in royall apparel through the streets of the City and proclaimed before him Thus e Hest 6. 11 shall it be done to the man whom the King will honour so must they much more honour the King whom God doth honour This honour consists not onely in reuerence in regard whereof it was not lawfull so much as to laugh in the Court of the Areopagites and euen the Romaine Censors disgraded a Burgesse for yawning too wide in their presence not onely in allegiance which is as well pledged vnto him by the obligation of an oath as it is due vnto him by bonds of Nature not onely in feare in token of all which three God hath giuen Princes three speciall ensignes of honour f Ps 21. 3. a Crowne of gold for their sublimity for which they must bee reuerenced g Eze. 19. 11. a Scepter of righteousnesse for gouernement for which they must be obeyed a Rō 13. 4 a Sword for vengeance for which they must be feared but especialy it consisteth in seruing him with our goods for his maintenance and with our liues for his defense with our goods for his maintenance and therefore though our Sauior Christ wrought many miracles yet he neuer wrought any about honor or mony but that about tribute b Mat 17. rather then that should goe vndischarged hee commanded a fish to pay it for this cause Christ doth not say date but c Mar. 22. 12. reddite quae sunt Caesaris Caesari and Saint Paul saith d Rō 13. 6 yee pay tribute as though it were a due debt and therefore wee must be willing to discharge it Secondly this honour to the King must shew it selfe in seruing him with our liues for his desense The Bees in their common wealth haue a King whose pallace they frame as faire in shew as strong in substance if they finde him fall they establish him againe in his throne with all duty with all deuotion they garde him continually for feare hee should miscary for loue he should not The people c 2 S. 18. 3 in the second booke of Samuel would not haue the least hurt befall King Dauid and therefore when they went to warre would not suffer him though he were forward in offering himselfe to goe forth with them but they would put their liues in hazard to saue him harmeles This serueth to teach euery subiect to doe the best he can for his Princes safegarde he that is in the place of counsaile by all the waies of wisdome he that is in the seate of iustice by due iust execution of the law he that is in the Priests office by bowing his knees and lifting vp his hands and not onely this but to goe further and say to his King as Peter to Christ d Mat. 26. 35. I will ieoparde my life for thy sake and though I should die with thee yet I will not deny thee Againe this serueth to condemne those who are so farre from putting themselues in ieopardy for their King that they will aduenture their liues to make him away as Brutus and Cassius who slew Caesar in the Senate house as Simon the Monke who first dranke himselfe of the Wassall bowle into which he had conueyed the venome of a toade that he might poyson King Iohn at the Abby of Swinestead This in latter time condemneth the Pope who promised earthly and heauenly recompence to Parry for offering his seruice to kill Queene Elizabeth It condemneth Doctor Allen who taught that Princes might be violently handled deposed from their throne or exposed to danger It condemneth the Iesuites who celebrate them as Martyres who lost their liues in the North for bearing armes against the Queene I conclude therefore this point of honour with that saying of Saint Paul e Rō 13. 1. Let euery soule submit himselfe to the higher powers euery one without respect of persons not euery body but euery soule with respect to a willing minde to higher powers without exception against their qualities which maketh against the priests in Hildebrands time who taught the people that they owe no subiection to euill Kings and though they haue sworne fidelity they must not performe it nor yet be accounted periurers for holding against their King but whatsoeuer they are that beare rule wee must submit our selues their will must bee done aut à nobis aut de nobis of vs or on vs when their lawes agree with Gods then wee must be agents when they are dissonant then wee must bee patients if Kings entring vpon Gods freehold will broach a new Gospell or coyne another Creede they must not bee obeyed therein f Dan 3. 18 Be it knowne vnto thee O King say the three children Sidrah Misach and Abednego that we will not serue thy gods nor worship the golden Image which thou hast set vp He that obeyes a wicked command is as much to blame as he that doth enioyne it yet must we submit our selues to the punishment which shall be laid vpon vs for that we obey not knowing that bad Kings are tempters and we must receiue our tryall with patience An other sort of Fathers to whom honour is due are our elders in yeeres for the Apostle teaching Timothy how hee should behaue himselfe in rebuking all degrees calleth them fathers g 1 T. 5. 