in yeelding obedience as euer they were parents in the meane time not seeing that children therefore rebell against theÌ„ because they rebell against God nor hous-holders perceiue that seruants doe not their dueties to them because they doe not their duety to God Are we lesse wrathfull and more mercifull are we lesse riotous and filthy defilers of our flesh and are we more sober chast and holy are we lesse giuen to oppression to hard dealing one with another and more iust righteous and carefull to maintaine the good estate of our brethren Are we not backbiters slaunderers or sowers of discord causers of contention â—mong our neighbours beeing farre off from mainteyning loue vnited and the good name of our brethren The cause why we cannot see further into these things is because we flatter our selues and because we compaire our selues with our selues with others but not with the rule of Gods word Let vs then learne to accuse our selues and to iudge our owne consciences For if God see vs condemne ourselues he will not condemne vs if we accuse our selues God will not suffer Sathan to accuse vs if we iudge our selues God will acquite vs from the fearefull iudgment to come if we be displeased for our sins God will be pleased in Christ his righteousnesse On the contrary whilest we lie in our sinnes we lie in our owne blood if we iudge not our selues God will both iudge vs and be reuenged of our sinne he wil set our house on fire he will send enemies he will sende earthquakes he will sende famines to make vs to consume our goods he will make friends foes he will sende sicknes and sorenes vpon our bodies a troubled spirit into our soules he will send vs an ill name thus will he bring plague vpon plague vntill we repent come to a feeling of our sinnes And why doth God all this because we wil not come to iudge our selues For this cause saith the Apostle 1. Cor. 11.30 that is because we iudge not our selues many are weake sicke among you many sleepe 31. for if we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged 32. but when we are iudged we are chastined of the Lord that we shoulde not be condemned with the worlde Likewise the Prophet Psal. 89. 30.31.32.33 But if his children forsake my lawe and walke not in my iudgments if they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandementes Then will I visite their transgression with the sword and their iniquitie with strokes yet my louing kindnes will I not take from him neyther will I falsifie my trueth For as a father withdraweth from his child sometimes his loue whippeth him with the rod of correction so the Lord dealeth often with his children scourgeth their naked conscience God doth iudge his here but his enemies will he iudge in the world to come if we be not punished here the punishment wil be as a thunderbolt in the day of iudgmeÌ„t Hast thou bene afflicted not profited will not a litle crosse serue thee a greater shall come to thee will not a few troubles turne thee to God then many shall come vpon thee If a man be not troubled for sin here it is the way to hell if he be troubled here it is the way to heauen And as they which haue not bene troubled hauing had a little ioy shall haue eternall paine so they which here haue had a little paine shall after haue euerlasting ioye They that are corrected and haue profited by it are afflicted of the Lord in mercy but they that be vexed and amende not receiue a token of Gods further wrath Wherefore we must not looke to feele comforte in the remission of sinnes vnlesse we also haue sorrowe for committing our sinnes For neuer any of gods children were comforted throughly but they were first humbled for their sinne lawfully To the working of which humiliation wee must remember Gods iudgements shewed on others hath God destroyed the whole world for sinne and can he not or will he not destroy thee for sinne hath he ouerthrowen whole nations and will he suffer thee to lie still in thy sinnes See how full Hell is alreadie and yet daily we runne headlong thither Consider also how great thy sinne was that could not be cleansed but by the bloode of Iesus Christ Oh how soule was that sinne that nothing else could wash it but Christ his hart blood oh how great was our guiltines that were ransomed by such a price How greate was the sore that needed such a salue howe deepe was the wound that needed such a medicine O louing kindnes and vnspeakeable loue towards vs Shall Christ be slaine for our sinnes and we not slaye sinne in our selues Shall Christ die for our sinnes and sinne as yet is not dead in vs Shall Christ be crucified for vs and will we not crucifie sinne in our selues Shall Christ haue his hearte pricked with a speare and shall not we haue our harts pricked