of a sinner And strike a naile as it were through the temples of thy sinnes as she did one indeede through her enemies Wherefore did Iohn the Baptist begin his ministery with Repent and our Sauiour with Amend your liues And why are the Apostles so frequent and earnest in dehorting vs from sinne if this dutie of turning from it were not of very great importance Dost thou thinke that God is not able to be reuenged of thee Is he not the Lord of Hostes and an Essence as well infinite in power as in time And what is man but a worme an impotent and silly wretch Doest thou imagine that he will not punish thee God is a consuming fire and it is a fearefull thing to fall into his hands The Lord hath said That if the wicked turne not vppon the Prophets warning from his wickednesse nor from his wicked way he shall die in his inquitie Doest thou hope to hide thy sinnes from his sight The waies of a man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereâ—h all his paths Thou vnderstandest my thought a farre off saith Dauid and there is not a word in my tongue but loâ— thou knowest it wholly O Lord. Doest thou thinke with thy cunning and close behauiour either to deceiue him or to shift him off Hee trieth the wise in their craftinesse hee trieth the heart and the reines His eyes are as a flame of fire which doe pearce into all the corners of the heart He can tell when thou drawest neare vnto him with thy lips but keepest thy loue for an other Yea but thy birth or beautie wealth or wisedome will preuaile with him Be not deceiued For God seeth not as man seeth for man looketh vpon the outward appearance but the Lorde beholdeth the heart I the Lord search the heart and trie the reines but why euen to giue euery man according to his waies He will saith Salomon recompence euery man according to his works Though hand ioyne in hand the wicked shall not be vnpunished And whosoeuer followeth euill seeketh his owne death God respecteth neither strength nor stature neither face nor fashion nor any other circumstance in the person of any man Yea rather these will aggrauate thy punishments and augment thy paines if thou wilt not forsake thy sinnes because thou hast not vsed them to the honour of God that did honor thee with them We see now beloued that there is no safetie in continuing in our sinnes let vs therefore turne from them And as there is is irreconciliable hostilitie betweene the Ichneumon and the serpent Aspiâ— between the Dolphin and the Crocodile as God doth hath the diuell with an euerlasting hatred so let there bee perpetuall combating betweene vs and our sinnes let vs abhor them and striue against them till God by death as by a sword strike off the head of sinne and vtterly demolish it as Ezekiah did the brazen serpent It is a godly flight to take the wings of the mourning and to flie from sinne it is a good turning to turne from vngodlinesse it is a lawfull rebellion to rebell against the tyrant Sinne as the good king Hezekiah did against the king of Ashur and would not serue him This is the only tirant which a man may lawfully stabbe and kill For For sinne is a meere vsurper all her lawes are wrâ—tten in blood as Dracoes was and shee rewardeth all her vassalls with death Therefore howsoeuer wee haue in times past giuen our selues vnto sin as the ten kings were foretolde to giue their power to the beast yet let vs now reuolt and turne from it as they shoulde from the whore of Babylon and let vs make it desolate and destroy it as they shall do that purple whore For as Peter saith It is sufficient for vs that wee haue spent the time past of our life after the lust of the Gentiles walâ—ing in wantonnesse lusts drâ—nkennâ—sse in gluttony drinkings and in abhominable idolatries The night is past saith Paul and the day is at hand let vs therefore cast away the works of darknesse and let vs put on the armouâ— of light so that we waâ—ke honestly as in the day not in gluttony and drunkenneâ—â—e neither in chambring and wantonnesse nor in strife and enuie Thus then wee haue seene from what we must turne First from Sathan for hee dooth either assaults vs with violence to deuour vs like a Lion or else with subtiltie like a Leopard And if at any time hee please our corrupt humors or make faire as if he would doe vs good it is but in policie like Herod that pretended to worship Christ but intended to kill him or like Dauus in the comedie whom Simo saith did studie rather to crosse him then to please his sonne So Sathan by satisfying our sinfull lusts dooth rather seeke to displease God and to exasperate him against vs then indeede to please vs. When hee comes vnto thee with I will giue thee it is onely with a minde to get thee When hee dooth transforme himselfe into an Angel of light it is but to decâ—iue thee as hee did sometime appeare in the shape of Samuel to Saul the king but not with any purpose to doe him good When he doth salute a man it is onely as Iudas dealt with his Master to betray him or like Ioab who spake courteously to Amasa and tooke him by the beard to kisse him but suddenly slew him with a sword Therefore wee haue good cause to take heed of him and to turne from him Secondly wee must turne from the world which like the whore of Babylon is indeed arrayed in purple and skarlet and guilded with golde and beset with pearles and precious stones yet is she with all the sinke of sinne and a notorious harlot alluring all men to commit fornication with her and to goe a