbour as thy selfe this is voluntas signi his will recorded in holy writ published abroade signified to all flesh and as it were proclaimed at a standard by precept threatnings promises terrour reward earnestly and openly required Novv the murtherer assumeth vpon the former grounde I doe the will of God For had it not stood with his vvill my power had fayled my hart had not beene able to conceiue a thought within me and my hande had vvithered and shrunke togither before I had giuen the stroke true likewise But this iâ— an other will a secret will of God his will at the second hand if I may so call is and by an accident a vvill against a wil that because hee did not that which God had publiquely enioyned hee should doe another thing which he had privately deterâ—ined Augustine deliuereth it in wise and pithy tearmes De hijs qui faciunt quae non vult facit ipse quae vult Of those vvhich doe vvhat God would not hee doeth what hee would and by a marveilous vneffable meanes it commeth to passe that it is not done without or besides his vvill which is euen done against his wil. Euclide to one that neuer rested to enquire of the Gods aunswered deseruedly Other thinges I knovve not this I know that they hate curious and busie inquisitours Adam was driuen out of paradise for affecting too much knowledge Israell had died the death Exod. 19. if they had past their bounds to climbe vp vnto the mounte and to gaze vpon the Lorde The men of Bethshemesh vvere slaine to the number of fiftie thousande for prying into the Arke 1. Sam. 6. The question is as high as the highest heauens dwelleth in light as vnsearchable as God himselfe couered vvith a curtaine of sacred secresie vvhich shall neuer bee dravvne aside till that day come vvherein wee shall knovve as wee are knovvne and then but in measure and proportion VVho is able to decide that dwelleth vvith mortall flesh how farre the counsell of the Lord goeth in ordering and disposing sinfull actions This I am bolde to say because I am loath to leade you farther into a bottomeles sea than where the lambe may wade without danger of miscarying and if there be ought behinde which is not opened vnto you let this bee your comforte Deus revelabit GOD will one daie reveale it but in this present question there is an errour I suppose in two extremities either to thinke that God is the authour of sinne which sensuall and phantasticke Libertines rubbing their filthinesse vpon his puritie haue imputed vnto him or that GOD doeth only but suffer and permitte sinne sitting in heaven to beholde the stratagemes of the vvicked vvithout intermedling as if his Godhead were bounde like Sampsons armes halfe of his power and liberty restrained a greater parte of the world and the manners thereof running vpon wheeles and the cursed children of Beliall hasting like dromedaries to fullfill the lustes of their owne godlesse heartes vvithout the gouernment and moderation of the highest Lorde Either of these opinions mee thinkes denyeth the Godhead For howsoever in wordes both may admitte it they deny it in opinion They receaue it at the gates and exclude it at the posterne The one destroyeth the iustice goodnesse of the deity in that they charge GOD to bee the authour of sinne the other his omnipotency and providence in that they bereave him of a greate part of his businesse The latter of these two positions that God doeth permit sinne is sounde and catholike enough if more bee added vnto it for God doeth more than permit the former is filled to the brimme with most monstrous impiety If the devilles in hell may bee hearde to speake for themselues and against God what coulde they say to deprave him more than this Indeede wee haue sinned and forsaken our faith but God caused vs It is a most damnable and reprobate thought that any vessell of clay shoulde so conceaue of his former who in the creation of all thinges made al things good and past not a vvorke from his fingers without the approbation of his most prudent iudgment Beholde it was good very good God saw it Aske but the maisters of humane wisedome they will enforme you in this behalfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God by no meanes is vniust but as righteous as possible maybe Seneca asketh the cause why the Gods doe good hee aunswereth their nature is the cause They can neither take nor doe wronge they neither giue nor haue mischiefe in them You haue the same doctrine Iames 1. Let no man when he is tempted say that he is tempted by God for God is not tempted with evill and
Ed. Campion our charitable countriman laid at the dores of our Church yea brought into the streetes of our Vniversities as if we were the fathers and patrons of it We never said it I say once againe to redeeme a thousand deathes if more were due to our sinnes we would not affirme it This we say whatsoever hath substance being perfection in the action of sin God is the author of it because it is good Ipsum quantumcunque esse bonum est the least essence in the world is good but not of the fault and defection therein I must once more repeate sin hath a positive privative part a subiect and the quality of the subiect nature corruption Prorsus ab illo est quicquid pertinet ad naturam prorsus ab illo non est quicquid est contrae naturam Whatsoever belongeth to nature is wholy from him whtsoeveâ— is against nature is in no respect from him Now death and whatsoever belongeth to the traine of death sin and the like are against nature In him we live and moove and have our being there is the piller of our truth a Poet of the Gentiles delivered it but an Apostle sanctified and ratified it and every creature in heaven in earth in the deepe crieth Amen to it And as that gentility and heathnishnesse of that vnbeleeving Poet coulde not marre Gods truth so the corruption depravation in the quality either of maÌ„ or action cannot hurt the substance Life is his whether we live to him as we ought to doe or to the lusts of our owne flesh or after the pleasure of the God of this world the prince of darknes MotioÌ„ is his whether we lift vp our handes to praier or whether to murther Essence is his the nature being substance of men of serpents of reprobate Angels are from him his good creatures He made not death he gave charge to the waters and earth to bring forth creatures that had the soule of life in them and when he made man hee breathed in his face the breath of life made him a living soule he made not darknesse he created the light neither was the authour of sterilitie and barrennesse hee made the bud of the earth which should seede seede the fruitfull tree And to speake a truth in proper tearmes these privations corruptions and defectes in nature as death darkenesse sterility blindnes silence and the like haue rather deficient than efficient causes For by the remooving of the things themselues vvhich these destroy they of their own accord succeede take their places Abandon the light of the sunne whereby our aire is brightened and illuminated you neede not carefully enquire or painefully labour how to come by darknesse the deficiencie and fayling of the light is a cause sufficient to bring in darknesse If the instrument of sighte bee decayed the stringes and spirites which serue for the eie inwardely wasted corrupted there is no more to be done to purchase blindnes to the eie the very orbity and want of seeing putteth blindnesse forth-with in possession If there were no speech or noise in this church what would there bee but silence and stilnesse wil you aske me the cause hereof It hath rightly none I can render the cause of speech there are instrumentes in man to forme it and there is an aire to receiue it from his mouth beare it to their eares that should partake it vpon the ceasing vvhereof silence hath a course to supplie without the service and aide of any creature in the worlde to produce it And these things we know and are acquainted with not by the vse of them for who can vse that which is nothing We know what light is by the vse thereof because we beholde it but who ever saw darkenesse if the apples of his eie were as broade as the circle of the sunne and the moone waking and wide open how could hee see darkenesse VVee know what speech is by the vse thereof because wee receiue it by the eare but who ever hearde silence Onelie vvee knovve them not by fruition of themselues but by want of their opposites which erst wee enioyâ—ed and now are deprived of I speake the more that I might speake plainely Wee were to enquire the efficient cause of sinne it hath none properly it hath a deficient cause Adam and Eue forsooke as it were the guide of their youth the word of God and his grace forsooke them Nature is now corrupted the soundnesse integrity of all the faculties therein diseased the image of God wholy defaced Vpon the decay and departure whereof sinne like a strong man entreth the house the bodie and soule are taken vp with a masse of iniustice the vnderstanding is filled with darkenesse the will with frowardnesse the senses with vanities and every part both of outwarde and inwarde man becommeth a servaunt to vnrighteousnesse Basill in a sermon vpon this argument now in hande vvilleth those that enquire of the author of sinne likewise to answere whence sicknesse and orbities in the bodie come for they are not saith hee the worke of God Living creatures were at the first well created having a proportion convenient to them but they fell into diseases and distemperatures vvhen they fell from healthinesse either by evill diet or by some other cause notwithstanding GOD made the bodie hee made not sicknesse and hee likewise made the soule but not the sinfulnesse thereof Ierome vppon the seconde of Abacuk giveth the like iudgemente Et si anima vitio suo efficitur hospitium Châ—ldaeorum naturâ tamen suà est tabernaculum Dei though the soule by her owne faulte is made an habitation or lodge for the Chaldaeans straungers to dwell in yet by hernature shee is the tabernacle of God Therefore hee should shew himselfe too ignorante that coulde not discerne betweene the corruption of nature and the author of nature And because we further were charged that we made the conversion of Paul the adulterie of David and the treason of Iudas the one the vprising of a sinner the other the falling downe of a saint the last finall revolt of a reprobate the workes and the proper workes of God all alike I prooved the contrary The first I acknowledged his proper and entire worke hee opened the vnderstanding changed the will did all therein In the other two hee tooke the wrll as hee founde it and without alteration thereof applied it to some endes which hee had secretly purposed and though neither the adultery of Dauid nor the improbity of Iudas were his proper workes yet God had his proper workes in them both for as he is a most holy creator of good natures so he is a most rightuous disposer of evill willes that whereas those evill willes doe ill vse good natures hee on the other side may well vse the evill willes themselves To conclude hee is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a
for thou must die and not liue though we turne our faces to the wal pray weepe mourne like a doue beg for life as he did yet if the purpose of God be fixed let vs patiently entertaine it Cur quod necesse est non voluntas occupat Prudentius a Christian prudent Poet spake it That that must be shal be blessed be the name of God let vs not refuse it Let a beast be pulled from his den by force but let a Christian be taken froÌ„ his life with patience For it is not inheritance but debt and he that is the Lord of the spirites of all flesh will as gloriously restore as he will certainely require it Ionas is now at length executed if this had beene done before the sea had beene quiet but the Lord loveth to hold suspend an actioÌ„ for he hath many works in one this amongst the rest that maÌ„ may know that howsoever he be favoured by the intercession respite of time and by other helpes he cannot striue with a mightier nor go to law with his maker but his reckonings and accounts must be made when all is done Adam may runne into thickets and spend the time a while and cover himselfe with leaves and thinke to beguile Gods eie but Adam shall be called forth of his bushes stript of his garments as thinne as spiders webbes and cast out of paradise and haue a sentence of death pronounced and performed to vpon him and his whole linage Doth Sisera thinke by running away to runne from the iudgements of the Lord though there be peace betweene Iabin his master and the house of Heber the Kenite yet that peace shal bee turned into warre hee shall come into the tent of Iahell the wife of Heber and finde the hande of the Lorde as ready to encounter him there as if he had fallen vpon the host of Barake a draught of milke which he beggeth for his comfort shal be his last deadliest draught and insteed of rest to the temples of his head a naile shall be driven into his temples to dispatch his life The Iews may say in the Prophet they vvill ride vpon horses they will flie avvaie vpon the swiftest but their persecutours shall bee swifter than they Others may goe to the mountaines and rockes and say they will lie in the closest but mountaines shal be made as valleyes rocks shall yeeld at the pleasure of God as wax before the sun to open and disclose his enimies Ionas shall haue his leaue to run away on foote with Sisera to ride vpon the swiftest with the Iews to ship himselfe in a vessel lie as close in the shrouds therof as the ribbes wil giue him leaue he shal one while sleepe another draw lots a third discourse now be chid theÌ„ examined afterwards consulted with fairelie entreated hee shal see the losse of all their wares thinke his life may be saved by that losse behold millians of waues broken against the side of the ship and hope that millians more shall passe not touch him he shall haue what friendship helpe the whole company of mariners may afford him either by their praiers or by their advise or by the haÌ„dling of their ores yet the end shal be Ionas must be cast forth This is the wages of sin this is the way of all sinfull flesh When we haue stood long and foughte with the dangers of the world both by land sea when thousandes haue falleÌ„ at our right haÌ„d teÌ„ thousands at our left we haue not fallen wheÌ„ we are coÌ„passed with friends so far forth that we may saie with the woman of ShuneÌ„ I neede not speaking for me either to the king or to the captaine of the host I dwell amongst mine owne people where I may coÌ„mand when we haue walked in the light of the sun our prosperity I meane waxen so great that we haue wanted nothing wheÌ„ we thinke that we are in league with death in covenant with the graue and promise our selues that we shal multiplie our dayes as the sandes by the sea side even when we haue sailes and ores at pleasure that vvee may saie with Antiochus I will not saile in the sea with Ionas but I will saile vpon the mountaines and walke vpon the seas as vpon dry lande yet there must bee a time when all these helpes shal bee frustrated and Ionas shal be cast forth Though wee escape the pit vve shal be taken in the snare Ierom. 48. wee shall flie from a Lyon and a beare shall meete vs or leane our hand vpon a wall and a serpent shall bite vs Amos 5. we maie bee delivered in sixe troubles and the seventh shall dispatch vs him that escapeth from the sworde of Hazâ—ell shall Iehuslaie and him that escapeth from the sword of Iehu shall Elisa slaie 1. Kings 19. As one that shooteth at a marke sometimes is gone and sometimes is shorte sometimes lighteth on the right hand sometimes on the left at leÌ„gth hitteth the marke so death shooteth at noble meÌ„ beyoÌ„d vs at meane men short of vs on the right hand at our friends at our enimies on the left at length hitteth our selues the longer her hande is practised the more certaine it is She was aiming at Adam 900. 30. yeares at last smote him at Methusaleh 969. yeares in the end overthrew him now shee striketh within the compasse of threescore yeares or threescore ten or fourescore at the most sometimes at the first stroke euen in the day of our birth Câ—st them out of my sight saith God to his prophets and let them depart some to captivitie some to the sword some to pestilence some to the water as Pharaoh and the Princes of Egypt soÌ„e to the fire as the king of Edom whose bones were burnt to lime soÌ„e to the bowelles â—awes of the earth as the coÌ„gregation of Abirà Haman to the gallous Iesabel to the dogs Herode to wormes the disobedient Prophet to a lion the sons daughters of Iob to the fall of an house the mothers infantes of Ierusalem to a famine some to a plague some to the edge of the sworde some to a sicknes by the hand of God one crieth my head my head as the Sunamites son another my bowels my bowels as Antiochus another my feete my feete as Asa one complaineth of a palsey another of a burning fever a third of an issue of bloud but whatsoever the meanes be the ordinance of God in the end is this Ionas must be cast forth the ship eased the worlde emptied by degrees new generatioÌ„s successiuely take place If this were remeÌ„bred by vs that as Ionas slept in the sids of the ship we in security so we must both sleep in the dust of the earth as the lot fel vpon Ionas in his time so the lot must fal vpon vs in ours