with sorrow This is the true vse and meditating of Christ his passion We are wont to defy the Iewes for accusing Christ we spit at Iudas for betraying Christ and we condemne Pilate for condemning Christ but we are much more to be at defiance with our sinnes which accused him before the iudgement seat of God we are to accuse our selues who haue and daily doe betray him we must condemne our selues whose sinnes haue condemned him But if neither the iudgements of God hell nor the crosse of Christ can moue vs then let vs examine our selues how we can reioyce in Christ. It followeth to speake of the counsell of Peter Repent as if he should say I know your heartes are pricked how be it I will shewe you how it is the pollicy of the Diuell to make these good motions quickly to waxe dry in you he will stay you from perseuering you must therfore endeuoure to continue in this godly sorrow The Apostle saw that this sorrow which as Paule witnesseth is not to be repented of was well begunne in them but in continuing his sermon still to that effect he sheweth that our sorrow must be also continuall Many sorrow as hath beene shewed but in a worldly sorrowing which bringeth eternal death not in a godly griefe which bringeth repentance Wherfore we are to note that repentance beginneth in vs continueth and endeth with sorrow Now if it might be it were expedient to shew what repentance is In one word Repentance is not a bare leauing of sinne but an vtter condemning and misliking of that sinne which we haue left For though we haue left it yet Sathan may make vs to sorrow for it many yeares after yea euen at the point of death ' Dauid had left his sinne but it caused him to sorrow an whole yeare after Iosephs brethren had forsaken and almost forgotten their sinne yet it troubled them and grieued them thirteene yeares after Our pricking of heart therfore must be continued and
Lorde woulde not take away his holy spirite from him howe can these two stande together first to pray that a new spirite may be created in him and then that the spirite of God may not be taken from him Surely the spirite it selfe was still in him and therfore he prayeth that it may not be taken froÌ„ him but the graces gracious working of the spirite they were deade and gone and therefore hee prayeth that they may bee renewed in him By this then we see that the very chiefe graces of the spirite may be quenched euen in the most godly when they fall into sinne But yet that no libertie may be taken hereby let vs a litle consider what griefe and punishment they procure to themselues that do by any means loose the graces of the spirite First of all we must know that though the spirite of God cannot be goâ—ten by our labour yet it causeth vs much labour and we must vndergoe much trauell and suffer much trouble before the spirite of God do take possession of vs now when the graces of the spirite are lost all this our labour seemeth to bee lost and what griefe is it to see the whole labour and trauaile of a man to vanish and come to nothing Secondly when a man receiueth the spirit of GOD and by the same spirite is assured that his sinne is forgiuen him and that hee is in the fauour of GOD there doth arise in his hearte a great ioy in the holy Ghost a ioy I say that is vnspeakeable and glorious and this ioy is lost and gone when the graces of Gods spirite are gone with how greate griefe and woe they know that in any measure haue tasted of it Againe when the graces of the spirite are choaked in men then they haue no hart to doe good they haue no affection to goodnesse but all is gone and they are made for the time as it were an vnprofitable burthen of the earth What griefe can be greater then this What sorrow can sinke more deepe then that a good man should be cleane withholden from doing good Moreouer it is sure that when the giftes of the spirit are in this sorte gone then hee that was most righteous before may soone fall into greate sinnes yea and which is more they shall also suffer the reproch of their sinnes For this is a part of the couenant that GOD made with his That though he will not take his mercies vtterly from them yet he will visite their sinnes with the rodde and their iniquities with scouâ—ges and what griefe this is the example of Gods children may shew vs what griefe was it to Noah become a laughing stocke to his owne sonne what heartbreaking to Dauid by his owne son to be thrust froÌ„ his kingdome so grieuous were those punishments laid vpon them that if without anye respect of hell or heauen we coulde consider of them wee had rather want all the pleasures of sinne which they enioyed then wee woulde beare the reproch and feele the paine which they suffered Last of all when the graces of the spirite