1. 2 Exhort an elder as a Father the younger men as Brethren the elder women as Mothers the younger as Sisters This the Prophet Esay noteth to bee a signe of extreame confusion a Esa 3. 5. when the children shall presume against the ancient and the vile against the honourable and there fore b Leu. 19. 32. Moses giues in charge to rise vp before the horehead and honour the person of the old man In token of this honor at Rome the younger sort were wont to leade the elder sort home Magna fuit quondam capitis reuerentia cani Inque suo praetio rugasenilis erat how were they wont to reuerence a man that had ouerliued the taste of his pallat the sight of his eyes the haire of his head the teeth of his gummes on whose forehead was figured the mappe of age in the furrowes of whose face appeared the calenders of death but sape nigrum cor est caput album Some are in their nonage for affections when they are in their dotage for yeares and are such as Plutarch saith of Sardanapalus c 1. Tim. 5. 6. and Paul of a widdow liuing in pleasure they are dead while they liue such as Seneca saith of an old man non ille tam diu vixit sed tam diu fuit as though being altogether vnprofitable hee had out liued himselfe told three or foure-score yeares and then dyed these haue but barely age and therefore but one step vnto honour but if they be like flowers which haue their rootes perfect when themselues are withering if with roses they keepe a sweet sauour though they loose their
therefore let wealth and worth goe together let goods and goodnes kisse each other The last sort which would haue their share in this honour and whose plea seemeth best for it are they which discend of more noble bloud then other and can fetch their pedigree furthest off but euen these must know that they are not to stand on the greatnes and antiquitie of their race if they lacke vertue whereof greatnes tooke her beginning Beatus Ludonicus being asked what honourable surname should be giuen vnto him demanded againe from whence it was that he had greatest nobility and when some sayd of his Predecessors others of his birth place I doe not remember saith he that euer I had greater honour then when I became a Christian and this was at Pissiacum and therefore will I be called Ludouicus de Pissiaco and so he was he thought no birth to a new birth in Christ no parentage to that of hauing God to his father Doe we reckon of the wine that runneth on the lees because it was drawne out of the same peece the neate wine was doe we reckon of muddy water though it came from a cleere spring shall we with the Israelites bow to a molten calfe because it was made of golden earings It was the saying of old English Chaucer to doe the gentle deedes that makes the gentleman gentry without vertue is bloud indeede but bloud without sewet bloud without sinewes bloud is but the body of gentility excellency of vertue is the soule that without this is a body without a soule and without honour falles downe in the dust and therefore when Hermodius a noble man borne imbraided the valiant Captaine Iphicrates for that he was but a shoomakers sonne my bloud sayd Iphicrates taketh beginning at me and thy bloud at thee now taketh her farewell be the birth neuer so base yet honesty and vertue is free from disgrace be the birth neuer so great yet dishonesty and vice is subiect to dishonour To conclude therefore if thou be noble by thy birth proue not ignoble either by bad vices of thine owne or lewde deuises of other take thy great birth to be an obligation of great vertue suite thy behauiour vnto it and inoble thy parentage with pietie and since true honour must come of thy selfe and not of other worke out thine owne glory and stand not on what thou wouldest borrow of thy predecessors If thou reach not the goodnes of those which gaue the outward glory know it is thy pride to be transported with a vaine name if thou doest not as much honour thy house with the glory of thy vertues as thy house hath honoured thee with the title of thy degree know thou art but as a woâ—dâ—n knife put into an empty sheath to help fill vp the place when that if good mettle is lost and can no more be found if thou doâ—st not learne Patrizare and let thy faâ—hers vertue meete with thy bloud know thou art but as a painted fire which may become the wall but giues no light to the beholder nay know further that the greater the honour of thy father was the greater is thy blemish and reproach if thou come short of thy fathers vertue for now art thou guilty of neglecting so good a President They that are noble will haue their retayners seeke the worship of their estates in the seruice of them then let themselues seeke the honour of their estates in the seruice of God and be as carefull to get true honour by seruing him as their followers to receiue ciuill worship by seruing them That thy dayes may be long g Gen. 32. 