two singular and almost despaired deliverances first of their bodies from a raging and roaring sea a benefite not to be contemned for even the Apostles of Christâ— cried in the like kind of distresse vpon the waters helpe Lorde wee perish secondlye of their soules from that idolatrous blindnes wherein they were drowned and stifled a destruction equall to the former and indeed far exceeding The horrour of this destruction was never more faithfully laid out in colours than in the eighth of Amos. Where after repetition of sorrowes enough if they were not burnt with hote irons past sense as that the songes of the teÌ„ple shoulde be turned into howlinges feastes into mourning laughter into lamentation that there should be many dead bodies in every place even the nuÌ„ber so great that they should cast them forth in silence without obsequies the sunne going downe at noone and the earth darkened in the cleare day that is their greatest woe in the greatest prosperity yet he threatneth a scourge beyoÌ„d al these Behold saith the Lord I have not yet made your eies dazell nor your eares tingle with my iudgements though your eies have beheld sufficient misery to make them faile yet behold more The daies come I give you warning of vnhappier times the plagues you have endured already are but the beginnings of sorrow the daies come that I will send a famine in the land if the mouth of the Lord had here stayed famem immittam I will send a famine had it not sufficed Can a greater crosse thinke you be imagined than wheÌ„ a wofull mother of her wofull children shall be driven to say As the Lorde liveth I have but a little meale left in a barrell and a little oile in a cruise and beholde I am gathering two stickes to go in and dresse it for me and my sonne that wee may eate and die and much rather if it come to that extremity that an other mother felt when shee cried vnto the king Helpe my Lord O King This woman saide vnto mee give thy sonne that wee may eate him to day and wee will eate my sonne to morrowe so we sodde my sonne and did eate him c. yet hee addeth to the former by a correction not a famine of bread nor a thirst of water but of hearing the word of God and they shall wonder not as the sonnes of Iacob who went but out of Israell into Egypt but from sea to sea and from the North to the East shall they runne to and fro to seeke the worde of the Lorde and shall not finde it This was the case of these men before a prophet spake vnto them and the wonders of the lawe were shewed amoÌ„gst them And this was the case of our countrey when either it fared with vs as with the church of Ierusalem signa non videmus non est ampliùs propheta wee see no tokens there is no prophet lefte or if we had prophets they were such as Ezechiell nameth they saw vanities and divined lies and the booke of the law of the Lorde though it were not hid in a corner as in the raigne of Iosias nor cut with a penknife and cast into the fire as in the daies of Iehoiakim yet the comfortable vse of it was interdicted the people of God vvhen either they could not reade because it was sealed vp in an vnknowne tongue or vnder the paine of a curse they might not and such as hungred and thirsted after the righteousnes of Iesus Christ were driven into Germany and other countries of Europe to enquire after it But blessed be the Lord God of Israell for hee hath long since visited and redeemed vs his people If our many deliverances besides either by sea from the invasion of the grande pirate of Christendome or from other rebellions and conspiracies by land had beene in nuÌ„mber as the dust of our grounde this one deliverance of our soules froÌ„ the kingdome and power of darkenesse the very shadowe and borders of death wherein we sate before the sending of prophets amongst vs to prophecie right things to preach the acceptable yeare of the Lord and the tidings of salvation had far surpassed them Let vs therfore with these mariners sing a song of thanksgiving not onely with our spirites My soule blesse thou the Lorde and all that is within mee praise his holy name but with sacrifices and vowes also as audible sermons and proclamations to the world let vs make it knowne that great is the mercy of Iehovah to our little nation THE XXII LECTVRE The last verse of the 1. Chap. Or after some the first of the second Now the Lorde had prepared a great fish to swallow vp Ionas and Ionas was in the bellye of the fishe three daies and three nightes WEE are now come to the second section of the prophesie wherin the mercy of God towardes Ionas is illustrated It beginneth at my text and parteth it selfe into three members 1. The absorption or buriall 2. the song 3. the delivery of the Prophet Isiodore in three wordes summeth the contentes of it Cetus obiectum voratum orantem revomuit The whale cast vp Ionas first cast forth then devoured afterwards making his moue to God Ionas is swallowed in this present sentence The iustice and mercy of God runne togither in this history as those that runne for the maisterie in a race And it is harde a long time for Ionas to discerne whither his iustice will overcome his mercie or his mercy triumph over iustice They labour in contention as the twinnes in Rebecca's wombe And although Esau bee first borne red and hairy all over like a rough garment yet Iacob holdeth him by the heele and is not farre behinde him I meane though the iudgment of God against Ionas bearing a rigorous and bloudy countenance and satiate with nothing in likelyhode but his death that most straÌ„ge vnaccustomed seemeth to have the first place yet mercy speedeth her selfe to the rescue and in the end is fulfilled that which God prophecied of the other paire The elder shall serue the yonger For when iustice had her course and borne the preeminence a greate space mercy at lengh putteth in and getteth the vpper hande To vs that haue seene and perused the historie who haue as it were the table of it before our eies and know both the first and the last of it it is apparant that I say that although he were tossed in the ship cast forth into the sea deuoured yet God had a purpose prevised herein to worke the glorie of his name the others miraculous preservation But Ionas himselfe who all the while was the patient and set as a marke for the arrowes of heavenlye displeasure to be spent at and knew no more what the end would be than a child his right hand from the left what could he thâ—â—ke but that heaven and earth land and sea life and death all 〈◊〉
in the world had sworne and conspired his immortall misery First he was driven to forgoe his natiue countrey the land of his fathers sepulchers and take the sea When he had shipt himselfe the vessell that bare him stackered like a drunken man to and fro never was at rest till she had cast forth her burthen Being cast forth the sea that did a kinde of favour to Pharaoh and his host in giving them a speedy death is but in manner of a iaylour to Ionas to deliver him vp to a further torture Thus from his mothers house and lap wherin he dwelt in safety to a shippe to seeke a forreine countrey from the ship into the sea and from the sea into a monsters belly incomposiâ—um navigium an incomposed mishapen ship therein shall I say to his death that had bene his happines he would haue wisht for death as others wisht for treasure There are the prisoners at rest and heare not the voice of the oppressour there are the small and the great and the servaunt is free from his maister So then there is a comfort in death to a comfortlesse soule if hee could atchieve it But Ionas cannot die the sea that swalloweth downe volumes of slime and sandes is not grave enough to bury him hee may rather perswade himselfe that he is reserved for a thousand deathes whome the waters of the Ocean refuse to drowne giving over their pray to an other creature My thoughtes are not your thoughtes saith the LORDE by his prophet Esaye neither are your waies my waies For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my waies higher than your waies and my thoughtes above your thoughtes It is most true When wee thinke one thing GOD thinketh an other hee safety and deliverance vvhen in the reason of man there is inevitable destruction We must not therefore iudge the actions of the Lorde till wee see the last acte of them We must not say in our hast all men are liers the pen of the scribes is vaine the bookes false the promises vncertaine Moses and Samuell prophets and apostles are like rivers dried vp have deceived vs. We must tarry the end and know that the vision is for an apointed time but at the last it shall speake according to the wishes of our owne harts and shal not lie Though our soules faint for his salvation yet must we wait for his worde Though our eies faile for his promise saying O when wilt thou comfort vs and we are as bottels in the smoke the sap of our hope dryed vp yet we must not forget his statutes When we see the fortunate succeeding of things we shall sing with the righteous prophet Wee know O Lord that thy iudgements are right though deepe secret and that thou of very faithfulnes hast caused vâ— to be tried that howsoever our troubles seemed to be without either number or end yet thy faithfulnesse higher than the highest heavens failed vs not To set come order in the sentence propounded I commende these circumstances vnto you First the disposer and ruler of the action the Lorde Secondly the manner of doing it hee provided or prepared Thirdly the instrument a fish togither with the praise and exornation of the instrument a great fish Fourthly the end to swallow vp Ionas Lastly the state of Ionas and how it fared with him after he was swallowed vp And first that you may see the difference betwixte inspired spirites and the conceiptes of prophane men vvho as if the nature of thinges bare them to their ende without further disposition as when the clowde is full they saie it giveth her raine and going no higher than to seconde and subordinate causes never consider that high hande that wrought them it may please you to obserue that thorough the whole body of this prophecie vvhatsoever befell Ionas rare and infrequent is lifted aboue the spheares of inferiour thinges and ascribed to the Lord himselfe A great winde vvas sent into the sea to raise a tempest It is not disputed there what the winde is by nature a drie exhalation drawne vp from the earth and carryed betweene it and the middle region of the aire aslant fit to engender a tempest but the LORDE sent it Ionas vvas afterwardes cast into the sea It is not then considered so much vvho tooke him in their armes and vvere the ministers of that execution but thou LORDE hast done as it pleased thee Ionas is heere devoured by a fish It is not related that the greedinesse and appetite of the fish brought him to his praie but the LORDE prepared him Ionas againe is delivered from the belly of the fish It mighte bee alleadged in reason perhappes that the fish was not able to concoct him but it is saide the Lorde spake to the fish and it cast him vp Towardes the ende of the prophecie Ionas maketh him a booth abroade and sitteth vnder the shaddow of a gourde the Lorde provided it A worme came and consumed the gourde that it perished the Lorde provided it The sunne arose and a fervent east-winde bet vpon the heade of Ionas the Lorde also provided it Who is he then that saith and it commeth to passe if the Lorde commaunde it not Out of the mouth of the most high commeth there not evill and good Thus whensoever we finde in any of the creatures of God either man or beast from the greatest whale to the smallest worme or in the vnsensible things the sun the windes the waters the plantes of the earth either pleasure or hurt to vs the Lord is the worker and disposer of both these conditions The Lorde prepared That yee may know it came not by chaunce brought thither by the tide of the sea but by especiall providence For it is not saide that God created but that he ordeined and provided the fish for such a purpose There is nothing in the workes of God but admirable art and skilfulnesse O Lord saith David how manifolde are thy workes in wisedome hast thou made them all Salomon giveth a rule well beseeming the rashnes and vnadvisednesse of man who without deliberate forecast entereth vpon actions first to prepare the worke without and to make all things ready in the field and after to builde the house God keepeth the order himselfe having his spirite of counsaile and provision alwaies at hande to prepare as it were the vvaie before his face to make his pathes straight and to remooue all impedimentes to levell mountaines to exalt vallies to turne vvaters into drie grounde and drie grounde into water-pooles and to change the whole nature of things rather than any worke of his shal be interrupted He had a purpose in his heart not to destroy Ionas yet Ionas was thrown into the mouth of destructioÌ„ A maÌ„ would haue thought that the couÌ„saile of God if ever should now haue been frustrated that salvation it selfe could not
a part put for the whole And thus they make their account the first day of his passion enterrement which was the preparation of the Iewish sabbath must haue the former night set to it The second was fully exactly run out The third had the night complete and only a piece of the first day of the weeke which by the figure before named is to be holpen supplied Now I go forwardes to explicate the behavior of Ionas in the belly of the fish Therein we are to consider 1. what the history speaketh of Ionas 2. what he speaketh himselfe The words of the history testifying his demeanour are those in the head of the chapter which you haue already heard Then Ionas prayed vnto the LORDE his GOD out of the bellie of the fish and saide VVherein besides the person of Ionas needelesse to bee recited any more wee are stored vvith a cluster of many singular meditations 1. The connexion or consequution after his former misery or if you will you may note it vnder the circumstance of time Then 2. What he did how hee exercised and bestowed himselfe Hee prayed 3. To whome hee prayed and tendered his mone To the Lorde 4. Vpon what right interest or acquaintance with that Lorde because he was his God 5. From whence he directed his supplications Out of the belly of the fish 6. The tenour or manner of the songe and request hee offered vnto him And saide Thus far the history vseth her owne tongue the wordes that followe Ionas himselfe endited Many thinges haue beene mentioned before vvhereof we may vse the speech of Moses Enquire of the auncient daies which are before thee since the day that God created man vpon the earth and from one ende of heaven to the other if ever there were the like thing done as that a man should breath and liue so long a time not onely in the bowels of the waters for there Ionas also was but in the bowels of a fish vvithin those waters a prison with a double ward deeper than the prison of Ieremie wherein by his owne pitifull relation hee stacke fast in mire and was ready to perish thorough hunger and when hee was pluckte from thence it was the labour of thirtie men to drawe him vp with ropes putting ragges vnder his armes betweene the ropes and his flesh for feare of hurtinge him closer then the prison of Peter who was committed to fowre quaternions of souldiours to bee kept and the night before his death intended slept betwixte two souldiours bounde with two chaines and the keepers before the doore yea stricter then the prison of Daniell the mouth whereof was closed with a stone and sealed with the signet of the king and the signet of his princes and the keepers of the ward by nature harder to be entreated than ten times 4. quaternions of souldiours Name me a prison vnder heaven except that lake of fire brimstone which is the second death comparable vnto this wherein Ionas was concluded Yet Ionas there liveth not for a moment of time but for that cōtinuance of daies which the greate shepheard of Israell afterwards tooke thought a tearme sufficient wherby the certain vndoubted evictiō of his death might be published to the whole world But this is the wonder of wonders that not onely the body of Ionas is preserved in life liuelyhood where if he receaved any foode it was more lothsome to nature than the gall of aspes or if he drew any aire for breath it was more vnpleasaunt than the vapours of sulphur but his soule also and inwarde man was not destroyed and stifled vnder the pressure of so vnspeakable a tribulation For so it is he lieth in the belly of the fish as if he had entered into his bed-chamber cast himselfe vpon his couch recounting his former sinnes present miseries praying beleeving hoping preaching vnto himselfe the deliveraunces of God with as free a spirite as ever he preached to the children of Israell vpon dry lande He is awake in the whale that snorted in the shippe VVhat a strange thing was this O the exceeding riches of the goodnesse of God the heigth and depth whereof can never be measured that in the distresses of this kinde to vse the apostles phrases aboue measure and beyond the strength of man wherein we doubte whether wee liue or no and receaue the sentence of death within our selues that if you should aske our owne opinion we cannot say but that in nature and reason we are dead men yet God leaveth not onely a soule to the body whereby it mooveth but a soule to the soule whereby it pondereth and meditateth within it selfe Gods everlasting compassions Doubtlesse there are some afflictions that are a very death else the Apostle in the place aforesaide woulde never have spoken as he did Wee trust in God who raiseth vp the deade and hath delivered vs from so great a death and doth deliver vs and in him wee hope that yet hee vvill deliver vs. Harken to this yee faint spirites and lende a patient eare to a thrice most happy deliveraunce be strengthened yee weake handes and feeble knees receaue comforte hee hath he doth and yet he will deliver vs not onelie from the death of our bodies when wormes and rottennesse haue made their long and last pray vpon them but from the death of our mindes too when the spirit is buried vnder sorrowes and there is no creature found in heaven or earth to giue it comforte The next thing we are to enquire is what Ionas did Hee praied All thinges passe sayeth Seneca to returne againe I see no nevve thing I doe no newe A wise man of our owne to the same effect That that hath beene is and that that shal bee hath beene I haue before handled the nature and vse of prayer with as many requisite conditions to commende it as there were chosen soules in the arke of Noah You will now aske me quousque eadem how often shal we heare the same matter I would there were no neede of repetition But it is true which Elihu speaketh in Iob God speaketh once and twice and man seeth it not There is much seede sowen that miscarieth some by the high-way side some amongst thornes some otherwise many exhortations spent as vpon men that are a sleepe and when the tale is tolde they aske vvhat is the matter Therefore I aunswere your demaund as Augustine sometimes the Donatistes when hee was enforced to some iteration Let those that know it already pardon mee least I offende those that are ignorant For it is better to giue him that hath than to turne him away that hath not And if it were trueth of Homer or may be truth of any man that is formed of clay Vnus Homerus satietatem omnium effugit One Homer never cloyed any mā that red him much more it is truth that one and onely Iesus