of GOD are once decayed they can neuer be repaired and recouered but with much sorrowe and greate daunger for it cannot but breede much sorowe of hearte to remember his former sinnes to examine and see the greatnesse of them to apply Gods iudgements to them and to prouoke himselfe to sorrowe for them This is as it were to goe thorough the pikes and through a purgatorie in this present life and yet this must bee done before wee can recouer Gods graces againe Againe it is a very dangerous thing for in such cases men are brought as it were with Ionas into the bottome of the sea and as Dauid saith into the deepe waters so that all the surges and waues doe passe and flow ouer him Now wee know what danger it is for a man to bee thrust ouer heade and ears into the deepe waters and therefore they that are in such a case are in great danger wherefore all these things considered the losse of all our labour the losse of all true ioye the vnfitnesse to doe good the readinesse to sinne the griefe and danger that ensueth thereof will or at the least wise may cause vs to bee ware how wee quench the spirit And this is the vse of the Doctrine in humblinge of of vs which also doth furthermore serue to comfort vs knowing that we may suffer a greate decay of GODS graces yet by the rodde or by the worde of GOD or by both they shall bee renewed in vs againe And thus much of this commaundement that the Apostle giueth here that wee shoulde not quench the spirite FINIS The Seconde Sermon preached by M Richard Greenham It is thus written Acts 2. Vers. 37.38 37 Now when they heard it they were pricked in their hearts and said vnto Peter and the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall we doe 38 Then Peter saide vnto them amende your liues and be baptized every one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes c. IN this portion of the holy booke of God is set down to vs an effecte or rather a fruite of Peter his sermon which hee made for the answering of the sclanderous reports of the Iewes at what time they saw the wonderfull giftes of GOD sent downe vpon the Apostles In which sermon the Apostle had pricked their consciences whith shewing them their sinnes telling them of a suretie that their iniquities was the cause of Christ his death whereby a certaine care began to be wrought in them insomuch that being thus troubled they enquired and saide men and brethren what shall we doe whereupon afterward followed the second Sermon of Peter wherein he exhorteth theÌ„ to coÌ„tinue in their repeÌ„tance teacheth vs that if our sorrowe be good we must go forward therin Further he sheweth theÌ„ to this end that they must beleeue that beleuing they may be baptised that being baptised they might receiue the gifte of the holy Ghost Lastly it is manifest how they hearing that sermon first receiued the doctrine and after perseuered in the practise of the same Briefely therefore three thinges are here to bee noted First the fruite of the former Sermon of Peter contained in these wordes Now when they hearde it c. Scondely the summe of a new Sermon of Peter in these worde Then Peter saide vnto them amende your liues c. Thirdly is set downe the fruite of their obedience In the former part of this Chapter wee may knowe the wonderfull workes of GOD that the Apostles who were neuer brought vp in scholes speake with diuers tongues which when the multitude hearde some are saide to maruaile and to be astonied some mocked them and saide They are full of new wine But when Peter with greate boldenesse of spirite had in this Sermon which hee made set the truth of God against their false accusations and had preached against their
no maruel we shall see many men at some times not so much grieued for their sicknesse it selfe as for that that they haue either willingly neglected the meanes which might haue preserued their health or that they haue abused the Phisicke that might haue restored their health to them againe in like manner I say it fareth with them who eyther vnreuerentlie haue refused the meanes which shoulde keepe their soules from surfetting or else vnthankfully haue abused those helpes which might haue recouered them againe From hence it commeth that some men are as much grieued for not vsing their good giftes to the benefit of Gods Church as others are troubled for pestering the Church with vnprofitable corruptions or as we shall see a rich man sometimes as much humbled for not giuing money to the poore which hee might haue done as for heaping vp riches falselie which hee ought not to haue done And thus many hauing receiued good giftes and graces from the Lord are seasoned and sanctified by afflictions whereby they are taught to put their giftes in vre and to offer their