26. Iacob would not let the Angell goe before he blessed him nor the Lord part with this commandement before it leaues a blessing behinde vpon them which doe obserue it so that the entrance into this second table a Ex 12. 7. like the doore posts of the Israelites hath a blessing vpon it b Eph. 6. 2. Saint Paul calleth this the first Command-ment with promise not but that the second Commandement hath a generall promise of mercy for the generall seruice of God but this is the first that hath a particular promise made vnto them which performe the particular duties which it requireth and secondly the first not that a second followeth with any expresse promise for first hath not alwaies relation to a second thing c Rom â— 8. as we may see in the Epistle to the Romaines and theâ—efore Heluidius argument is false to proue the virgine Marâ— had a second sonne because the Holy Ghost saith d Mat. 1. 25 she brought forth her first begotten sonne and called his name Iesus and a Commandement with promise not that God doth binde himselfe that they which honour their parents shall alwaies liue long for Gods promises of temporall blessings are Hypotheticae anâ— goe with condition sometime expressed sometime suppressed which condition is as an oare in a boate or sterne of a ship and turnes the promise another way The first thing therefore which here I obserue is that long life is to be reckoned among the blessings of God It was a blessing of God vpon Israel that being in the wildernes 40. yeares e Deu. 29. 5 their garments did not weare f Ios 9. 5. as the garments of the Gibeonites so if in many yeares some mens strength weares not their senses doe not decay their bodys which are as the garments of their soules hold out longer then other mens as though with the Eagle they did renew their youth and God did adde certaine yeares vnto their dayes g Esa 37. 5. as he did vnto Ezechias this is a great blessing of God Men are full of holes and take water at a thousand breaches some goe away by siâ—kenes some by violence some by famine some by fulnes sometime death a Mat. 2. 16 is in the cradle b 2. Kin. 4. 40. sometime in the pot sometime in the cup therefore Iob doth not say the graue but the graues were prepared for him to shew that he was besiedged with many deaths that he had but one life among a number of deaths which were ready for him now if death which seeketh for vs euery houre in euery place be long before it finde vs if hauing an habeas corpus he will not serue his processe till our yeares be as many ages and we are satisfied with long life if when our life hangeth in the ballance and there is but a step betweene vs and death if we be continually as one trauelling with childe if we walke thorough the valley of the shadow of death and our soule be alwaies in our hand yet we multiply our dayes as the sand and euen like Salamanders liue long in the fire this is a blessing of God Some enter no sooner into life but they are at the brinke of death receiuing at once their wel-come and their farewell their lampe it wasted assoone as
borne and a time to dye as though death did border vpon life as though our cradle did stand in our graue Hee sayd something to the purpose which sayd that life was smoake or the shadow of smoake or the dreame of the shadow of smoake but I say of him as one sayd of another in another case non dixit vt est dixit vt potnit hee made life as short as hee coulâ— noâ— so short as hee should hee shot nearer the marke who being demanâ—ed what life was made an answere answereles for he presently turned his backe and went his way and indeede we fetch but here a turne and God saith g Ps 90. 3. returne againe our mortall life is but a liuing death the â—aâ—th receiues vs like a kinde mother into her entralls when we haue a while troden her vnder foote and all our time in respect of eternitie is shorter then the time betweene the drinking of the â—emlocke and death of him that drinkes it mine a Ps 39. 5. age is euen as nothing in comparison of thee saith the Prophet and euery man liuing is altogether vanitie First therefore affect not a kinde of eternitie here vpon earth old men as they are children for simplicitie so would they be for yeares Lysicrates in his old age dyed his white haires blacke that he might sâ—eâ—e young still The b Num. 32. 