circle to the centre of it is the absolutest patterne of misery that ever sanke into humane invention For as nothing is more direfull and vnsufferable then hell so nothing more fit in the nature of things wherevnto the hugest tribulation may be compared The word in the Hebrew carryeth it selfe indifferently either for hell or the graue for they are both alvvaies craving Bring in and thence they haue their name the graue is never satisfied with the corpses of the dead nor hell with the soules of the damned that descende into it I rather take it to signifie hell in this place one saith because of the horrour an other for the darkenesse some for the depth some for the hugenesse of the belly of the fish· Venter inferni alvus caeti tanti magnitudiniâ— vt instar obtineat inferni The belly of hell is the belly of the fish so large and capable that it may goe insteeede of hell The belly of the fish saith an other alter mihi infernus erat vvas an other hell vnto mee David vseth the same phrase with Ionas the paines of hel compassed mee aboute and the snares of death over-tooke mee But in an other Psalme more distinctly Thou hast delivered my soule from the â—â—thermost hell What did Ionas or David ever descende into that fâ—ery lake to know the torments thereof Or as Pythagoras ghest at the stature and pitch of Hercules by the length of his foote which was but one part of his body so by a taste of bitternesse incident to this present life haue these conceived what sorrow and vexation is reserved to the wicked for times to come Vndoubtedly the griefe of heart hath beene infinite and as much as mortality coulde ever admitte The mournings of Hannah Iob David Ieremy Ierusalem such as his hart must needes bee harder then the stithy which the smith beateth vpon that readeth the catalogues of their woes and is not moved at them But if all those foresaide agonies and as many besides as ever wrunge and wrested the spirite of man since the breath of life was breathed into him were put togither to parte the tormentes of hell among them parte after parte as if they woulde empty the store-houses and breake the streame of it yet hath the hand of hell an vnmeasurable portion behinde to distribute to her children an endelesse patrimony of howling wringing and gnashing which all the forepassed mischiefes and maimes in this life haue skarse beene shadowes and counterfeites of The belly of hell you heare but in a type or figure where the worde is mistaken and abused and broughte from his proper sense though it be fearefull enough and the extremity of paine hath so beguiled and besotted some I speake it with sobriety in the iudgementes of their mindes that they haue thought it very hell indeede yet woe bee to them ten thousande times more and more then can be imagined by any heart as deepe as a floude whome the belly of very hell hath swallowed and closed vp It is not possible to be spoken it is more vnpossible to be endured yet it must bee endured what the terrours and tortures of hell are Take him saith the gospell binde him hande and foote is it no more but so I â—ictor liga manus goe seargeant binde his hands yes cast him into vtter darkenesse outwarde to those inwarde wherein they delighted before blindnesse of minde and vnderstanding outward because the whole man body and soule shal be folded and comprehended therein outward because in extremitie without the limites and borders of any favour of God to bee extended Where neither the lighte of the sunne moone and starres and much lesse the sight of Gods glorious face shal ever shine There shall bee vveeping and gnashing of teeth there is there shal bee no time set It standeth for all aeternity no myriade of yeares shall ever determine it There the eies shall destill like fountaines and the teeth clatter like armed men and all the partes of the body relinquish their natural vses and spend their cursed time in wretchednesse and confusion These are the straightes indeede not like to those vvhich before I mentioned when handes and feete are so bounde body and soule so hampered and snared not with cordes and withes as Sampsons were but vvith the vnexplicable bandes of longe nighte that not a part of either of the two shal haue any power or activity left to gratifie their owner with neither the minde to contemplate more then endlesse infelicity nor the memory to recounte more then auncient and thrice most hatefull sinnes nor the phantasie to present more then fearefull visions nor the eies to behold more then legions of vncleane spirites nor the eares to heare more then the roarings of findes nor the nostrelles to smell more then the smoake of brimstone nor the handes to catch hold of more then flames of fire nor the feete to walke further then their giues and chaines wil giue them leaue Tormentes invented and inflicted by tyrants haue been most hideous the teeth of vvilde beastes hote glowing ovens and fornaces caldrons of boyling oyle fiery brason bulles powning to death in motters rowling in barrels of nailes rosting vpon spittes boaring with angers parting the nailes and fingers-endes with needles nipping the flesh with pinsers racking and rending a sunder the iointes with wilde horses no pittye no remorse taken whilest there was either flesh or bloud or sinew or bone or I say not member but wound in the body to worke vpon But the torments of hell are in greater variety Had I an hundred tongues and mouthes to hold them A voice of iron yet could I not vnfould them and in an other kinde or rather indeede without kind Ibi ordo nullus horror sempiternus where there is no order but everlasting horrour For who can define either by speech or vnderstanding a thing so infinite so monstrously compact of natures most disparate and repugnant an ende not ending a death not dying vnquenchable fire yet a darkenesse withall to accompanie it more palpable then the fogges of AEgypt and blacker then blacknesse it selfe everlastingly burning yet not consuming So much more vnsufferable then any torments of tortours vpon earth as the inventions of devilles can better devise then man and the malice of devilles better put in execution This this is the cup of the deadliest wine that ever was tasted of these these are those deepe graves in the Psalme from whence there is no rising againe This is the fire that goeth not out the worme that never leaveth gnawing in the last of Esaie These are those waters of gall in Ieremy those fearefull thinges wherewith the Lorde shall pleade against the vnrighteous of the earth as he pleaded sometimes against Gog and Magog in Ezechiell pestilence and bloud and sore raine and huge hailestones and fire and brimstone not such as fell vpon the sisters Sodome and Gomorrhe the witnesses wherof for many succeeding
limites but of a continuall tract and course of seas 4. Not where the waters were placide and still but vvhere the floudes were ever fighting togither 5. Those floudes lie as a circle about him and keepe him in like armed men 6. Not onely the flouds annoy him the tides of the sea and the decourse of lande rivers but hee is also troubled with vvaues 7. They are not simply waues but surges vvaues of the vehementest collision and insultation 8. And not simply surges but such as are strengthned by the arme and animation of God his waues 9. As if there were no more in the world but they had all forsaken their proper places as they came to the siege of Tâ—oy to turmoile this one sea hee tearmeth them in genelity all thy waues Lastly they were not aboute him as before but laie like a pressure vpon his body to keepe it downe There is yet a stinge in the taile of the Scorpion a danger behinde worse then the former which as it is reserved to the last place so hath it more venime in it then all the rest Then I saide I am cast out of thy sighte which containeth the weaknesse and distrust of his fearefull conscience See what a daungerous conclusion hee maketh against his soule not rashly apprehended but with leasure and deliberation conceived I saide that because the Lord had cast him into the bottome of the sea from the sight of men and the floudes and surges were over and about him therefore hee should thinke hee is cast from the sight of God that is that the lighte of his face brightnes of his countenance aspect of his mercy compassion had everlastingly forsaken him Ionas thou art deceived Thou speakest more to thy selfe theÌ„ ever the Lord said Hee that cast thee into the sea or caused the mariners to doe it never said that he cast thee out of his sight if thou hadst askt the seas and the flouds wherein thou wert overwhelmed they would never haue said it They know that the Lorde can say vnto the earth giue and to the sea restore keepe not those my sonnes daughters back whom I call for It is the voice of the serpent that speaketh this damnable senteÌ„ce vvithin thee Beware of his sophistry admit it not his reasoning is not good that because thou art persecuted driven to the bottome of the sea therefore thou art wholy cast out It is the pestilentest bait that ever Sathan laide to infect soules with Who being himselfe the sonne of perdition compasseth sea and lande to make others his proselytes the childreÌ„ of hel as deeply as himselfe is the cords wherwith he draweth theÌ„ into his own inheritance of destruction are to make the grievousnes of their sins the sense of their preseÌ„t but momeÌ„tany afflictions markes of their finall dereliction and that the favour of God is vtterlie departed from them This vvas the snare that he set for the soule of Iob in the mouthes of his three friendes pronouncinge him a reprobate and hypocrite because hee was afflicted by God The like for the soule of David in the lippes of his insolent enimies vvhen they vpbraided him where is now thy God he trusted in God let God deliver him if hee will haue him Behold I shew you a sea indeede of a bottomelesse depth the ground whereof can no more be founded than the lowest hel He that is throwne into this sea is alwaies falling and descending and never findeth an end It hath no midst in it as the sea hath because it is vnmeasurable and infinite I meane a desperate conscience distrusting the mercies of God relinquished of it selfe the floudes and surges whereof restlesse turbulent vnplacable cogitations can never be quieted and the fightings therein as betwixt waters and waters in the sea betweene affirmations negations it is and it is not cannot be reconciled Let all the rivers and streames of fresh vvater which glad the citty of God and comforte the soules of the faithfull runne into it they are resisted and driven back There is no entrance I meane for any perswasion of the graciousnes kindnes of the Lord though it be preached a thousand times The salt vnsavory bitter quality in the soule wherewith it is baned before hath no communion with so sweete a nature Which sin of desperation as the nature of man hath iust cause to detest because it breaketh that league of kindnes which we owe to our owne flesh many a bloudy instrument hath it put into the hands of man to destroy himselfe which execution beeing done against the laws of nature a worse ever ensueth from the iudgmeÌ„t fear of God so for that iniury indignity which it ostreth to the Lord of heaven sooner shal he forgiue the apostasie of his reprobate angels than this daÌ„ned sin Ierome observeth vpon the Psalmes that Iudas offended more in despairing of pardon and hanging himselfe than in betraying his innocent maister to death Isiodore giveth a kinde of reason for it Because to commit an offence is the death of the soule but to cast of hope of forgiuenesse is to descende into hell What can ever be done more derogatorie and iniurious to that righteous nature of his than to change his trueth into a lye and the lyes of Sathan into trueth and to iustifie Sathan more than God that when as the Lord shall speake on the one side binde by promise confirme by oth and seale with the bloud of his onely begotten son touching his goodnes towardes al true penitent sinners that although he haue made a wound he wil heale it though broken hee will binde vp though killed he will giue life yet he is not beleeved But when the Devill contrariwise shal suggest for his parte that the iustice of GOD will never bee satisfied the heynousnesse of our sinnes never pardoned as if he had left his name of beeing the father of lyes any longer hee is harkened vnto VVhat else is this but to turne falshoode into trueth darcknesse into light and GOD for ever to be magnified into the Devill himselfe Ionas went not so farre as I nowe speake of For though it were a daungerous pang which hee was fallen into and there vvanted but age and strength to make it vp yet he persisted not therein his feete had vvell nigh slipte but he recovered them and he spake vnadvisedlye vvith his lippes but he recalled it againe Yet vvill I looke tovvardes thine holie temple I vvill not so much explicate the wordes at large as vrge their consequence This was the difference betweene Iudas and Ionas Iudas vvente out and never looked backe more The LORDE cast him foorth and the devil bare him awaye to a tree vvhence hee returned not till hee had hunge himselfe Ionas is cast out vvith an hope and minde to returne Hee forgetteth not the temple of the LORDE and the place vvhere his honour dwelt though hee vvere farre remooved
the angels of GOD. I woulde spend it wholy in the commendation of this graue and serious sentence VVherefore shoulde I feare in the evill dayes when iniquirie shall compasse mee aboute as at mine heeles vvhen it shall presse and vrge me so closely with the iudgementes of God that I am alwaies in daunger to be supplanted nowe vvhat are the pillers of this heavenly security can riches or wisedome or houses and landes after our names or honour sustaine vs these are but rotten foundations to builde eternity vpon But GOD shall deliver my soule from the power of the grave for hee will receive mee I drawe to an ende GOD is faithfull that hath promised heaven and earth shall passe avvay but not a iote of his blessed worde As the hilles vvere about Ierusalem and as these floudes vvere aboute Ionas so is the LORDE aboute all those that feare him Hee hath made a decree in heaven it belongeth to the nevve testamente confirmed by the death of the testatour witnessed by three in heaven and as many in earth and never shall it be altered That at what time soever a sinner whatsoever shall repent him of his wickednes whatsoever from the bottome of his hearte the Lorde will forgive and forget it O heaven before heaven And the contrarye perswasions hell before hell damnation before the time I say againe if hee repent of his wickednesse it is not the misery of this wretched life nor terrour of conscience nor malice of foes let them bee men or devilles let them bee seven in one a legion in another all the principalities and powers of darkenesse in the thirde that shall hinder forgivenesse Beholde the lambe of GOD you that are lions in your house as the proverbe speaketh worst towardes your selves you that are ready to teare and devoure your owne soules with griefe and feare of hearte beholde the Lambe of GOD that taketh avvy the sinnes of the worlde Hath his death put sense into rockes and stones and can it not perswade you shall that bloud of the lambe cleanse you from your guiltinesse and will you in a madde and impatient moode throwe your bloud into the aire with Iulian or spill it vpon the grounde with Saul or sacrifice it vpon an alder with Iudas and not vse the medicine that shoulde ease their maladies shall hee open heaven and will you shutte it hee naile the writings to his crosse and you renue them hee pull you from the fire and you runne into it againe Is this his thankes this the recompence of his labours this the wages yee give him for bearing the heate and burthen of the day in your persons this the harvest for the seede hee sowed in teares this the wine hee shall drinke for treading the wine-presse in steede of a cuppe of salvation which you ought to take in your handes and call vpon the name of the LORD that is as he hath drunke vnto you in a bitter cuppe of passion so you shoulde pledge him in a plesant draught of thanksgiving will you take a cup of death and desperation blaspheme his name evacuate his crosse treade the bloude of his testament vnder you â—eete and die past hope God forbid and the earnest praiers and sobbes of your owne soules hartely forbidde it Ianuas aeternae foelicitatis desparatio claudit spes aperit Desperation shutteth vp