seruice to Christ and others are forced to hide their giftes which cannot bee without some decay of Gods glory without offence to the weake without the losse of many soules which otherwise might be wonne to the gospell and without strengthening the hande of the aduersarie to slaunder our darke and dumbe profession All which thinges will in the ende bring terrour of minde because if the Lord cannot worke vpon vs by taking away goods friendes credit wife children or such like to bring vs to Repentance he will surely whippe our naked consciences he will enter euen into our very entrailes and pierce our secret boweles As wee must examine our selues thus for sinnes of time past and present so must we vse this practise in sinne to come and this is very needefull For were it so that our life and conuersation were such as neither before not after our calling man could iustly accuse it Yet the hidden corruption of our nature may threaten some haynous downefall in time to come Which hath made men of very good report and conuersation to hang downe their heades and feare their secret hypocrisie as that which may breake foorth to the shame of all their former life in time to come But because we forgatte to speake of them that in the examining of their liues past are much grieued for the want of sinceritie and for priuie vaineglorie in themselues let vs before we go to the searching of our heartes in sinne to come speake somewhat of this Men troubled for this priuie pride are eyther touched or not touched If the veyle of sinne was so great in them that it hid Christ from them it is the good will of God that by this sight of their most secret sinnes they should come to see the righteousnes that is in Christ Iesus and so they shall the better be kept from being Iusticiarie Pharises For when being a long time well brought vp and leading a ciuill life the Diuell woulde perswade vs of some inherent righteousnes in vs It is the wisedome of our God to touch vs with the conscience of most hidden corruptions as also to certifie and make knowen vnto vs that euen for our birth there was a secret seede of sinne in vs which without the Lord watching ouer vs woulde surely haue broken forth to his dishonour As for them which haue had some woorking in them and yet are often plunged with sore distresses this trouble commeth to them for two especiall causes eyther for some hypocrisie that they did more in showe than in truth wherfore the Lord bringeth theÌ„ back againe to see their corrupt proceedinges and that they may knowe all their religion to be but hypocrisie all their righteousnes to bee but vnrighteousnes or for the abusing of their knowledge in that they made it but a maske to iuggle in that they made their affections to fight with their own iudgements We must remedy this by not thinking of our selues aboue that which is meete and by labouring to embrace the truth in trueth And heere let vs note that many of Gods ChildreÌ„ accuse themselues of hypocrisie when indeed they offend not in it for the most righteous persons are their own greatest accusers And yet the accusation doth iustlye arise from some fault on their partes for though they haue done things in trueth yet because with trueth they labored not to see their secret corruptions in some other matters they sustain this trouble of mind So that there is nothing harder thaÌ„ to sist serch our harts to the bottom whether we respect our sins past or our sins present whether we looke to our priuy pride hidden wants or secret corruptions And to returne from whence we digressed to the examinatioÌ„ of our harts in sins to come let vs obserue that in Gods children there is such a iealousy as they treÌ„ble at the very first motions quake at the least occasioÌ„ of sinne although because vice wil sit in residence very neere vnto vertue there may be in them sometime too much scrupulousnes This feare causeth the dearest of the Saintes of God to reason on this sorte O Lord I see now manye excellent in gifts and constant in profession for a longe time whose end hath not answered their beginnings whose deathes were not like to their liues This is true whether wee looke into the word or into the world and it is a thing that may much humble vs. For though we may remember what we haue beene and knowe what we are yet who can tell what may come vnto him heereafter Oh that the serious meditation heereof would dwell long vpon our consciences that with an holy iealozie wee might preuent the sinne that is to come But alas there bee some venture some knights which thinke it no masterie to offer themselues to masking minstrelsie and dauncing nor to runne into quarrells braules and contentions as though they had their eares their eyes their hands and