5. children of Ruben and Gad hauing much cattle requested Moses leading the people toward the land of promise that they might be left in the land of Gilead and not goe ouer Iorden so carnall men hauing many beastly affections and worldly men whose portion is in this life say as Peter when Christ was transfigured c Mat. 17. 4 it is good to be here and therefore with thâ— Gadits d Num. 23. goe to building and make their prison as strong as they can but when they haue done what may be done yet within a few daies like the spider and her webbe wherein shee thought to haue lodged as in her freehold they shall bee swept away their daies shall soone suffer eclipse the night will come when their candle shall be put out and they shall goe to their long home though many times against their will e GeÌ„ 19. 26. as Lots wife went out of Sodome as f Luc. 16. 3. the vniust Steward went out of his office though with the Crabbe they goe backward from death and are pulled from life with more violence g 1 Kâ— 2. 28 then Ioab from the hornes of the Altar Secondly haue this life in contempt euen for this that it lasteth not a Mat. 20. 6 Here wee may not stand still here wee can not rest b Re. 14. 13 that is reserued to another life c 1 Pet. 2. 11 here we are pilgrims and strangers and therefore not in our Countrey to rest our selues but in our iourney to walke our selues if wee feele any pleasure it is soone dashed with some mishappe and like a calme continues not long without a storme nay our sweet is tempered with sowre and we finde a mixture of both but say that our life were a Paradise our ioyes exquisite and our pleasures without composition yet how can wee sing our songes in a strange land how can this but coole our delight and make vs lesse esteeme it to consider our life is short our delight vanish and though we spend our time in pleasure yet sodainly we goe downe to the graue Thirdly we haue here no abiding place therefore seeke the place where we shall haue d Heb 9. 15 a perpetuity rather then this from whence wee must shortly goe of necessity respect that where we shall haue an euerlasting habitation rather then this where like freshmen we haue but as it were a yeere of probation In purchasing you regard not so much three liues as the fee simple not so much a lease determinable by yeeres as land which goe to you and your heires for euer then set not so much by this life which shall vanish away like a scrolle as by that where you shall receiue the charter of an euerlasting being not so much by this day in which the sunne setteth as by that day which knoweth no euentide nor hath any sunne going downe where thou shalt haue no more Sunne to shine e Esa 60. 19 20. by day nor Moone by night where the Lord shall bee thine euerlasting light and thy God thy glory Thy daies The day to come f 1 Pet. 3. 10 is the day of the Lord but the dayes present h are our dayes A man reckones of that g Ps 90. 12 which is his owne though it be but of small value and hee of great ability Naball a man of great possessions and exceeding mighty yet reckones of his bread and other small commodities a 1 Sam. 25. 2. 11. Shall I take my bread and my water and my flesh and giue vnto men whom I know not whence they bee but if it bee dainty then wee set the more by it as the poore man did by that b 2 Sa. 12. 3. one little sheepe which he had bought in Nathans parable but if further we can neuer recouer it if once it be gone from vs then how great is our griefe to leaue it or loose it Now time is ours c Luc. 19. 42. this day and nihil nostrum nisi tempus nothing so properly ours as is time it is also rare and dainty for whereas of other things a man may haue d Iob i. 2. 3 many at one time he can haue but one time at once and if this be once past behind e Ec. â— 5. 6. 7. there is no holdfast to pull it backe againe The Sunne and the wind and the riuers all these three returne to their places In the three parables f Luc. 15. 6 9. 31. the man doth finde his lost sheepe the woman her lost groate the father his lost sonne but losse of time comes neuer againe but is like a bird let flie at large out of the hand or a word which babled out cannot be recalled If wee haue but a short time to enioy any thing we take all the benefit we can reape in that time as if a lease bee shortly out of date we rip vp the grounds eate vp the grasse cut downe the copses and take all the liberty the lease will afford Certaine hawkes in colder countries are most eager and earnest to take their prey when the day light there is of least continuance euen g Re. 12. 1â— the diuell him selfe is most busie because he hath but a short time Now time is ours and it is but a short time we haue he that is young may thinke he is old enough to die he that is strucken in yeeres sees his set period before him and may thinke himselfe too old to liue longer the palme tree is full of blomes the mappe of age is