whoring after her from God Thirdly from the waies of the wicked for they lead vs to the house of woe and bring vs to the pit oâ— perdition into which many fall but out of which none doe come none can come Fourthly from all our sinnes both great and â—mall For alâ— are the works and instruments of the diuel They are all deceitfull like a broken tooâ—h and a sliding foote They are all of an imperious disposition like the bramble that delighted to be king or like to Crocodiles that take themselues to be kings as Plinie writeth in the riuer Nilus as if it were their pecular Kingdome Finally they are all enemies to our christian race like stones in our shooes thornes in our legges moats in our eyes flints in our way or not vnlike to the fish called Remora which though it bee not very great yet cleauing to the keele of a shippe vnder water dooth as some report cause her to goe more slowly and doth oftentimes make her to stay as Trebius Niger affirmeth Thus much
concupiscence is in seruitide vnder the diuels bastard yea and strumpet also and in thraldome vnder his owne mortall and vnplacable enemie Thirdly the wicked are the slaues of the world For their profession is pinned vpon her sleeue As Dorus in the Comedie denied the truth which before hee did professe when Phaedreae bad him so the wicked man at the worlds commaund is ready to say and vnsay to professe or deny any thing how grosse or euill soeuer he makes the world his God Furthermore they are very traitours and rebells vnto God They are enemies to his crowne and dignitie they robbe him of his honour they rebell against his lawes they trample vpon his commaundements they breake downe the pale of his precepts they teare his titles with their tongues and they practise against his loyall and obedient subiects Doth it therefore beseeme any honest liberall minded man to walke in their waies and to runne in their races They cannot suredly do it without great blemishing of their owne loyalty and iniury to the glory of God Furthermore The way of the wicked is as Salomon saith an abhomination to the Lord. If his sacrifice be an abhomination vnto him and if his verie praier bee vnacceptable to him his waies which are simply euill must needs be very offensiue in his sight Now then were it not horrible impietie for a man either to set his feete in his waies or not to remoue them and depart away with speede if they be already in them Paul forbiddeth vs to bee partakers of other mens sinnes But he that walketh in the waies of the wicked cannot but transgresse this commaundement He that runneth their courses is a scandall vnto them an occasion to harden their hearts and to hinder their conuersion sheweth plainly that they were all cast in one mould and are all euen he as well as they seruants to one Lord. But hee which turneth from them sheweth his hatred of them and is a furtherance to help forward their conuersion also For as when one sheepe breakes away from the drouer shee is an occasion to mooue many other to followe her so when one man breaketh away from the diuell who driues men to their slaughter he giueth an occasion to many that see him to depart in like sort One bird perceiuing the fowlers wiles by flying away is a motiue to her fellowes being in the same danger to doe the like so one man by leauing the waies of the wicked and so escaping the danger prepared for him occasioneth the wicked also that behold him to take their flight from sinne and to flie from the wiles of the diuell To conclude this third point God commandeth vs to aske for the old way and to walke therein Now if wee must walke in the olde way which is the good way and we shall find rest for our soules then we must leaue all new waies which are euill waies or else wee shall finde paines for our soules God commandeth vs to Walke in tho way of good men and to keep the waies of the righteous it followeth therefore that we must turne from the waies of the wicked For their waies are contrary â—he one shineth as the light the other is as darknesse the one is of God the other of Satan the one is of the way of loue and leadeth vnto life the other is the way of lust and leadeth vnto death the one is the way of Gods children the other of the diuells In the one we must goe as Israel requested Sihon to let them passe thorow his country saying Let mee goe through thy Land wee will 〈◊〉 turne aside unto the fielâ—s nor into the vineyards neither drinke of the waters of the wells we will goe by the kings way vntill we be past thy Country The way of the godly is the Kings hie way to heauen we must goe along in it till we haue passed through this vale of miserie without declining from it on any side We must not breake into the fields of couetousnesse nor into the vineyards of vaine delights neither must wee drinke of the waters of sinfull pleasures or pleasing sinnes But as the Israelite promised to goe by the hie way and to turne neither vnto the right hand nor to the left so wee must keepe our way without wandring out therefore it followeth that wee must abandon and turne from the waies of the wicked For how glorious and faire soeuer they seeme in shew they shall vanish and come to nought like the painted face of Iezabel the colors of the Rainbow Fourthly we must turne from our owne sinnes originall and actuall of what name or nature soeuer in what place at what time and vpon what occasion so euer done whether by commission of euill or omission of good For first our sinnes