hope openeth the dores of eternall felicitie And therefore hee that hath least and nothing at all to hope yet let him despaire of nothing it was the advise of an heathen let it bee the practise of a Christian. Let him hope against hope though the basenesse of his condition horrour of sinne weight of tribulation envy of Sathan rigour of the lawe iustice of the vpright iudge seeme to overthwarte him THE XXVII LECTVRE Chap. 2. ver 5.6 The waters compassed mee about vnto the soule c. Yet hast thou brought vp my life from the pit O Lord my God IN the third and fourth verses before I haÌ„dled first the daunger or feare of Ionas illustrated 1. from the person that cast him into it 2. from the place with the accessaries thereunto the depth the heart the multitude of seas 3. from the passions of the sea which vvere either floudes compassing him about or waves overwhelming him those waves in nature surges touching the author Gods surges touching the number all his surges 4. from the infirmity of his owne conscience wherein 1. advisedly he pronounceth and saith 2. that as an vnprofitable thing he is cast out 3. from the sight that is the favour and grace of his mercifull Lorde Secondlye I added thereunto his hope and confidence as a peece of sweete woode cast into the waters of Marah to take away their bitternesse so this to rellish and sweeten his soule againe and to make some amendes for all his former discouragementes In these two contrary affections feare and hope I tolde you the vvhole songe vvas consumed to the ende of the seventh verse First you shall heare his daunger displaied in sundry and forcible members for his wordes swamme not in his lippes but were drawne from the deepe well of a troubled conscience and then at the end some sentence of comfort added as a counter-verse to alay the rigour of the other partes and to vpholde his fainting soule This was the order that David tooke with his soule in the 42. and 43. Psalmes Why art thou cast downe O my soule Hope in the Lorde for I will yet giue him thankes for the helpe of his presence Likewise in the 80. Psalme Turne vs againe O God of hostes cause thy face to shine and wee shall bee safe They come 〈◊〉 seemeth as so many breathings to a man wearied with a tedious race or rather as so many lines and recollections of spirites after swoonings Now vnlesse I will leaue my texte as Ionas left the way to Niniveh which God had apointed him to walke in I must againe entertaine your eares with the same discourse which before I helde I hope without offence to any man For the hearing of these admirable wordes and workes of God is not or should not be as the drinking of wine wherin they say the first draught is of necessity the second for pleasure the third for sleepe so ever more worse but here it is true which the son of Syrach wrot of wisedome for this is the pure and holy wisedome They that eate her shal haue the more hunger and they that drinke her shall thirst the more The eie is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with hearing such things And albeit it bee a faulte in musicke evermore to strike vppon the same string yet Ionas I doubt not shall easily bee excused and finde favour in your eares in handling this song of his though he bring nothing for a time but the repetition of the same matters For first hee gaue you the ground and plain-song which I called the proposition in the second
verse The rest to the end of the 7. though it be speÌ„t vpon the same argument yet is it with such descante and variety to grace the plaine-song the phrase so delectably altered and the sense of the wordes so mightily augmented as I cannot faine to my selfe how the description of his troubles coulde haue beene furnished with better lightes of speach I haue hearde the descriptions both of auncient Poets and of those in our latter daies Tassus Ariostus and the like so highly extolled as if wisedome had lived and died with them alone And it may be the sinne of samaria the sin of this lande and age of ours perhappes the mother of our atheisme to commit idolatry with such bookes that insteed of the writings of Moses and the prophets and Evangelistes which were wont to lie in our windowes as the principall ornaments to sit in the vppermost roumes as the best guests in our houses now we haue Arcadia the Faery Queene and Orlando Furioso with such like frivolous stories when if the wanton students of our time for all are studentes both men and women in this idle learning would as carefully read and as studiously obserue the eloquent narrations and discourses contained in the Psalmes of David and other sacred bookes they would finde theÌ„ to be such as best deserved the name coÌ„mendation of the best Poets So rightly did Ierome pronouÌ„ce of David to Paulmus that he is our Simonides Pindarus Alceus Flaccus Catullus Serenus in steed of al others For the warrant of my sayings coÌ„sider but this scripture now in hand The danger of Ionas one might haue thought was so handled before as if he had powred forth his whole spirit at once He tolde you of the deepest and of the midst and of the number of the seas with as many perturbations for ought I know as the sea is subiect vnto the confluge of repugnant waters ebbing flowing and breaking of the surges Yet is he stil as ful as the moone and as if he were freshly to begin entreth againe with an other stile much more abundance into the same narration Now he acquainteth you how farre the waters came He was in the waters and waues before but within the bowelles of the fish as it were in a christall cage here it is otherwise for the waters compasse him ad animan vsque even vnto the soule hee was now in the presentest daunger of his life there was not an haires breadth betwixte him and death his soule lay even at the gates of his body ready to passe forth He told you of a bottome before but now of a depth without a bottome there profundum here abyssus and he addeth to his former encumbrances weedes about his head mountaines and promontories and rockes the barres of the earth wherewith he was imprisoned The son of Syrach speaketh of wisedome that shee is set vp like a cedar in Libanê° and as a cypres tree vpon the mountaines of Hermon exalted like a palme-tree in Cades and as a rose-plant in Iericho as a faire oliue-tree in a pleasant fielde and as a plane-tree by the waters as a terebinth so shee stretcheth out her branches and her boughes are the boughes of honour and grace Her roote is so rich and so ful of sap that an heart endued therewith never lacketh matter or wordes whereby to perswade It is written of Salomon one of the ofspring of wisedome that God gaue him prudence and vnderstanding exceeding much and a large hearte even as the sande that is vpon the sea-shore and that his wisedome exceeded the vvisedome of all the children of the East and all the vvisedome of Egypt That he was able to speake of trees from the cedar of Lebanon to the hysope that springeth out of the wall hee also spake of beastes and fowles and creepinge thinges and of fishes 1. King 4. Compare the hearte of Ionas a little vvith the hearte of Salomon You see howe large it is Larger I am sure if it be wisely weighed than of all the people of the East and children of Egypt before mentioned He speaketh of all his troubles by sea from the greatest to the least even to the weede and bulrush that lyeth in the basest part of it Wee say where the griefe is there commonly the finger· It is not an easie matter for those that are pintâ—ht with griefe indeede hastily to departe either from the sense or report of it A man must speake sometimes to take breath Ieremy wrote a whole booke of Lamentations and in the person of the people of the Iewes as if all the afflictions vnder heaven had beene stored vp for that one generation proclaimed Ego vir ille sum I am that man that haue had experience of infirmities that one and only singular man This is the manner of al that are afflicted as Ionas before all thy surges and all thy waues passed over me they thinke their miseries to bee alone and that no other in the worlde hath any parte with them Contrary to the iudgement of Solon the wise Athenian who thought that if men were to laye their griefes vpon one common heape and thence to take out an equall portion with their fellowes they woulde rather carry their owne home againe and beare their burthen aparte than divide at the stocke where they should finde their wretchednesse much more encreased David in many Psalmes declameth at large of his miseries In the 69. by the same words which Ionas here vseth happily borrowed from that ancienter prophet The waters are entred in vnto my soule and I sticke fast in the deepe mire where no stay is I am come into deepe waters the streams runne over me I am weary of crying my throaâ—e 〈◊〉 dâ—ie and mine eies faile whilest I waite for my GOD. It is thoughâ— that the 102. Psalme was a praier written by Daniell or some other prophet for the children of Israell whilst they were at Babylon in captivity My daies are consumed like smoake my bones are burnt vp like an hearth Mine heart is smitten and withered like grasse I forget to eate my breade for the voice of my groaning my bones doe cleaue to my skinne I haue eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drinke with vveeping These were perswaded that the sunne was no where overcast so much as vvhere they were and that it woulde bee happy for them to exchange their woes with any other living creatures Howe often did our Saviour the heade corner stone of the building tell his disciples before hand of his perils to come at Ierusalem The emperour Otho thought it a parte of dastardy to speake too much of death the emperour over Otho thought otherwise If you search the Evangelistes you shall finde his arraignement and death often repeated from his owne mouth Matth. the 17. as they abode in Galilee The twentieth of that Evangelist he tooke them apart in the way as they were
kill and eate And the first time he denyed it plainely Not so Lorde Afterwardes hee was better advised and harkened to the voice of the Lorde VVhen the angell of Sathan was sent to buffet Paule least his visions shoulde lifte him vp too high hee besought the Lorde thrise that it mighte departe and then the Lord aunswered him My grace is sufficient for thee It may bee according to the signe vvhich God gaue Ezechias that the first yeare hee shoulde eate of such thinges as came vp of themselues the seconde such as sprange againe vvithout sowing the thirde they shoulde sowe and reape and plante vine-yardes c. So for the first and seconde time that we heare the doctrine of salvation wee heare vvithout profit we breed no cogitations within vs but such as growe of themselues naturall worldlye corrupte and such as accompanie flesh and bloud fitter to cast vs downe than to helpe vs vp but at the thirde time when the wordes of God with often falling shall haue pearsed our heartes as raine the marble-stones vvee then apply our mindes to a more industrious and profitable meditation of such heavenly comfortes Let it not grieue you then if I speake vnto you againe the same thinges and as Paule disputed at Thessalonica three sabbath dayes of the passion and resurrection of Christ so I three sabbath dayes amongst you of our hope in Christ. Let it bee true of vanities and pleasures that the lesse they are vsed the more commendable but in the most accepted and blessed thinges that belong to our happiest peace bee it faire otherwise Our dayly breade though it bee daily received wee are as ready to craue still neither can the perpetuall vse of it ever offende vs. The light of the sun woulde displease no body but some lover of darknesse if it never wente downe in our coastes The nature of such thinges for their necessary vse must needes bee welcome vnto vs though they never shoulde forsake vs. And can the doctrine of saith and affiaunce in the mercies of God the light of our dimme eies the staffe of our infirmities our soules restoratiue when it lyeth sicke to death and as Chrysostome well compared it a chaine let downe from heaven which hee that taketh holde on is presentely pulled vppe from the hande of destruction and set in a large place to enioy the peace of conscience can it ever displease vs wee were content to heare it once and I doe not doubte but it will bee as welcome being repeated tenne times I make no question but as vvhen Paule had preached at Antioche in the synagogue of the Iewes one day the gentiles besought him that hee woulde preach the same vvordes to them againe the nexte sabbath so though it were the last worke that I did amongst you to cut the throate of desperation which hath cut the throate of many a wretched man and woman to set the piller of hope vnder all fainting and declining consciences yet because it is our last refuge in adversitie and standeth vnmooueable like the Northerne pole when our soules are most distracted with doubtes and fullest of scruples to giue vs aime and direction whither to bend our course if I shall once againe repeate vnto you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the selfe-same wordes that before in substance and sense though not in syllables I trust I shall finde your acceptaunce as good as when I first began it The wordes propounded are the last of the whole narration and drawe into a narrower compasse of speech all that hath beene saide before For whatsoever you haue hearde of the boâ—tome of the sea floudes and surges vvith all those other disturbances already reckoned vp they are now concluded in a little roume My soule fainted The partes the same vvhich I haue observed before for I neede not to acquainte you againe that hee hangeth and devideth the whole song betweene feare and hope And as the feete to that image in Daniell were parte of yron parte of clay which the prophet expoundeth partely stronge partely broken so are the feete if I may so call them which Ionas through all this travaile goeth vpon the one of clay weake impotent alwaies shivering and sinking downewarde I meane his feare and distrust the other of yron strong stable and firme keeping him vpright his hope and confidence in the mercies of God His feare is in the former member of the senteÌ„ce When my soule fainted within mee his hope in the nexte I remembred the Lord c. Wherein to shew that it was not in vaine for him to remember the Lorde and withall how hee remembred him he telleth vs that his praier came vnto him into his holie temple Concerning his feare wee haue to consider first what person or part he notifieth to haue beene assaulted his soule Secondly the plight or perturbation of his soule it fainted Thirdly the application of the place within himselfe The daunger is much augmented from that which before it was Then the vvaters but came to his soule heere they had fought against him so long that his soule plainely fainted Then the perill but imminent and hard at hand heere it had taken handfast Then was he but threatned or beaten by the waters heere he seemeâ—h to bee vanquished Al that vvente before might concerne the body alone and the losse of his temporall life whereof hee was yet in possession As when he pronounced against himselfe I am cast away out of thy sighte it mighte bee no more in effecte than vvhat Ezechiell spake I saide I shall not see the LORDE even the LORDE in the lande of the living I shall see man no more amongest the inhabitauntes of the vvorlde mine habitation is departed and remooved from mee like a shepheardes tente and as a vveaver cutteth of his threade so is my life ended But heere hee confesseth in open tearmes that his very soule that invvarde immortall heavenly substaunce vvhich when the bodye fainteth is sometimes most in health and liveth vvhen the bodye dyeth that this parte fayleth him and leaveth no hope of better thinges Saint Augustine very vvell defineth the soule to be the vvhole invvard man wherewith this masse of clay is quickened governed and helde togither changing her names according to the sundry offices vvhich shee beareth in the bodye For when shee quickneth the bodie shee is called the soule when shee hath appetite or desire to any thing the vvill for knowledge the minde for recordation memory for iudging and discerning reason for giving breath spirite lastly for apprehending or perceiving outwardly sense so as the fainting of the soule is the decay of all these faculties Nowe if the lighte that is in vs bee darke howe great is the darkenesse if the life bee death howe greate is the death if the soule fainte howe greate the defections The infirmities and disablementes of his bodye I knowe vvere very great in the whole service and ministery