Latron hath had the flesh of the fish small matters like the skabbard shall remaine vntoucht when thunder hath destroyed the sword The Statute of Mortmaine prouided they should giue no more to the Church and therefore like Moses it cried Hoe but tempora mutantur nos mutantur in illiâ— These latter times haue seene the springs of bounty like Iorden turned backe which heretofore did run fresh and fast into the Church Our fathers fore-fathers put too much bloud into the Churches veines succeeding ages for her good that it might not dye of a plurisie let it bloud in the swelling veine of her excesse these times are so farre from stopping the issue that they prick it still and suffer it to bleed to death The Aegyptians dealt hardely with the Israelites when they tooke away their straw and so doe these Gipcies which take away the corne and allow nothing but straw they are sicke of the dropsie and a cup as big as a Church will scarse satisfie it so they may bee golden Patrons they care not though they present leaden or wooden Priests they are content with Michaes Priests so they may haue them for Michaes wages they preferre euen light angels before Angels of light and care not how little reckoning the Clarke bee so they may sell their presentation at a great price they doe not so much regard aram dominicam as haram domesticans these are not Papistae but Rapistae Merchants broken into the Church a great deale more intollerable then those which Christ whipt out of the Temple This sacriledge is theft in the highest degree in reuenging whereof d Act. 5. 3. Peter vseth his key in mentioning whereof e Rom. 2â— 2â— Paul maketh it a match or ouermatch for idolatry and indeed if couetousnesse bee Idolatry and theft the daughter of couetousnes and sacriledge the eldest daughter of theft then he that committeh sacriledge may be sayd an Idolater besides he is a meanes of Idolatry in bringing in ignorance and superstition and though there be great fault in the Clarke for he should say by the grace of God I am that I am not by my smooth tongue not by my great friends not by my bribing purse yet Sacriledge is a beame in respect of this mote and though the beame and mote must both be cast out yet f Mat. 7. 5. first cast out the beame g Mat. 2â— 12. though sellers and buyers must both be cast out of the Temple yet the sellers haue the first place and therefore ye Patrons be no longer Pyrats of the Church neither mangle nor sell that liberall allowance that is committed to your trurst doe not vnder colour of taking away the superfluity leaue to little for the necessitie of the Minister be somewhat more friendly to the Church then the East winde to the fruits of the eaâ—th doe not h 1. Kin. 14. 17. with Rehoboham giue her sheilds of brasse for her sheilds of golde make her not a marke to shoote at pull not still the forbidden fruite despoyle not the Church which your fathers clothed rob her not of her possessions and endowments let not your Leuits purchase your Cures let him haue his penny that labours in the Vineyarde the false prophets made a spoyle of you doe not you make a spoyle of the true if you are merchants of soules you are enemies of religion you consume the zeale of Gods house and are harbingers to take vp Chambers for the diuell Againe the Parishoners which with-hold their tithe are sayd to robbe or spoyle i Mal. 3. 8. 10. the Lord in tithes and offrings God as he will haue the seuenth of your time so he will haue the tenth of your liuing Moses giues a strict charge for this in the Old Testament and k Gal. 6. 6. Paul as strict in the New The Minister is borne for the good of many and many for the good of him to Minister to him temporall things as hee to them spirituall and therefore doe not yee like Caterpillers cleaue to the fruites of the Church say truely with the Pharisee l Luc. 18. 12 I giue tithe of all that euer I possesse and giue it with a willing minde Others like greedy cormorants and fawcons seaze and plume and prey vpon the common wealth such are they who make a priuate gaine of that which should be for the publike good such as depopulating Parishes thinke themselues ill seated when they dwell by neighbours such as grating vpon poore trades with hard ingrossing to get much wealth put in hazard all their credit and estimation euen Tully a heathen Philosopher in his third booke of offices thought this pulling this catching and snatching from other did ouerthrow common societie and that the whole body must then needes be weake and perish when euery part thereof did thinke it might be strong if it had conueyed to it selfe the strength of the next liues but let this suffice to haue spoken of publike theft either in spoyling Church or common wealth there is a more priuate theft when a man is a theefe to himselfe or to his neighbour or to both to himselfe either to his body or his goods to his body when he doth not minister to it thiâ—gs necessary but will be alwaies indebted to his backe and to his belly and so as he may haue his purse full he cares not though he keepe his backe bare and belly thinne and cares not how poore he liue so as he may dye rich The good man hauing nothing is Lord of all things l habet â—mina quia habet habentem omina he hath all 2. Cor. 6. 