their feete in their own power and at commaundement to vse and gouerne as themselues list Howbeit GODS Children better fenced with his grace than those bold buxzards are afraide of these occasions as knowing full well that their eyes maye soone bee prouoked to lust their eares may quickly listen vnto vnchast delightes their handes may sodainly strike a deadly blow and their feete may easily be snared in carnall pleasures Beware O man bee circumâ—pect O woman that thou prostitute not thy selfe to too much libertie for although in comming to such lasciuious and contentious places thou diddest purpose none euill yet for thy ventring without warrant thou maist bee ouer thy shoes in sinne and plunged in some wicked attempt ouer head and eares ere thou beest aware And because vice is so confine vnto vertue beware also of superstition for still the enemie laboureth either to make thee too hardy in sinne or else he will cause
we must not be austere in reprehending euery infirmity but pitifull in considering of it tender frailtie Neither do I speake this to nourish pettishnesse in any but would haue them to labour for patience and to seeke for peace which though they finde not at the first yet by prayer they must waite on the Lord and say Lorde because there is mercie that thou maist be feared I will waite vpon thee as the eye of the seruant waiteth vpon the hand of his Master I will condemne my selfe of folly and say Oh my soule why art thou so heauy Why art thou so cast downe within mee Still trust in the Lorde for he is thy health and thy saluation FINIS Another shorte Treatise belonging to the Comfort of an afflicted Conscience IN all afflictions Gods children must looke vnto the ende They are to desire to profite by them and in them to seeke the way of perfect coÌ„fort and consolation which that they may finde they must know that the afflictions of the godly last but a while they serue them but for salues and medicines the ende of them is alwaies happy In them they are not onely preserued and purified from many sinnes but also much beautified with the Image of Iesus Christ who is the eldest Sonne in the house of God Againe the crosse of true Christians is the sweete and amiable call of God vnto repentance in that he putteth vs in minde thereby to bethinke vs of our debts because we are giuen to thinke the daie of payment is yet farre of yea we fall a sleepe vntill our turne be ended and whilest God lengtheneth our daies waiting for our repentance we neuer thinke of our sinnes vntill the houre come wherein we perish with shame The best meeting then with the Lordes visitation is without delay and in syncerity to pray for our sinnes to be pardoned For therefore doth the Lord oftentimes shackle vs the more with the chaines of his chastisements because we are more carefull to be vnburthened of our sicknes then to be freed from our sinne which wee the rather are loath to confesse because we would not be espied to be in the wrath of God Others there bee that nearing of their sinnes in the time of their afflictions will acknowledge indeede their infirmities to be the mother of such a broode yet they haue no true remorse to restraine themselues from sinne because they haue but a confused conceite thereof and though their ship be neuer so much tossed and turmoyled yet thinke they not that God holdeth the sterne These men if God beare with them do as it were settle in their lees and are as it were soked in their sinnes For prosperitie is a drunkennes to cast our selues into a dead sleepe and when the Lord setteth vs alone we cease not to sooth vp our selues bearing our selues in hand that we are in Gods fauour and that he loueth vs because he scourgeth vs not And thus retchles we are whilest we measure Gods loue according to our sence and humor Wherin we be wray our ignorance of the exercise of the crosse in that affliction is the mother of humilitie humilitie breedeth repentance repentance obtaineth mercy Some also there are who vsually whilest the fearefull iudgement of God is before their eies eyther in themselues or in others haue a fewe glancing motions and starting cogitations of their sinnes and of Christ his passion yet at all other times their mindes are so clasped vp from thinking of temptations their hearts so locked vp from foreseeing or forethinking of iudgments that they feele no godly sorrow They mocke the mourning daies of the elect as of them that be of a melancholy nature they make a sport of sin as little remembring the sting which will either pricke them to the hart blood most fearfully in the houre of death or meete theÌ„ with gryping agonies in the day of their visitatioÌ„ more speedily But happely they thinke they haue giuen good testimony word