or more passions if they vvill goe into captivity againe let them goe but they shall not returne if they sell themselues to the will of their enemy let them never hope for a second ransome VVhen my soule fainted In the second circumstance of the first branch wherein is noted the affection of his soule I will rather marke the efficacie of the worde heere brought than make discourse vpon it The very noting of the worde is discourse enough The wordes that the holy ghost vseth are not vaine vvordes such as are vsed by men to deceiue with the examination search wherof yeeldeth no profit but he that wil weigh them aright must not only view the outwarde face of the whole sentence at large but sucke out the iuice and bloude of every severall vvorde therein contained The extremitye of the soule of Ionas seemeth to bee very greate because there is no little trouble and care how to expresse it The Septuagints render it an eclipse or if you will a dereliction and death of the soule Calvin a convolution or folding vp togither Tremelius an overvvhelming Ierome a streightning or compacting into a close roume Pomeran a despairing VVhatsoever it is Rabbi Kimhi affirmeth that the vvorde is never vsed but of greate miserie happily such as shall accompanie the last times when men shall bee at their wittes endes for feare and their heartes shall faile them because of troubles Nowe whither you saie that his soule forsooke him as if it were and there was deliquium animae a disparition of it for a time as if it vvere not like the state of Eutychus in the Actes who was taken vp for deade though his life remayned in him or vvhither it were wrapt and vvounde vvithin it selfe that her owne house was a prison vnto her and shee had no power to goe foorth no list to thinke of heaven no minde to aske the counsaile of GOD or man as vvhen a birde is snared the more it laboureth the harder it tieth it selfe and though it vse the legges or the vvinges it vseth them to a further hinderaunce so all the thoughtes that the soule of Ionas thought were not to ease the hearte but more to perplexe it and all fell backe againe vpon himselfe or whither the soule were overwhelmed vvithin him with her owne weighte as one that shoulde gather stones for his owne graue or that it was pinched and pressed within a narrowe place that all those former impedimentes promontories and barres of the earth did not imprison him so close as his owne feare or whatsoever it were besides what was it else but either the messenger and fore-runner or a neare companion to that vnnaturall and vngratious sinne which wee haue often alreadye smitten at with the sworde of Gods spirite accursed desperation Howe is the golde become drosse howe is the soule of man turned into a carkeise The chaunge is marvailous That that was given to quicken the bodie and to put life into it is most dull and liuelesse it selfe That that was given to giue liberty explication motion agilitie and arte to every parte of the bodye is nowe the greatest burthen that the body hath If I shall giue the reason heereof it is that which Bernarde alleageth in a Sermon The reasonable soule of man hath two places an inferiour vvhich it governeth the bodie a superiour vvherein it resteth GOD vvhich is the same in substance that Augustine had before delivered in his nineteenth treatise vpon Saint Iohn it quickneth and it selfe is quickened VVherefore if that better life vvhich is from aboue relinquish the soule vvith the comfortes and aides of GODS blessed spirite hovve is it possible but that the soule should also relinquish her body with the offices of her life This is the reason then that the soule faineteth shee first dyeth vpwardes then dovvne-wardes and invvardely to her selfe Shee forgetteth her maker and preserver and hee likevvise striketh her vvith amazement and confusion in all her powers that shee lyeth as it vvere in a traunce and knovveth not howe to apply them to their severall and proper functions Nowe therefore if the floudes and waues of the sea wherewith hee was embraced on every side had beene as kinde vnto him as ever were his mothers armes and those ragged endes of the mountaines like pillowes of downe vnder his bones if the promontories and barres of the earth had vnbarred themselues vnto him of their owne accorde like those dores of the prison in the Actes to let him out yet if the soule within him did remaine thus fettered and gived with the chaines of her owne confusion and all the devises and counsailes of her heart were rather hinderances than helpes vnto her and her greatest enmitie or at least her least friendship came from her owne house that either shee thought nothing or all that shee thought was but the imagination of a vaine thing I would not wish her greater harme Hee wanteth no other miserie that is plagued with a fainting soule Aske not the malice of the sea the malice of the lande the malice of hell against him vvhom the vntovvardenesse and distruste of his ovvne soule hath beaten downe The thirde circumstaunce maketh mention of the subiect or place vvherein his soule fainted that you may knovve there is no power in man to vndoe such implicite cordes and to loose the bandes of sorrowe and death vnlesse some vertue from vvithout set too an helping hande The sense is verie plaine that in himselfe his soule fainted that is there vvas no domesticall earthly naturall helpe that coulde release him but vvhen his father mother friendes lande sea his soule all had forsaken him the Lorde tooke him vp and gaue him better hope For vvho should restore to libertie a soule confounded as this was and re-deliver it to her former abilities teach her to vnderstande arighte prudentlie to deliberate assuredly to hope who reconcile a man fallen out with himselfe and make peace within his borders or rather reviue and recover a man fallen from himselfe but hee who is said to order a good mans goinge and to bee a GOD of order not of confusion VVhen the earth was vvithout forme and voide and darkenesse vpon the deepe and neither heaven nor earth lande nor water day nor night distinguished who fashioned the partes of that vnshapen Chaos separated light from darkenesse and brought the creature into a comely proportion but even the same LORDE who finding this wastnesse and informity in the soule of Ionas made it perfit againe It is evident in the nexte wordes For marke the connexion VVhen my soule fainted within me I remembred the Lorde How is it possible for did his soule faint and was it in maner no soule vnto him as it fareth with some who seeme for a space to bee deade and their spirites to haue forsaken them was all the strength thereof consumed stifled choked given over within him and had hee a memorie
mee recompence but to the poore and if ever I defrauded much more if ever I defeated by mighte any man straunger or home-borne I say not of his maine estate but of anie his smallest portion nor by open detected wronge but by secret concealed cavillation I restore it principall and damage for I restore it foure-folde VVhat follovved but that hee emptyed his house of the transitorie treasures of this vvoorlde and insteede thereof let in salvation vnto it This day is salvation come to this house not onely to the private soule but to the house of Zacheus thorough his meanes I scarsely thinke that these ravenous and greedy times can yeelde a man so innocent as to say vvith Samuell vvhose oxe or asse haue I taken or vvhome haue I vvronged At the least let him say vvith Zacheus I say not in the former parte of his speech halfe of my goodes I giue to the poore for that vvere heresie to bee helde and false doctrine to bee preached in this illiberall age but in the latter clause if I haue iniuried anâ—e man though I restore not foure-folde yet I restore him his owne Otherwise our houses and consciences vvill bee so full of houses fieldes vineyardes oliues silver golde vnrighteous pledges that there wil bee no roume for the peace and consolation of GOD to dwell vvith them Therefore washe your handes and heartes from this leprosie my brethren that you may bee receaved into the hoste of the Lorde and dwel with his first-borne and either forsake your violence or convert it an other way Let the kingdomes commodities of the earth alone and learne that the kingdome of heaven suffereth violence and must bee wonne by force See if you can extorte this spoyle from him that keepeth it Spare no invention of witte intention of will contention of sinewes strength of handes to get this kingdome Begge it buy it steale it assault it vse any meanes This this is the onely oppression and violence that we can allow you and in this onely thing Bee not modest and curteous towardes any man in this heavenly price Hither if you bring not tooth and naile and resisting vnto bloud and hating your liues vnto the death you are not worthy of it It suffereth violence it selfe it is so proposed conditioned and they are men of violence that by violence must attaine vnto it Therefore wrastle for this blessing though you lame your bodies and striue for this kingdome though you loose your liues THE XXXVIII LECTVRE Chap. 3. vers 9. Who can tell if God vvill turne and repent c. THE last thinge in the repentaunce of the Ninivites by the order of the wordes though in purpose and intention first and that which presently giveth place to the repentaunce of God their expected deliverance in the nexte sentence is the foundation wherevpon they grounde a knowledge and apprehension such as it is of the goodnesse of God and some likely hope to escape his vengance intended There may be some part of repentance without faith contrition anguish vexation for sinne till not onely the heart aketh but the conscience also is quite swallowed drowned in the gulfe of it As there is no question after that horrible fact of Iudas but his spirite was as full of griefe as before of trechery and covetousnes Let the world witnesse with him how deepely he rued his malice vvhen hee pledged body and soule for it and gaue over the one to the tree the other to hell fire For it there had beene a penaltie to haue taken of himselfe worse than death and damnation hee woulde not I thinke haue shunned it Caine was also as sory for his bloudy fact as ever greedy before to commit it He felt even a talent of lead vpon his soule never to be remooved and therefore vttered a blasphemy against the grace of GOD never to be pardoned My sinne is greater than can bee forgiven This is the reason that he had a marke set vpon him that no man shoulde kill Caine who with a thousand daily woundes killed himselfe and that â—ee ranne from place to place not so much in his bodie as in his minde tossed like a waue of the sea and finding no place for rest because the mercy of God shone not vnto him Beholde thou haste cast mee this daie from the face of the earth is that all And I shall bee hidde from thy face driven from thy presence banished from the light and favour of thy gracious countenance This is the dart that woundeth him to death For this received into the minde that we are hidde from the face of GOD that wee are so farre in contempte and hatred with his maiestie that hee vvill not vouchsafe to giue vs the looking on if all the clowdes in the aire rained loue and compassion we could not bee perswaded that any of the least droppes thereof should fall vpon our grounde VVherefore there must be a beleefe to conceiue and an hope to expect our reconciliation and and attonement with God and GODS with vs or it will bee an vnprofitable and vnpossible attempte to endevour a true repentance For either it will followe that wee become desperate and giue over care of our selues it is in vaine to serue GOD and vvhat profit shall we reape to humble our selves before him seeing his mercy is cleane gone from vs for ever and hee hath bent his soule to doe vs mischiefe And as it is written of Iulius the Pope that having received an overthrow by the French at Ravenna which he looked not for he set his face and mouth against the God of heaven and thus spake vnto him So hence-forth become French in the name of all the divels of hell holy Switzer pray for vs so wee betake vs to new Saintes or rather to newe divelles flying to hardnesse of heart carelesnesse of salvation contempt of God or else vve repent but after the manner of hypocrites wee make some proffer and likelyhoode of returning to God but cannot do it Such I thinke was the repentance of the Philistines the first of Samuell the fift and sixt when they had taken the arke of the Lorde and placed it first in Ashdod and there were punished with Emerodes and with death afterwardes in Gath and Eckron and there they could not endure it It is said of them not only that they were troubled and conferred of carrying home the arke againe but that they cried and their crie vvente vp to heaven and they sent it backe with a present vnto the Lorde and with sinne offerings nay their priestes and sooth-sayers saide vnto them wherefore shoulde you harden your harts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs Such the repentance of Saul 1. Sam. 15. who having received a message by the prophet that as he had cast of the word of the Lorde so the Lord had cast him of from being a king and that his kingdome was given to his neighbour better than
himselfe though at the first he denied his crime yea I haue obeyed the voice of the Lorde yet afterwardes he confessed I haue sinned in transgressing his commaundemente and he desired Samuell to take away his sinne and to returne with him that hee might worshippe the Lorde which when Samuell refused hee then altered his speech yet turne with mee I praie thee and honour me before the elders of my people and before Israell So that his principall care was not the service of GOD but honour and estimation in the sight of men Such the repentance of Ahab 1. King 21. who having heard the wordes of Elias thundering the iudgements of God against him and his house hee rent his clothes and put sacke-cloath vpon him and fasted and lay in sacke-cloath and went softlie but how temporary and feigned his repentance was may appeare in the next Chapter by his despitefull dealing with Micheas Such is the repentance of those who are not rightly perswaded of the pardon of their sinnes fitter for Philistines and reprobates than Christians and to be vsed in Ashdod or Ascalon than at Ierusalem The coniunction of faith and repentance is so close that some haue thought it to be a part of repentance I rather take it to bee the beginner and leader thereof As the body and soule though they are ioyned togither in the same man yet is not the body a parte of the soule nor the soule of the bodie but both distinct so faith hope and charitie if they bee true they are narrowly lincked one to the other yet naturally and essentially severed For finall resolution whereof you may best satisfie your selues by proofe from this place For although this sentence which I haue in hand be the last of the mandate in order and disposition of wordes yet is it first in proposall For if they had asked in Niniveh a reason of the king and his counsaile vvhy they shoulde bid them fast and weare sacke-cloath about their flesh sparing neither beast nor sucklinges vvhy they shoulde adde affliction and miserie to miserie as if it vvere not sufficient to be plagued by the handes of God at the time prefixed but they must plague themselues and their cattle fourty daies before hand having but a handfull of daies in comparison to enioie their liues and to take their pleasure in earthlye commodities or why they shoulde cry vnto the Lorde and not bee hearde and forsake their wickednesse and not bee pardoned the reason of all this is alleadged in this Epilogue vvho can tell if the Lord vvill turne and repent It cannot lightly bee worse it may bee better with vs the doinge of these dueties to God will not put vs nearer to our iudgemente it may sende vs farther of vvee are sure to bee overthrowen if we repent not wee may repente and happily escape it it is but the leaving of our meate and drinke for a time who must leaue both belly and meate too the missing of our better garmentes who must misse our skinnes and our flesh from our backes if wee vse our tongues in crying wee loose nothing by it and if we wash our handes and cleanse our consciences from iniquity we shall goe the lighter to our iudgement Who can tell it is the nature and property of God to shew pitty vnto the whole world and although Niniveh bee the sincke of the earth why not to Niniveh Some chandge the reading and insteede of quis novit who knovveth they put qui novit hee that knovveth connecting the sense vvith that which went before in this manner let everie man turne from his evill vvay and from the vvickednesse that is in their handes qui novit who knovveth so to doe and is not ignoraunte what belongeth to such a chandge or thus he that is privie in his hearte of any wickednes committed against God or 〈◊〉 an publique or private let him amende it The instruction from so translating it is good though the translation it selfe bee mistaken that knowledge must ever goe before the face of repentaunce Knowledge I meane not onely in kinde to distinguish sinne from sinne and to call them all by their proper names but by number and weight howe many howe grievous they are howe farre they extende to the annoyance of the earth provocation of heaven breach of christian charitie and strikinge at the maiestie of God himselfe Thus hee acknowledged his sinne in the gospell who spake in his hearte before hee did it and therefore was not ignoraunt what hee went aboute I vvill goe to my father and saie I haue sinned yea but not a simple sinne I haue sinned a mightye and manifolde transgression I haue sinned against heauen I haue also sinned against thee against the father of my spirite against the father of my flesh against him that gaue me his law against thee that gavest mee my nature both the tables haue I broken by my misdeedes and whatsoever dueties I had to perfourme those haue I violated by mine vnnaturall disobedience If you obserue the order of all the repentances in the booke of GOD vvhither in Moabite Edomite Egyptian or in the people of God they ever began with the knowledge of their sins that as the first argument of life which the widowes son of Naim gaue was this he began to speake so in this spirituall resuscitation from the death of the soule the first token of their recovery was the acknowledgement and confession of their misdoing The voice of Pharaoh Exod. 10. was I haue sinned against the Lord your God The voice of Balaam Num. 22. when he saw the Angell in his way I haue sinned The voice of Saul to Samuel 1. Sam. 15. I haue sinned and 1. Sam. 26. when hee saw the kindnesse of David towardes him I haue sinned The voice of David to Nathan 2. Sam. 12. I haue sinned 2. Sam. 24. to God after the numbering of the people I haue sinned Nay valde peccavi I haue exceedingly sinned in that I haue done And it is further added that his hearte smote him vvhen he had done it And when afterwardes he felt the smiting of the Lorde with plainer demonstration and with clearing the whole lande besides Ego sum qui peccavi ego sum qui iniquè egi It is I and only I which haue done wickedlie The voice of Iob in the seventh of his booke I haue sinned The voice of Daniell in behalfe of himselfe their kinges princes fathers of every man of Iudah and the inhabitantes of Ierusalem and of all Israell both neare and farre of was vvee haue sinned and committed iniquitie and done vvickedlie and rebelled and departed from thy preceptes and not obeyed thy servauntes the prophetes and nothinge saue open shame appertaineth vnto vs. We heare no ende of accusation iniquitie vpon sinne wickednes vpon iniquity rebellion vpon wickednes and still a further proceeding in the testification of their vnrighteousnesse VVhen Ezra hearde that the people of the captivitie were mingled with