10. things because he hath the Lord of all things the father the most ancient of dayes filleth his memory the sonne the wisdome of the father filleth his vnderstanding the holy Ghost the comforter filleth his will on the other side the miserable man hath all things yet of all he hath he hath nothing he is good to none but worst to himselfe he is like the Cornish-chough which will steale a peece of money and hiding it in some hole will neuer helpe her selfe with it afterward vnlike the deluer of the earth for he with his matâ—ocke drawes reliefe and nouriture out of the earth but this man hides that in the earth which should be a meanes â—â— nourish and relieue him if he wants any thing his spirit is troubled with restles thoughts to get it if he hath any thing he comforts not himselfe with it but accompts it lost that he bestowes vpon himselfe he is afraid hee should hinder himselfe of a chicke if he should but eate an egge and thinkes himselfe halfe vndone if he makes a good meale on his owne trencher this is an euill which Salomon saw vnder the sun and it is much among men m A man to whom God hath giuen M. Eec 6. 1 riches and treasure and honour and he wanteth nothing for his soule of all that it
with which others are tickled to death therefore Canutus a King of this Land about thirty yeares before the conquest did breake that false glasse which presented him a face not his owne for when as one to sooth him vp tolde him hee was as God and all things were at his beck and commaund he caused his Chayre of estate to be brought to the Sea shore at Southampton and as the water flowed thus he said Tu me â— ditionis es c. Thou art vnder my dominion neuer any one who disobeyed me went scot-free I charge thee enter no further on my land presume not to wet the robes or any member of me thy Lord Master The Sea notwithstanding keeping it course without doing any reuerence wet the Kings feete whereupon he giuing backe said The Lord is God and him onely doe windes and Sea obey and after to know what hee was hee would giue no credence to other Thus if within thy selfe thou doest not behold thy selfe if thou who art most priuy and shouldst be least partiall to thine owne worth restest on others commendation and standest not on thine owne bottome if thou canst be silent when others flatter with their tongue and feed thee with the winde thou consentest with those which against this law by flattery beare false witnes Contrary to these are another sort whose tongues are euer walking in the track of vniust accusations Iob would not be silent in this case for if he had held his tongue it would haue bin thought he had bin euen such a one as they said therefore when Elyphaz charged him with cruelty iniustice and oppression that he had spoiled the cloathes of the naked that he had not giuen to the weary water to drinke that he had withdrawne bread from the hungry g Iob 22 6. 7. Iob cleares himselfe and saith he did not eate his morsels alone the fatherlesse did eate thereof that the loynes of those which wanted clothing blessed him because they were couered with the fleece of his sheepe so when h Iob 3â— 17. 20 Festus said of Paul Thou art besides thy selfe much learning doth make thee madde Paul is as ready to make his Salue as Festus is to giue the wound I am not mad i Act. 26. 25. O noble Festus saith he but I speake the words of truth and sobernesse Christ was a Lyon and a Lambe so is euery Christian patient as a Lambe to suffer in his innocency bolde as a Lyon to plead and defend it not a Lyon in his conuersation nor sheepish when slaundered he sets his foot by his that shall wrongfully accuse him when his accusers as busie as Flyes will light where there is no sore his tongue shall be a flap to fray them away and now is his speach powdred with salt Indeed Mary was accused three seuerall times k Luc. 7. 39. The Pharisie accused her of presumption that being a sinner she would touch Christ l Luc. 10. 40. Secondly Martha accused her of idlenesse that she suffered her to serue alone Thirdly m Ioh. 12. 5. Iudas accused her of prodigality that she wasted the oyntment shee was alwayes patient and put vp all she knew her selfe a stranger euen at home and let the dogges of the world barke at her she was a woman and would be seene and not heard her sex required the more silence besides her Sauiour did at all times answere for her according to that saying in another case n Exod. 14. 