of their repentance and remembrance of God when they giue one deepe sigh and away and passe ouer Gods heauy indignatioÌ„ as ouer burning coals So that whilest the Lord in prosperity affordeth large peniworthes of his loue vnto them they dally with his Maiesty and make a sport of his mercy All which imperfections may be better corrected if in our deepest rest with a reuerente humble feare of gods iudgmeÌ„ts we did waite for the day of our tryall prepare our selues to the lords visitations as they who by the writing of their owne conscience do acknowledge themselues by iust title to be fosterers therof for the feeling of Gods mercy must come from the sight of our misery by sinne which being pardoned we shall soone haue our infirmities heled Wherfore let vs first learne to cleanse our soules from sin and then to sustaine the sores of our body Sure it is that if we haue suffered our hearts to be harrowed with the rake of Gods iudgements as occasion from the Lord hath bene giuen that we are become soft well exercised in the feare of God we shall come to the feeling of our sins the sence wherof if it bring as it were a sicknes to the body a corsey to the soule it is an vndoubted earnest of our regeneration happy are we if we find our selues so diseased and troubled with our sinnes that we can hardly being in the skirmish agony make any difference between the motions to any euil the consent vnto the same for oftentimes euil motions do so possesse the soules of gods children sucking down so strongly in theÌ„ that though they weepe pray and meditate which be the last meanes remedies to ease cure them yet though they feele them with irksomenes loathsomenes as we feele sicknes in our bodies yet those motions will be continually in them without diminishing the delight onely excepted Wherefore for our comfort herein we are not to martyre our selues with disquietnes of minde because we are so pestered thronged with wicked motions and assaultes but rather let vs quiet our selues and not suffer our selues to be hindred with sicknes either of body or mind by means wherof we should become more vnprofitable to our selues the whole church of God For the godly shall not be so freed from sinne but that they shalbe assalted with euill motions suspitions delusious vaine fan tiâ—â—â—s imaginations the body of sin shall neuer be froÌ„ vs so long as we liue For the scome therof is almost continually boyling wallopping in vs foming out such filthy froth stinking sauor into our mindes that it is not only detestable to the minde regenerate and renewed by the spirit of God but also it would make abashed the very naturall man to looke into so loathsome a stye of sin sink hole of iniquity Yea it maketh vs often to quaile if it were possible it would corrupt the very part regenerate For mighty is the power
worde in that it citeth and sommoneth our consciences before the tribunall of God and woundeth vs with a liuely feeling of Gods iudgement that he who before thorough securitie did despise sounde doctrine may now be constreained to giue the glory vnto God This appeareth more plainely Heb. 4.12 where it is saide that the word of God is liuelie mâ—ghty in operation and sharper then any two edged sword it pearceth thought froÌ„ thought all holinesse shall seme hypocrisie all our righteousnes shall seeme as a defiled cloath we shall finde with Paul that in vs that is in our flesh dwelleth no righteousnes For mens consciences are coulde neither are they touched and displeased with their euils so long as they be in ignorance but when the worde of God pearceth into the vttermost corners of their consciences and telleth them that they haue to doe with the Lorde they are thoroughlye touched and beginne to feare and entering into themselues examining their conscience they come to the knowledge of that which before they had forgotten We can neuer bee offered to God without his spirite Iohn 16.8 For he reprooueth the world of sinne and awaketh our consciences that those sins which before were hid should be made manifest Dauid did lye an whole yeâ—re without this pricke of conscience and thought that all was well vntill Nathan came neither did he finde comfort of conscience vntill he had thus beene pricked Iosephes brethren were thirteene yeares and neuer remembred their sinnes vntill after such time the Lorde laide it before them The Prophet Dauid Psal. 32 which he intituled a Psalme of instruction concerning the free remission of sinnes â—eacheth how wee shall finde the same For many perswade themselues that their sinnes are forgiuen when they be not He also sheweth that vntill trouble of minde did driue him to GOD he founde no comfort Manâ—sses which did eate the breade of sorrow and did drinke