surely I rather thinke that they blessed Ionas in their heartes and that the dust of his feete was welcome and precious vnto them who by his travaile and paines had taught them to flie from the anger of God that was now falling Others conceaue the reason heere implyed therefore I prevented to be this Hee saw that the conversion of the Gentiles vvas by consequence an introduction of the overthrow and castinge out of the Iewes and that it woulde bee fulfilled vpon them which is written in Deuteronomy They haue mooved mee to iealousie with that which is not God they haue provoked mee to anger with their vanities and I mooue them to iealousie with those which are no people I vvill provoke them to anger vvith a foolish nation That is if wee vvill interpret it by this present subiect Niniveh shall repente and condemne Israell the more for not hearkning to the voice of so many Prophets Ierome brieflie thus It grieveth him not that the Gentiles are saved but that Israell perisheth Our Saviour we all know would not giue the breade of children to dogges and hee vvas not sent but to the lost sheepe of the house of Israell and he vvepte over Ierusalem which hee never did over Tyre and Sidon and the prerogatiue of the Iews was either onely or principally that repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached vnto them I remit you to the 10. of the Actes to see what labour was made to drawe Peter to the Gentiles whome hee called common and vncleane thinges And in the 11. of the same booke they of the circumcision contended with him aboute it sayinge thou vventest in vnto the vncircumcised and hast eaten with them It might be his further griefe that he onely amongst so many Prophets should bee singled out to declare the ruine of his people by the vprising of straungers to beare the envy of the facte and to bee the messenger of the vnwelcomest newes that ever Israll received For he is the first that must bring Iudaisme in contempt and make it manifest to the vvorlde that his country-men at home are vnfruitfully occupied and troubled about many things sacrifices sacramentes washinges cleansinges and the like when others abroade observing that one thing that is necessarie with lesse labour and businesse came to be saved Luther comparing the times wherein Ionas and himselfe lived openeth the case by familiar explication thus The Iewes accompted themselues by a constant opinion and claime the peculiar people of God the Romish themselues the onely Catholiques they thought there could be no salvation without observing the law of Moses and the rites of the Iewish Synagogue nor these without observing the ordinances and ceremonies of the Romish Church they cried powre out thy wrath vpon the nations and vpon the people that haue not called vpon thy name these held them for hereticks not worthy the aire they drew that ioyned not themselues vnto them Nowe lastlie as it was an odious office in these latter daies to preach vnto any nation or city vnder heaven that the foolishnesse of preaching and onely Christ crucified was able to saue soules without creeping to crosses kneeling knocking kissing sprinckling censing ringing fasting gadding with such like toyes and the conversion of any parte of Christendome vvith lesse circumstaunce coulde not but bee a shame preiudice and condemnation vnto Rome in some sorte that having greater helpes and furtherances to God went further from him so the reclaiminge of Niniveh by one when Iury had many prophetes by the denouncement of one when Iury had many prophecies by a single and short commination when Iury had the whole law and testimonies by a compendious course of repentance when they fasted and tithed and sacrificed and cryed the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord and I know not what coulde not lesse be than a reproach to the people which was so backwarde and an exception to their whole forme of religion wherein they no better profited It had beene no marvaile if when Ionas returned into Israell the hand of his own father and mother had beene first against him for doing that wrong to his people as they adiudged their bodies to the fire and their souls they delivered to Satan who opened their mouth against the church of Rome Whatsoever his reasons were whither the care of his credite or whither affection to his country-men drew him away to that recusancie both which are but particular and partiall respects when God commandeth otherwise his fault is no way excusable by reason but that God of his grace is ready to giue pardon and relaxation to al kinde of sinne Therefore I prevented Thy grounde is vnstable Ionas thy argumente vnsounde thou vsest but a fallacie to deceiue thy selfe thou hadst no reason so to do the will of the Lord of hostes which is absolute righteousnes a reason beyond all reasons withstoode it Thou thoughtest to prevent the Lord thou couldest not the vvindes saw thy hast staied thee the sea held thee backe the fish made resistaÌ„ce against thee the bars of the earth shut thee vp if these had failed in their misteries the wisedome of God would haue invented other staies He could haue stopped thee in thy course as he stopped Paule in his iourney by dazeling thine eies that thou shouldest not haue fouÌ„d thy way or as he stopped Lots wife in her way by making thee a pillar of salt or some other rocke of stone a monument of contradiction to the latest age of the world He could haue dried vp thy hands tied vp thy feete in iron no but in the bands of death never to haue stirred againe Let all the wisdome of man beware of the like preventioÌ„ least it prevent it selfe thereby of all the blessings of God vse of natiue country comfort of kinsmen friendes life of bodie happines of soule as Ionas might haue done if the mercies of God had not fauoured him When we are ignorant of the wil of God let vs lay our hands vpon our mouthes vpon our hearts too till God grant wisdome that we may descry it when we are doubtfull let vs enquire deliberate aske counsaile of the lawe testimony of God but when it is clearley revealed by open and expresse commâ—undement let vs not then pawse vpon the matter much lesse resist least of al prevent vnlesse by making a proofe experiment of our own wit as Ionas did we wil hazard that losse which the gain of the whole world shall never be able to recompence For I knew that thou art a gracious God and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repentest thee of the evill· Ionas proceedeth to that which was the ground inducement to his rebellion For the order of the scripture is this God is a mercifull God for many respectes one part of office of that mercy is to repeÌ„t him of the evill that is to change his
that thy sins are as the sins of Manasses more than the sands of the sea in number and their burthen such that they are gone over thine head like mighty waters answer him that the goodnes of the Lord is as much that there is no comprehension of his loving kindes If lastly he obiect that iudgmeÌ„t hath begun at thine house to put thee out of doubt that thou art not in the favour of God he hath smitteÌ„ thy body with sore diseases thy soule with agonies thy family with orbities privations tell him for full conclusion that he can also repent him of the evil and cease to punish and leaue as many blessings behinde him when his pleasure is It was never the meaning of God that these vvordes should be spokeÌ„ in the winds blowne away like empty bladders They were spoken written no doubt for the vse of sinners This is the name which God hath proclaimed to the world and whereby he would be knowne to meÌ„ that if ever we came before him we might speake our mindes in the confidence trust of that amiable name Thus Moses vnderstoode it For assone as the Lord had ended his speach Moses applied it to the present purpose for he bowed to the earth and worshipped God and said O Lorde I beseech thee pardon our iniquities and sinnes and take vs for thine inheritance Likewise in the 14. of Num. And now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying The Lord is slow to anger c. referring himselfe to the speach and proclamation which God had vsed vpoÌ„ the mount We are the childreÌ„ of our father which is in heaveÌ„ If therefore it be an honor vnto vs to be reputed his sons let vs follow our fathers steps beare some part of his heavenly image Let vs not seeke to be like vnto him in the arme of his streÌ„gth nor in the braine of his wisedome nor in the finger of his miracles but in his bowels of piâ—â—y tender compassion Let Lions and Beares and Tigers in the forrest be 〈◊〉 towardes their companions let them biâ—e be bitten devour be devouted againe let dogges grinne let Vnicornes push with their hornes let Scythians and Cannibals because they knowe not GOD not knovve vvhat belongeth to humanity and gentlenesse but let Christians loue their brethren even as God hath loved them and remitte one the other their offences as Christ hath freely forgiven the sinnes of his church Let those reprobate-minded Rom. 1. carry to their graves with them and to the bottome of hell where all hatred must end that marke which the holy Ghost hath scored vpon their browes that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without naturall affection not fit for societie voide of pitty but let the example of the most holy Trinity the God of peace the prince of peace the spirit of peace that one God of all consolation rich in mercies bee ever before our eies that as wee have received freely so we may freely returne grace mercy long-suffering abundance of kindnes revocation of our wronges and iniuries begun to all our brethren in the flesh but especially to Christes chosen and peculiar members THE XLIII LECTVRE Chap. 4. vers 3. Therefore now O Lord take I beseech thee my life c. THat Ionas praied how he praied in what sort expostulating with God iustifying his offence and abusing his knowledge of the mercy of God to vtter the malice and cruelty of his owne heart wee have already seene considered the reasons which are supposed to have moved him to that vndutifull vncharitable course Either the care of his own credite which he should not have stood vpon to the derogatioÌ„ of the honor of God when the angels of heaven sing glory vnto him or affection to his country which perswasion was as weake to have drawne him to obedience seeing that the Israell of God might have bin in Niniveh aswell as in Iury because there are Iewes inwardly and in the spirit as truly as outwardly and in the letter and those that heare the word of Christ are more kindly his brethren and sisters than those that are affined vnto him in the flesh Vpon these premisses be they stronge or weake is inferred the conclusion including his request to God Therefore now O Lord c. A maÌ„ so contraried crossed in mine expectation how can I ever satisfie my discontented mind but by ending my life and he addeth a reason or confirmation drawne from vtility and amplified by comparison It is not only good for me to die but better to die than to live The force of anger we have in part declared before It rageth not only against men made of the same mold but against God Let the bloud of Iulian throwne vp into the aire and togither with his bloud blasphemy against the son of God witnes it Nor only against those that haue sense and vnderstanding but against vnreasonable vnsensible creatures As Xerxes wrote a defying letter to Athos a mouÌ„taine of Thrace Mischievous Athos lifted vp to heaven make thy quarries and veines of stone passable to my travaile or I will cut thee downe and cast thee into the midst of the sea Nor only against those things which are without vs but against our selves As in this place the anger of Ionas beginneth to take fire against the Ninivites Proceedeth as far as it dareth against God and endeth in it selfe In one worde that which Ionas requesteth though spoken by circumlocution and more wordes than one is that he may die Take away my soule from me For what is life but as the philosopher defineth it the composition and colligation of the soule to the body In the 2. of Gen. the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground there is his matter and breathed in his face the breath of life and the man was a living soule there is his forme and perfection And what is death on the other side but the dissociation and severing of these two partes or the taking of the soule from the body according to the forme of words in this place God telleth the rich man in the gospell who was talking of lardger buildinges when the building within him vvas neare pulling downe and thought he had goods enough for his soule to delight in when he had not soule enough to delight in his goods Thou foole this night 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe they require and redemaunde thy soule that is this night thou must die Elias in the first of Kinges and nineteenth vseth the same phrase in the wildarnesse It sufficeth Lorde take away my soule from me Let me not longer live to see the misery that Iezabell hath threatned vnto me As when you take away structure and fashion from an house temple or tabernacle there remaineth none of all these but a confused and disordered heape of stones timber iron morter
the Lawe had beene given Moses in the name of GOD protesteth vnto them by heaven and earth that hee had set before them life and death and wisheth them to choose life that they might liue they and their seede Death is called an enimy in open tearmes 1. Cor. 15 The last enimie that shall bee subdued is death But who loveth an enimy simply and for his owne sake And amongst orher blessings betrothed to the elect of God one is that Death shal be no more Revelation 21. And to reason with Augustine Si nulla esset mortis amaritudo non esset magna matyrum fortitudo If there vvere no bitternesse and discontentment in death the constancy of martyrs were not great Therefore when Elias heard the worde of Iezabell The Gods doe so and much more vnto mee if to morrowe by this time I make not thy life as the life of one of those vvhome thou hast slaine it is saide that he arose and went for his life to Beer-sheba Howe did David pleade for his life Psalm 30. What profit is there in my bloude when I goe downe into the pit shall the dust giue thankes vnto thee or shall it declare thy truth as if hee vvoulde mooue the Lorde for his owne good and glorye sake not to cut him of but aftervvardes vvith respecte to himselfe Staye thine anger a vvhile that I may recover my strength before I goe hence and am no more seene And being assured elswhere of that request graunted him hee sange ioyfullye to his soule vvithin Returne vnto thy rest O my soule the LORDE hath beene mercifull or beneficiall vnto thee Because thou hast delivered my soule from death mine eies from teares and my feete from falling and I shall walke before the Lord in the land of the living I speake not of the moane that Ezechias made howe hee turned his face to the vvaâ— after the Prophet gaue him vvarninge of his death and prayed vnto the Lorde and wept sore and like a crane or a svvallovv so did hee chatter and mourne like a doue and lifting his eyes vp on high said O Lorde it hath oppressed mee comfort mee and after his life was freed from the pit of corruption as it were leapt for ioy the living the living hee shall confesse thee as I doe this day when the beloved and blessed sonne of God hee that had power to lay downe his life and to take it vp againe against that time began to bee verye sad and grievously vexed and in the presence of Peter and the two sonnes of Zebedee let not to disclose his passion My soule is vvonderfullye heavy vnto death And but that the will of his father was in the midst of his bowelles and his obedience stronger than death hee vvould haue begged three times more that the cup might haue passed from his lippes Likewise Ioh. 12. vvhen Andrew and Philip tolde him of certaine Greekes that were desirous to see him hee seeing an image of his death before his eies witnessed vnto them saying Now is my soule troubled And what shall I say father saue mee from this howre and but that an other respect called him backe therefore I came and father glorifie thy name hee would still haue continued in that praier· Quis enim vult mori prorsus nemo ita memo c. For who is willing simply to die surely no man And so vndoubtedly no man that it vvas said to blessed Peter An other shall guide thee and leade thee to the place whither thou wouldest not goe Peter would not vnlesse he were carried But what then was the reason that the Apostle desired to bee dissolved and to be with Christ which hee said was best of all Philip 1. that the Saintes which were racked Heb. 11. cared not to be delivered that they might obtaine