14 The Lord shall fight for you therefore holde you your peace Againe if any wrong other by scandalous imputation and open their mouthes boldly to sound out detraction and slaunder as some will sit and speake against their Brother and Psal 50. 20. slaunder their owne Mother Son we sin by silence if we doe not with courage beare out the accused whom we know then Innocent and therefore when Peter heard that the Apostles were accused of Drunkennesse as being full of new Wine his spirit was hote within him and while he was musing the fire kindled and at last he spake with his Tongue p Act. 2. 15. These are not Drunken as yee suppose since it is but the third houre of the day c. If a malicious man be giuen to traduce a mans name we cannot stop his mouth from speaking ill yet must we open our mouthes to reproue him else lending him a willing eare wee consent with him and haue beene partakers with the backbiter bearing the Diuell as much in our eares as the other in his tongue hâ—rting our neighbour as well by receiuing as the other by giuing out and dispersing spitefull narrations and therefore this giuing forth and receiuing in the Law are coupled together or rather meete in one word q Exod. 23. 1. Thou shalt not report or receiue a false tale You will blame a Thiefe for stealing and will not you blame him that receiueth stollen goods Were there no Receiuers there would be no Theeues You will blame a man that robbes one of his good name and will you not blame him that opens his eares to take in the theft There would not be so many to broach false rumours were it not that they see they please other mens taste yee will blame him that robbes God of his honour else the Curse will come vpon you which doth vpon the men of Meroz because they came not foorth r Iudg. 5. 23. to heâ—pe the Lord to helpe the Lord against the mighty blame him likewise which wrongeth man by false report winke not at his folly smother not his fault doe not swallow it doe not digest it reproue such a man tell him his owne there is little difference Faueas ne scelus an illud faâ—ias if the Backbiter shall see by thy face that hee hath a roome in thy heart thou art an abetter of euill a Pander to his sinne a good Nurse of ill fame a Wolfe to thy Brother and in a word possessed with a dumbe Diuell Againe other breake this Commandement by silence either outwardly in their gesture when indeed they doe not scourge with their Tongue nor speake wordes like the prickings of a Sword when they doe not digge vp euill neither is there in their lippes like burning fire but though they shoote not out the venemous sting of their Tongue yet they nippe men by their gesture and spit out their venome by the malicious carriage of their bodies the Prophet complaineth of such a Psal 22. 13 They gaped vpon me with their mouthes as it were a ramping and roaring Lyon b Psal 35. 15. making mowes at me and ceased not such were they c Math. 27. 39 which wagged their heades as they passed by at the Passion of Christ and before that d Ioh. 13. 18. Iudas who lift vp his heele against Christ and after that the Iewes e Act. 7. 54. who gnashed at Stephen with their teeth if wee shall hisse
figured on his forehead the calenders of death appeare in the furrowes of his face the graue doth call him saying it is high time to depart this life to come away and dwell in it and therefore take the benefit of this â—hoâ—t time a Ier. 4. 4. brâ—ake vp your fallow groundes and sow not among the thornes be circumcised b Deu. â—0 16. to the Lord and take away the fore-skinnes of your hearts let vnquiâ—t passions and ambitious desires be crucified c Mat. 2â— 38 like the two theeues and euen in this sense let them d Gal. 5. 12 be cut off that trouble you The wicked slippe no time to worke wickâ—dnesse e Ioâ— 2â— 5 as wil le Asses in the wildernesse they goe forth to their businesse it is now no good argument they are not drunken f Act 2. 15. since it is but the third houre of the day for g Esa 5. 11. they rise vp early to follow a â—â— 23. 2. drunkenesse Balaam posteth for a bribe b Luc. 16. 5 the vniust steward hasteneth to make friends of the vnrighteous Mammon be you as wise in your generatioÌ„ c Ex 16. 21 gather Manna in the morning steppe into the water d Ioh 5. 7. with the criple while health may bee recouered open while Christ e Reu. 3. 20 knocketh f Mat. 23. 37. gather your selues vnder the hen while shee clocketh with g Luc. 19. 5 Zacheâ— come quickely when Christ calleth at this present instant change your hearts a â— Cor. 6. 2 now is the accepted time and now knoweth no morrow b Ioh. 9. 