the water of griefe vntill he had lamented and sorrowed felt no rest nor peace The woman of Samaria Iohn 4. was pleasant and iested with our Sauiour Christ vntill hir sinnes were opened and then shee beganne to answere with more reuerence For vntill shee was willed to call hir husbande shee thought all was safe but after that he had tolde hir that shee had plaide the adulteresse shee acknowledged him that hee was a Prophet Wherefore wee may see by this which hath beene spoken that the word of God onely pricketh our consciences as plainly may here appeare by the Iewes who cared not for the Apostles nor made any conscience vntill their hearts were pricked In the second place we must note that they were rightly pricked For many often times are pricked which kicke against the pricke and hauing their consciences galled by the word they murmur eyther against the preacher of the word or against the word itselfe Here then is the difference betweene the godly and the wicked the one is pricked and is made more carefull in a godly conscience the other more hardened then before But this is a godly sorrowe when we loue the man that rebuketh vs and reuerence the word the more being by it reprooued in our conscience Doe we loue him then that rebuketh vs then we heare profitably Let vs examine our selues in this sort I see God hath wounded me by him he is the instrument whereby God doth humble me I will therfore loue him Contrary if we be often touched amende not we are in danger of Gods wrath Many indeed are pricked with pouerty many with sicknes some with other like afflictioÌ„s but few with their sins which is the cause of their pouerty sicknes and other afflictions Let vs then learne a willingnesse to offer our selues to be taught and to be pricked for sinne as these men were The wicked also are pricked somtimes for sinne but it is rather for feare of punishment then for conscience to displease God as were Caine and Iudas Some men are pricked and to put away their sorrow they will goe sleepe they will go play they will goe sport they wil get to merie company and passe away the time and so as they terme it they will purge driue away the rage of melancholy they neuer goe to any Preacher to aske of the Lord or at the mouth of his spirite They neuer respect to prayer nor seeke any comforte in the word of GOD. But to put away sorrow on this sort is to call it againe and to feele it more freshly either in the hower of death or in hell Contrariwise if our sorrow doth driue vs to praier or to the worde of God it is good As for the wicked and prophaine worldlinges though as the wise man saith Ecclesiact 11. hee spende all his daies without any euill yet his darknes wilbe greater then the light his sorrowe greater then his pleasure his losse greater then his gaine his trouble greater then his vanitie in hell Let vs not then so carnally shake off this godly sorrow For the worde will send vs often an vnquiet spirite that wee may seeke to be quiet in Christ. To examine our selues herein Haue wee heard the worde of God were we pricked by it then haue wee profited haue we not been pricked thereby then as yet are we not a sacrifice for the Lord. For as was saide before Christ comforteth them that are troubled he helpeth them that doubt he caseth them which are in distresse he setteth their feete in the way of peace and gladnes that haue long beene in darkenes and sorrow Haue ye not beene sorrowfull will ye learne a salue for this sore be sorrowfull that ye were not sorrowfull be pricked in your hearts because you were not more pricked Haue we heard the word Let vs examin our selues if our knowledge be the beter If our affectioÌ„s be the holier As hauing heard the expositioÌ„ of the law of God do we feare God do we know how to loue God do we pray to God do we worship God in our soules in our bodies more carfully in greater coÌ„science theÌ„ we haue don hertofore Are we not now as profaine carelesse stil in giuing the right worship to the true God as before we were to superstitious in seruing Angels SaÌ„ts other false Gods nether sorrowing for our idolatry nor careing for true religioÌ„ haue we not blasphemed profaned the name of god in vnreuereÌ„t hearing his word in vnprofitable talking of his works abusing his owne maiesty with swearing and cursing as much as we euer did before Haue we kept holie the saboth or haue we not prophaned it by open neglect of the worde by playing sporting drinking and other vanities doe we not still send forth our seruantes to dispatch our busines on that day as if it were the market day when they may do such thinges most lawfully Are not parentes hous-holders and gouernours as slacke in prouoking obedience and children seruantes and subiectes as flow