a beetter resurrection that Peter and Andrew welcommed their crosses as they were wont their dearest friendes embraced theÌ„ in their armes saluted them with kisses of peace that Ignatius called for fire sworde and the teeth of wilde beasts and other martyrs of Christ went to their deathes with cheerefullnes reioycing and singing and not lesse than ran to the stake as if they had run for a garland Wee may easily answere partly from the former authorities that they might bee with christ and that they might obtaine a better resurrection But the Apostle in excellent tearms decideth the question in the 2. to the Corinthians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VVee will not be vnclothed and stripte of our liues we take no pleasure or ioy therein but wee woulde bee clothed vppon wee haue no other meanes to get that better clothing than by putting of this or that vpon this that mortality may bee svvâ—llowed vp of life and corruption of incorruption So that their thoughts subsist not in death but haue a further reach because they know it to bee the high way which must bring them to felicitie And it is no small perswasion vnto them when they thinke that by the ending of their liues they make an end of sinning For whilest they are in the flesh they see a law in their members striving against the lawe of their minde and subiecting them to the lawe of sinne Therefore they cry as hee did VVretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death In which postulations not witstandinge they evermore submit themselues to the straigtest and equallest rule of the will of God desiring no otherwise to haue their wishes acomplished than with that safe and wary condition Si dominus volet If the Lorde bee pleased with them And as they regarde their owne good therein so because the bloud of Martyrs is the seede of the Church and that which is fire to their flesh bones is water to the gospell to make it florish a good â—onfession witnessed before the vvicked tyrants of the world doth good service to the truth in this respect also they are not sparing of themselues that Christ may be magnified in their bodies whither it bee by their life or death Now Ionas hath more of all these fore-named endes to alleage for himselfe why hee desireth to die neither the glory of God nor the good of his brethren nor profit of his owne soule but in a peevish and froward moode because his minde is not satisfied and to avoide some little shame or to rid himselfe from the grievances of life which are not reasons sufficient hee will needes die and followe the streame of his foolish appetite with some such like affection as Dido at her departure expresseth Sic sic iuvat ire sub vmbras Thus I am disposed to dye not otherwise But to leaue generalities let vs looke a while into the partes of his wishe 1. It is his greate fault as Ioab offered his trechery to Abner vnder the pretence of a friendly and peaceable parle and Iudas his treason
than life Deus mitte mihi mortem accelera dies meos O LORDE send death vnto mee shorten my daies And sometimes sicknesse commeth indeede but then there is coursinge to and fro Phisitians are brought mony and giftes are promised and death it selfe perhappes speaketh vnto them Ecce adsum beholde here am I Thou calledst for mee thou desiredest the LORDE not longe since to sende mee VVherefore doest thou flye mee now I haue founde thee a deceaver and a lover of this vvretched life notvvithstandinge thy shew to the contrary It is the vse of vs all with the like forme of petitioÌ„ rather oâ— banning and imprecation to wish for death yea strange and accursed kindes of death wherein God sheweth a iudgement Let mee sinke as I stande let the earth open vnto mee let mee never speake worde more And every crosse and vexation of life make it irkesome and vnsavoury vnto vs vvoulde God I vvere dead If God shoulde then answere vs Ex â—re tuo out of your owne mouthes I graunte your requestes Be it vnto you according to your wordes howe miserable and desperate were our case But as olde Chremes in the Comedy tolde Clitipho his sonne a younge man and without discretion vvho because hee coulde not wringe from his father tenne poundes to bestowe vpon Bacchis his lover had none other speach in his mouth but Emâ—ricupio I desire to die First knovve I praie thee vvhat it is to liue vvhen thou haste learned that then if thy life displease thee vse these vvordes so first knowe my brethren you that are so hastye to pronounce the sentence of death against your selues vvhat belongeth to the life of a Christian vvhy it vvas given you by the LORDE of life to vvhat endes hee hath made you living soules what duties and offices hee requireth at your handes these thinges rightlye weighed if you thinke good call for death for by that time I thinke you vvill learne more vvisedome than to doe it It is good for you to see to the vvhole course and transaction of your liues they shoulde bee prelusions and preparations for a better life to come Beginne not then to liue vvhen you must giue over vvhich is the follie of most men or rather take heede that you giue not over life before you haue begunne it As one haire shall not fall from your heades vvithout GODS providence so nor the least haire and minute of time from your yeares vvithout his account taken But especially remember your end looke to the fallinge of the tree consider hovv the sunne goeth dovvne vppon you Novve if ever before cast your accountes you builde for heaven now if ever before bring forth your armies you fight for a kingdome Lay not more burthen of sinne vppon your soules at their going forth Let the last of your vvay be rest and the closing vppe of the day a sweete and quiet sleepe vnto you My meaninge is vvish not for death before you bee very ready for it Nay rather desire GOD to spare you a time that you may recover I say not your strength and bodilye abilitie but his favour and grace before hee plucke you away and you bee no more seene It is not comforte enough vnto you to saie Vixi quem dederat cursum natura peregi I haue lived indeede and finished some time vpon the earth vnlesse you can also adde your consciences bearing you vvitnesse and ministring ioy to the end of your daies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the seconde to Timothy and 4. chapter I haue finished my race I haue not onelye broughte it to an end but to a perfection though I haue died soone yet I haue fulfilled much time my life hath beene profitable to my countrye and to the Church of God and nowe I depart in his peace THE XLIIII LECTVRE Chap. 4. ver 4. Then saide the Lord Doest thou well to be angry The first of those 3. parts wherinto this chapter was devided touching the impatience discontentment of Ionas we haue in part discovered out of the former verses reserving a remnant thereof to be handled afterwardes The reprehension of God which was the 2. beginneth at these wordes and is repeated againe in the 9. verse vpon the like occasioÌ„ given by Ionas The mercy of God towardes his prophet manifesteth it selfe in this fatherly obiurgation many waies 1. That the Potter vouchsafeth huÌ„bleth himselfe to dispute with his Clay 2. that he is ready to giue a reason of all his actions as a righteous Lord who doth not enforce any thing by his absolute and meere authority but dealeth reasonably and iustly much more that the Lord speaketh vnto him who spake fretted against the Lorde giveth an accouÌ„t vnto him why he spared Niniveh of whoÌ„ no maÌ„ wisely durst to haue demaÌ„ded what dost thou that hee that dwelleth in light vnapproachable his counsailes are so high in the cloudes as who caÌ„ finde theÌ„ out placeth theÌ„ notwithstanding in the eies of the world to be examined sifted by the reason of man But most of all that he ministreth a word in season vnto Ionas wheÌ„ the streame of his anger was so violent that it bare him into an hearty desire longing after death then that the Lord intercepteth him aunswereth in his course as Elihu answered Iob Beholde I haue waited vpon thy wordes and harkened vnto thy speach whilst thou soughtest out reasons I will now speake in my turne shew thee mine opinion Doest thou well to be angry It is the singular wisedome of God without which pollicy it were hard for any flesh living to be saved that when we are running on in our sinnes wearying our selues in the waies of wickednes amongst other his retentiues stops he hath the hooke of reprehension to thrust into our noses pull vs backe againe Our iniquities would wander with out measure become rottennes in our bones our wounds woulde dwell for ever in our bowels and fester to the day of iudgement with out this medicine So wisedome began her lore Pro. 1. O yee foolish how long will ye loue foolishnes the scorner take pleasure in scorning the fooles hate knowledge She giveth vs our right names according to our corrupt natures for wisdome is able to iudge of fooles knoweth that without her instructioÌ„ we are wedded to our follies therefore she addeth turne ye at my correction loe I will powre out my minde vnto you make you vnderstand my words ClemeÌ„s Alexandrinus compareth our Saviour to an expert Musitian such as Terpander or Capito never were for hee singeth new songs hath sundry kindes of moodes and varieties to worke the salvation of man Sometimes he hath spoken by a burning bush vnto him sometimes by a cloude of water sometimes by a piller of fire that is he hath beene light to those that were obedient fire to those that rebelled and because flesh is more
place of the other Our Saviour vvho was evermore prophecied to bee the light of the Gentiles is by none other name figured Malach. 4 than of the sunne rising Vnto you that feare my name shall the sunne of righteousnesse arise and in the song of Zachary Luke 1. he is called the day spring from an high Many religious actions wee rather doe towardes the East than any other pointe of heaven We bury our dead commonly as the Athenians did their faces laide and as it vvere lookinge Eastwarde And for the most part especially in our temples wee pray Eastward So did the idolatours Ezech. 8. turning their backes to the temple of the Lorde and their faces to the East Will you haue the reason heereof Why was Aaron willed Levitic 16. to take the bloud of the bullocke and to sprinckle it with his finger vpon the mercie-seate Eastwarde It was the pleasure of God so to haue it And vnlesse nature direct vs to these observations whereof I haue spoken I know not how we are moved The rising of our sunne whose resurrection wee now celebrate the true and onely begotten sonne of God was in the Morninge Mathew saith in the dawning of the day Marke very early when the sun was risen not that hee had yet appeared in their hemisphere but his light hee sent before him Iohn saith when there was yet darknesse that is the body of the sunne was not yet come foorth And Thomas Aquinas thinketh it probable enough that our resurrection shal bee very early in the morning the sunne being in the East and the moone in the West because saith hee in these opposite pointes they were first created You may happily mervaile what the event of my speech will be I haue seldome times carried you away from the simplicity of the prophecy which I entreate of by allegories and enforced collections Yet I am not ignorant that many mens interpretations in that kinde are of many men gladly and plausibly receaved I hope it shall bee no greate offence in mee to fit and honour this feast of the resurrection of the Lorde of life with one allegory We are now walking into the West as the sunne in his course doth Beholde we are entring into the way of the whole worlde And as the sun goeth downe is taken from our sight by the interpositiō of the earth so into the body of the earth shall wee likewise descend and be taken from the company of the living Christ our Saviour who was both the living and life it selfe and had the keies of hell of death whose manner of protestation is Vivo in saecula I liue for ever and ever yet touching his humane nature when hee soiourned vpon the face of the earth had his setting and going downe In this sense we might aske the Spouse in the Canticles O thou fairest amongest vvomen what is thy wellbeloved more than other men And though shee aunswere my vvelbeloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand yet in this condition of mortall and naturall descent he is equall vnto his brethren This Passe-over we must all keepe and therefore let vs trusse vp our loynes and take our staues in our hands that wee may vvalke forwardes towardes the West in steede of other precious ointments let vs anointe our bodies to their buriall and for costly garmentes let vs lay foorth shrowdes for our flesh and napkins to binde about our heades that is let vs remember our ende and the evening of our liues wee shall offende the lesse The death of the Son of God if ever any mans vvas ratified and assured as farre forth as either the iustice of his Father or the malice of men might devise If his body had beene quickend with seven soules and they had all ministred life vnto it in their courses yet such vvas the anger of GOD against sinne and the cruelty of man against that iust one that they would all haue failed him And his buriall and descension into the lower partes of the ground was as certainly confirmed For you knovve vvhat caution the providence of GOD tooke therein to prevent all suspicion of the contrary For his body being taken downe from the crosse vvas not only embalmed and vvrapt in a linen cloath but laide in a nevve sepulcher vvhere never corpse had lien before least they might haue saide that the body of some other man was risen and in a sepulcher of stone because the dust and softer matter of the earth might easily haue been digged into and in a sepulcher of rocke or one entire stone least if there had beene seames and fissures therein they might that way haue vsed some cavil against his resurrection Besides a stone at the mouth of that stone and a seale and a watch and as sufficient provision besides as the vvisedome of vvordlye and ill-minded men coulde thinke vpon Notwithstanding as the brute of his death was vniversallie spread and beleeved for the very aire range with this sounde Magnus Pan mortuus est The greate and principall shephearde is deade and the sunne in the skye set or did more at his setting and the graues opened and sent foorth their deade to receiue him so the newes of his resurrection vvas as plentifullye and clearely vvitnessed by Angelles men women disciples adversaries and by such sensible conversation vpon earth as that not onely their eies but their fingers and nayles were satisfied Beholde then once againe the sunne of righteousnesse is risen vnto vs and the daie-springe from an high or rather from belowe hath visited vs for then vvhen Zachary prophecied hee vvas to descende from the highest heavens but novve hee ascended from the hearte of the earth Once againe vvee haue seene our brighte morninge starre vvhich was obscured and darkened by death shining in the east with so glorious a countenaunce of maiesty and power as shall neuer more bee defaced Even so the daies shall come when after our vanishing and disparition for a time vnder the globe of the earth wee shall arise againe and the LORDE shall bringe vs out of darkenesse into the lighte of his countenance Our nighte wherein vvee sleepe a while shal bee chandged into a morninge and after obscuritie in the pitte of forgetfulnesse we shall appeare and shine as the starres of GOD in their happiest season VVee shal goe out of Niniveh as Ionas did a Gentile and straunge citty a place vvhere wee are not knowne a lande where all thinges are forgotten for vvhither wee bee in the flesh vvee are strangers from GOD or whither in our graues we are not with our best acquaintaunce both these are a Niniveh to right Israelites and vvee shall fit in the East that is wee shall meete our Saviour in the clouds and bee received vp with him into glory and dwell in everlasting daie vvhere wee shall never knowe the West more because all parts are beautifull alike nor feare the decay of our bodies