4. worke while it is day euery day lay vp somewhat for the last take order with death before it serues you with an execution take hold on time as it commeth and catch it by the forelockes seeke Christ c Mat. 28. 1 with Mary the first day of the weeke and first houre of the day chase not away good houres to bad purpose sit not at the Alehouse and see the race of an houre glasse vse not time with the slothfull but gaine by the expense of time when it steales from you let it carry with it some witnesse of the passage in that you haue in it made your election sure and would not hazarde the saluation of your soules vpon the doubtfull euent of your finall repentance they are your daies say not we will doe with our owne what we list but spend them and end them in God In the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee Long life is a blessing which God giueth to obedient children but hast thou but one blessing my father Yes surely thou blessest when thou hast blessed and therefore thou giuest Israel a fuitfull land also the land of Canaan d Ex. 3. 17. a land that floweth with milke and honâ— so that thou hast e Gen. 27. 3â— blessed Iacob and therâ—fore hee shall bee blessed f Eph. 2. â— thou art rich in mercy mercy there is the compassion of thy nature rich there is the abundance g Luc. 8. 1â— thou giuest after thou hast giuen as a spring runneth after it hath runne a Ps 100. 5 thy mercy is euerlasting and thy goodnesse is without conclusion Frst thou giuest breath that thy dayes may be long then thou giuest bread in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee here is a blessing vpon a blessing as though one of thy mercyes did binde thee to giue another as though former benefits were an earnest lay de to assure vs of those which are to come as though thou wouldest shew what thou wilt doe by what thou hast done The Oyle ceaseth not as long as there are b 2. Kin. 4. 6 vessels to receiue it and thy mercy lasteth as long as there is a true concurrence as long as there is no let in vs to hinder the apprehension O Lord make our praise and thankes answereable to thy goodnes that as thy goodnes is without end so there may be no period to our praise but that we may still say c Ps 41. 13. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel world without end So be it euen so be it Giueth not that the Israelits should haue this land in present possession for they did not enter vpon it till the daies of Ioshua in whose time God cast out other nations and planted them in but he speaketh in the present tense for the certaintie of performance God forgiues vs our debts and when we sue out our pardon d Rom. 8. 33. hee acquits vs by proclamation and crosseth our accompts here that hereafter we may haue our Quietus est and he is as true a debter to pay as he is mercifull creditor to forgiue and doth reckon that his promise doth as much indebt him to vs as mens loue or desert doe indebt vs to them first therefore O Israel here is a land made ouer vnto thee and the grant is good for that it coÌ„meth from the right Landlord the Lord and it is gratious for that it commeth not from a stranger but from thy God the Lord is thy God and therefore thou shalt haue it cum gratia et priuilegio 1o. cum gratia thou shalt not purchase it or pay a fine or rent for it but it shal be passed ouer to thee by a deed of gift thy God giueth 2o. thou shalt haue it cum priuilegio there shall be no ioint tenants or copartners to hold it with thee but thou shalt haue it solely and wholy to thy selfe The Lord misdoubt not thy state thy God looke to haue it with all fauour giueth doubt not of thy freedome theâ— feare not any that now keepe the possession The Lord thy God giueth The diuels mouth doth run ouer when shewing Christ all the Kingdomes of the world he saith e Luc. 4. 6. All these are mine and to whom soeuer I will I giue the power and glory of them if thou therefore wilt worship â—e they shall be all thine for first for his claime he is like the franticke man who standing on the sea shore thought all the shippes that passed by to be his owne or he doth but dreame he hath them like him who sleeping thought he held in his hands two staues and waking did thinke verely they should be two crocier staues and therefore presently prepared himselfe tooke horse and posted for two Bishoprickes not doubting but he should be presently installed but his horse casting him himselfe turned to be criple and his crociers to be critches God is the Lord of all by right the diuell but by vsurpation the Scripture stileth him f prince of darkenes he shewes himselfe like the Poet Accius who being but a dwarfe made himselfe an image as if he had been one of the sonnes of Anac indeede he may g Iob. 1. 7. compasse the earth too and fro and walke in it a Ps 24. 1. but the