worke vnder heaven proceede without it But I leaue those repetitions The sun the wind we see rise togither set thēselues against Ionas as the two smoaking fire-brāds Rezin Pekah against Ierusalē cōbining binding thēselues not to giue over til they haue both done their part in the vexing of the prophet The wind here mentioned is described by 2. attributes the one of the quarter or coast from whence it blew an East-wind the other of the quality which it had a fervēt East-wind The cardinall principal windes as appeareth both in many places of the scripture and in forreine authours are but 4. breathing from the 4. quarters or divisions of heaven as in the 37. of Ezechi come from the 4. vvindes O breath And Math. 24. God shall gather his elect from the foure windes Afterwardes they added 4. more which they cal collateral or side-windes subordinate to the principal thence proceeded to the nūber of 12. In these daies we distinguish 32. Betweene every two cardinal winds seven inferiour We may read Act. 27. that Paul was very skilful of the sea-card vsed in those daies for describing his voiadge to Rome he maketh mention not only of East West South but of South-west by West of North-west by West as the Westerne winde blew either nearer or further of But not to trouble you with these things the winde that is here spokē of some take to be Eurus or Vulturnus which is the Southeast by East followeth the sun in his winter rising others to be the principal high East-winde following the sun when he riseth in the Equinoctial Now the nature of an East-wind in any point therof is to be hote dry for the most part a clearer of the aire but this of al the rest being so serviceable to the sun going forth so righte with it walking in the same path which the sunne walketh in must needs be an hoter wind thā if it had crossed or sided the sun any way 2. Touching the quality or the effect which it wrought it is called a fervent East-wind some turne it vehement not for the sound and noyse that it maketh but for the excessiue heat For no doubt it is distinguished frō Caecias North-east by East which is a more soūding blustering wind not so fit for the purpose of God in this place Of that ye haue mention Exod. 14. where it is said that the Lorde made the sea run backe with a strong East◠winde all the night made it dry land Some translate it silent quiet to put a differēce betwixt this the former East-wind albeit others giue the reason because it maketh mē silent deafe with the soūd that it hath others because it maketh the rest of the winds silent quiet when it selfe bloweth Howsoever they vary otherwise they al agree in the heate for it is a gētle soft wind which whē the aire is enflamed by the sun is so far frō correcting the extremitie therof that it rather helpeth it forwarde becōmeth as a waggon to carry the beames of the sun forth-right It is manifest by many places of scripture that it is an easterne wind which burneth with his heate not only the fruites but the people of the earth The 7. thin eares of corne Gen. 41. were burnt with an East-winde so are the fruites withered Ezek. 19. so is the fountaine dried vp Ose 13. The vulgar edition doth evermore translate it vrentē ventum by the name of a burning winde and whersoever it is mentioned in the booke of God the property of it is to exiccate and dry vp Columella writeth that at some time of the yeare especially in the dog-daies mē are so parched with the East winde that vnles they shade thēselues vnder vines it burneth them like the reaking of flames of fire I haue now shewed you both the nature and the quarter of this winde that albeit it were a winde yet you may know it was not prepared to refrigerate but to afflicte the head of Ionas When the sunne and the winde are vp what do they the sunne not vvithout the helpe of the vvinde vvhich vvas in manner of a sling or other instrumente to cast the beames of the sun more violently vpon them although created for another end to governe the daie and to separate it from the night and to giue light in the earth yet here receiveth a new commaundement and is sent to beate all other inferiour partes omitted even the head of Ionas wherein is the government of the vvhole creature the seate of the minde the top of Gods workmanshippe from vvhence the senses and nerves take their beginning In this assault of the principall part the danger was no lesse to the body of Ionas than if an enimy had besiedged the Capitoll of Rome or the Mount Sion and Anthonies towre in Ierusalem But we shall the better conceaue the vexation of Ionas if we ioyne the effectes which these two enimies draue him vnto 1. It is saide hee fainted I marvell not for the force of heate is vntolerable vvhen the pleasure of God is to vse that rod. So hee telleth them Amos 4. Percussi vos vredine I haue smitten you with blasting or burning and you returned not On the other side it is numbered amongst the blessings of God which Christ shall bring vnto his people Esay 49. they shall not bee hungrie neither shall they thirst neither shall the heate smite them nor the sunne which is spoken I graunt by translation but that from whence it is transferred in the naturall sense must needes be very commodious because it is applyed to the highest mercies So likewise in the 3. of Act. the state of everlasting life is called the times of refreshing or respiration 2. Hee wishte in his hearte to die my text saith not so in tearmes though in effect but he desired his soule or he made petition and suite to his soule to die that is to relinquish and giue over his bodie or hee desired death to his soule as a man forlorne and forsaken having no friend to make his moane vnto he vttereth his griefe to his private spirit speaking therevnto that if it vvere possible some remedy might be had 3. Though the eare of ielousie which heareth all thinges heard the wishes and desires of his hearte yet hee is not contente with secret rebellion vnlesse his tongue also proclaime it for he saith it is better for mee to die than to liue I shewed the madnes of Ionas before in this very wish It was not better for Ionas to die than to liue nor for any other in his case a milstone about their necks to haue drowned them in the bottome of the sea had beene lesse vnhappinesse When they die let them pray to the Lord of life to close vp their eies and
consepta the lamentable pinfoldes of the deathes of men O pray that the flight departure of this spirit which must depart be not vpon the sabbath day in the rest and tranquility of your sinnes nor in the winter and frost of your hard hearts nor in the midnight of your security when you least looke for it VVoe worth the man whome the Lorde when hee commeth shall finde sleeping I say the vntimely fruite is better than that man it had bin good for that man if he had never bin borne the theeues shall break through his house the daungerous theeues of the soule SataÌ„ his Angels spirituall wickednesse shal rob not his coffers but his conscience of a treasure which he had but lost with carelesnes The bride-grome shal come by with a noise but behold his light is out his oile speÌ„t that is both his matter oportunity of wel-doing is gone he cannot supply either by borrowing or by by buying though he woulde giue his heart bloud for it What shall become of him but that he shall knocke at the gates of heaven while those gates are standing cry vpon the Lord while he hath his being to no purpose The instruction serveth vs all For the prophet was willed to crye that those which were farthest of from hearing the sound and beleeving the report of the voice might be made partakers of it All flesh is grasse and all the goodlines thereof as the flower of the field And to shevve how strange it seemed vnto him that any should bee ignorant of their mortall condition and strangers in Ierusalem as the disciple spake to Christ Luke 24. or rather in the world not knowing the things vvhich ordinarily come to passe from the first creation till time shall bee no more he continueth his crie Know yee nothing haue yee not heard it hath it not beene tolde you from the beginning Haue yee not learned it from the foundations of the earth That it is hee that sitteth vpon the circle of the earth and the inhabitantes in comparison of him are but grashoppers That hee maketh the Princes of the earth as nothinge and the iudges as vanitie as though they were never planted never sowen and their stocke had taken no roote vpon the earth For he doth but blow vpon them and they wither and the whirle-winde taketh them away like strawe Statutum est omnibus semel mori It is apointed vnto all men once to die nay twise to die Moriendo morter is God threatned Adam that he shoulde die the the death so the Apostle here saieth first death and aftervvardes iudgement If we looke into it But the statute touching the former branch shall never be repealed till destruction be throwne into the lake of fire and it be fulfilled which the Apostle hath revealed vnto him Mors non erit vltra death shall be no more Let vs take heed therefore least whilest we are carefull to doe al other things in time to set our trees â—ow our fieldes gather our fruites wee loose or lay vp in the napkin of security and bury in the earth of forgetfulnesse the most precious talent of time committed vnto vs in the ordering and framing of our liues to salvation as if nothing were viler vnto vs than our selues Let vs beware to offer the dregs of our life to him that inspired it least we drinke the dregs of his anger If wee wish with Balaam that our latter endes may be like the endes of the righteous let vs not be negligent to fashion our beginnings middles like theirs Let vs know that life is short and the art of salvation requireth a long time of learning and the way into heaven is long and cannot be troden in a short time Astronomers say that the space betweene heaven earth if one should climbe vnto it by ladders is nine hundreth thousand miles but the distance whereof I speake betweene corruption and incorruption mortality and immortality wretchednes and glory can by no measure be comprehended Let the prowde by name remember that they must turne to the earth which now they set their feete vpon Rather those tender and dainty vvomen that never adventure to set the soule of their foote vpon the grounde but as if the face of the earth vvere not provided for the daughters of men they must be alwaies carried like the fowles of the aire betweene heaven and earth Let them remember that the earth shall set her foote vpon their heades and their lippes shall kisse the dust of the grounde and the very gravell and slime of the grave shall dwell betweene their hawty eye-liddes Why doe they kill the prophets â—nd builde vp tombes kill their soules and garnish their bodies Doe they fore-thinke vvhat shall become of them wheÌ„ after al their labour cost bestowed in whiting painting the outward wals there remaineth nothing but putiduÌ„ putriduÌ„ cadaver â— stinking and rotten carkas when though now they say to their sisters in the flesh Touch me not I am of purer mould thaÌ„ thou art yet the bones of Agamemnon and Thersites shal be mingled togither of Vashti the most beautifull Queene and the blackest Egyptian bond-woman shall not be found asunder I haue not leasure to say much vnto our prowde dust and ashes But if purple and fine linnen vvere an opprobrious note for lacke of an inwarde cloathing to the rich man in the gospell if that parable were to be written in these daies purple fine linnen were nothing And what the burtheÌ„s cariages of pride in the age of Clemens Alexandrinus were I know not but if it were a wonder to him that they killed not themselues vnder those burthens I am sure if the measure were then full it is now heaped vpon the highest and shaken togither and pressed downe againe We are mad to forget nature Adam hath wisdome to call all the beasts of the fielde by their proper names but he forgetteth his owne name that he was called Adam that there is an affinity betweene the earth and him For hee shall returne to the earth his earth He was not made of that substance vvhereof the Angelles and starres no not of that matter vvhereof the aire and the vvater inferiour creatures The earth was the wombe that bredde him and the earth the wombe that must receiue him againe For let him play the Alchymist while he will and striue to turne earth into silver and golde and pearles by making shew to the world vnder his glorious adornations that he is of some better substance yet the time is not farre of that the earth shall challendge him for her naturall childe and say he is my bowelles Neither can his rich apparrell so disguise him in his life time nor fear-clothes spices and balmes so preserue him after his death nor immuring stone or lead hide him so close but that his originall mother will both know him againe and
favour and partiality to the religion established no place lefte to dissemble with God or man Tanti meriti tanti pectoris tāti oris tantae virtutis episcopu as Augustine spake of Cypriā so worthy so wise so well spoken so vertuous so learned a Byshope gaue such counsaile vnto them 3. To all the members of the Church of England vnity of soule and heart to embrace the doctrine authorized And lastly to himselfe peace and rest in the assured mercies of God This peace he hath plentifull fruition of vvith the God of peace For though he seemeth in the eies of the foolish to be dead yet is he in peace And like a true Hebrew he hath eaten his last passeover amongst vs and it is past from death to life where with vnspeakable ioy of heart he recompteth betweene himselfe and his soule Sicut audivimus sic et vidimus As I haue heard so now haue I seeene and felt in the citty of our God and with the blessed Angells of heaven and all the congregation of first borne singeth the songue of Moses a songue of victory and thanksgiving rendring all blessing honour glory power to him that sitteth vpon the throne and the Lambe that was killed and that vndefiled Spirit which proceedeth from them both by whome hee was sealed vp at his death to his everlasting redemption A SERMON PREACHED IN YORKE THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF NOVEMBER IN THE YEARE OF our Lorde 1595. being the Queenes day Printed at Oxford by Ioseph Barnes 1599. 2. King 23 25. Like vnto him was there no king before him that turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soule c. THE remembrance of Iosias is like the perfume that is made by the arte of the Apothecarie it is svveete as hony in all mouthes and as musicke at a banquet of vvine he behaued himselfe vprightly in the reformation of the people and tooke away all abominations of iniquitie hee directed his hearte vnto the Lorde and in the time of the vngodlie hee established religion vvhich to haue done in a better season the zeale of the people and favour of the time advauntaging him had beene lesse praise The lande vvas sowen with none other seede saue idolatrie and iniquitie vvhen he came vnto it For by that vvhich is written of him we may know what he reformed All idolatrous both Priestes and monuments whether Chemarims or blacke friars Priestes of Baal of the sun moone or planets though founded and authorized by both ancient and late kings before him namely in these recordes by Salomon Ahaz Manasses Ieroboam togither with their high places or valleyes their groues altars vesselles vvheresoever hee found them either in Ierusalem or Iudah in Samaria or Bethel in the temple or in the courtes of the temple vpon the gates or in the kings chambers not sparing the bones of the Priestes either living or deade but raking them out of their graues besides the impure Sodomites and their houses sooth-sayers and men of familiar spirites he destroyed defiled cut downe burnt to ashes bet to powder threwe into the brooke and left no signe of them Hee followed both a good rule and a good example His rule is here specified according to all the law of Moses his example in the chapter before hee did vprightly in the sight of the Lord an◠walked in all the waies of David his father and bowed neither to the right hande nor to the lefte Hee was prophecied of three hundred yeares vpward before his birth a rare singular honour that both his name should be memorable after his death as heere we finde it and written in the booke of GOD before ever his partes were fashioned His actes are exactelye set downe in this and the former Chapters and in the second of Chronicles and foure and thirteeth vpon the recital wherof is this speach brought in by waie of an Epiphoneme or acclamation advancing Iosias aboue all other kings and setting his head amongst the stars of God The testimonie is very ample which is here given vnto him that for the space almost of fiue hundred yeares from the first erection of the kingdome to the captivity of Babylon vnder the government of 40. kings of Iudah and Israell there was not one found who either gaue or tooke the like example of perfection In the catalogue of which kings though there were some not many vertuous and religious David Salomon Asa Iehosaphat Iehu Ioash Amasia Iothan Hezekias yet they haue all their staines their names are not mentioned without some touch The wisdome honor riches happines of Salomon every way were so great that the Queene of Saba worthily pronounced of him Blessed be the Lord thy God which loved thee c. Will you know his blemish but Salomon loved many out-landish women and they broughte him to the loue of many out-landish Gods so he is noted both for his corporall spiritual whordomes Asa the son of Abiam did right in the eies of the Lord as did David his father 1. King 15. his heart was vpright with the Lord all his daies he put downe Maachah his mother for idolatrie The bitter hearbe that marreth al this is but he put not downe the high places Iehosaphat did well hee walked in all the waies of Asa his father declined not ther-from but did that which was right in the eies of the Lord 1. Kin. 22. neverthelesse the high places were not taken away Iehu did well God gaue him this testimony 2. King 10. because thou haste diligently executed that which was right in mine eies therefore shall thy sonnes vnto the fourth generation sit on the seate of Israell but Iehu regarded not to vvalke in the vvaies of the Lorde God of Israell vvith all his heart Amafiah did well he did vprightlie in the sight of the Lord 2. King 14. yet not like David his father David himselfe so much renowned as the principall patterne of that royall line to be imitated by them yet hath a scarre vpon his memory hee did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and turned from nothinge that hee commaunded him all the daies of his life 1. King 15. thus farre good saue onelie in the matter of Vriah the Hittire Onelie Iosias is without spotte or vvrinckle like vnto him was there no king And as in the number of bad kinges Rehoboam did ill Ieroboam worse for hee sinned and made Israell to sinne but Omri vvorse than all that went before him 1. King 16. yet Ahab worse than all before him in the same place so in the number of the good though Salomon did wel Iehosaphat perhaps better David best of al yet Iosias is beyonde the vvhole companie vvhich either went before or came after him Like vnto him was there no king It had beene a great praise to Iosias to haue had none better than himselfe to haue matched the vertues and godlines of his progenitours