are the workes of the diuell as our goodnesse is the gift of God Our originall corruption which as a reprosie hath polluted all our parts and poores is the fâ—end of sinne and the very spawne of the diuell whereof he doth beget children according to his owne Image From it all our actuall transgressions how barbarous and exorbitant soeuer they be do proceed and issue as the riuers doe from the sea and as light doth from the sunne or as wormes doe from a loathsome carrion Secondly our sinnes doe pollute and deforme vs. As a Ringworme doth disfigure the face so sinne doth deforme the soule As a Canker doth consume the flesh as rust doth eate the yron as dust and chaffe doe corrupt the corne and as firre vessels do corrupt good wine so sinne doth defile our soules and corrupt our consciences and mis-shape our affections Thirdly sinne is very bitter and pernitious The life of any sin affected is the death of the sinner infected It is of a viperous disposition the birth of sin is the death of the sinner It is like the worme Midas which eates the Beane wherein it is bred and the Moath that consumes the cloth in which she receiued her life Sinne is not much vnlike vnto the louers of Aholilah who when they had bruised the breasts of her virginitie and powred their whordomes vpon her dealt cruelly with her and slew her with the sword so sinne shall breed the sorrowe of all such as dote vpon it and delight to commit adulterie with it And as the Lord threatned Aholilah that her louers with whom she wilfully defiled her selfe should cut off her nose and eares so sinne without speciall mercie shall not onely deforme our selues but strippe vs and leaue vs naked for the iudgements of God to seaze vpon Therefore as Paul shooke the viper from his hand so let vs cast away sinne from our hearts As hee was carefull to preserue his life from those bloudie votaries who had vowed his death so let vs bee carefull to defend our selues from sinne which worketh the destruction of our soules
our conscience will be so torne and crazed that it will eyther not at all or very hardly bee brought into the hauen Let vs therfore as we respect the voyce of the cryer as wee regard the fauour of God as wee either tender our welfare or feare the shipwracke of consciences yea the euerlasting losse of our soules and bodies let vs in the feare of God make conscience of this duty There is no dallying with edged tooles there is no iesting with God Be not deceiued God is not mocked neither will hee be abused And so much for this first lesson a second followeth It is not sufficient for vs to search our waies but wee must search them narrowly For the word Search signifieth to search by vncouering and making things naked that are secret hidden as if a man should search for golde in the mine being in the bowells of the earth where there is much earth but little golde oare Thereby shewing that sinne is crept into corners and lieth close in the marow and lurketh like a serpent in the bones and that our waies being many are not easily discerned like the way of a bird in the aire of a fish in the water or a moule in the earth This made Dauid cry out in the 19. Psalme Who can vnderstand his faults clense mee from my secret sinnes And Salomon saith that God made man righteous but they haue found out Many Inuentions euen so many deuises so many waies as exceed in number the haires of their heads and the starres of the heauen Therfore hee that would know and try his waies aright and repent as hee ought must very diligently search and view them prying into all the corners of his heart and obseruing all the courses of his life There be foure strong reasons which should moue vs to performe this duty First mans heart is a mine of deceit and a sea of subtilty and therefore vnlesse he dig deepe into it and diue low or sound it to the bottome he is very like to beguile himselfe thinking all is wel when nothing is wel Many mens heartes are like many Quag-mires which are rotten ground within and yet seeme solid earth aboue and like the painted sepulchres which our Sauiour speakes of faire without but foule within therefore if we looke but on the outside of our hearts we may be deceiued Secondly the times are so corrupt and vicious and sinne is growne so shamelesse like a strumpet and yet so subtill like a serpent or sophister as that if we search not very circumspectly and iudiciously we shall passe by many vices which lie close couered vnder the names of vertues like some young hunters that bauke the hare thinking they saw nothing but a clot Couetousnesse is counted good husbandrie drunkennesse goes for good fellowship pride is counted cleanlinesse Machiauilianisme is reputed policie vsury of many is thought but thrift painting of faces is pleaded for Plaies though lasciuious are defended swaggering and swearing are made the markes of noble spirits yea what sin is so vile which is not eyther made of or minsed yea there be many works that men doe which are good as concerning their outward substance and glorious in appearance and yet euill in the doer being done without faith and for sinister respects and therefore abhominable in the eies of God something like the fruite which groweth neare to the Dead Sea which being ripe maketh a faire shew but within is full of cinders or ashes as some do write Wherefore if wee search but superficially and not throughly we shall take and embrace euill for good as Ixion did the cloud for Iuno And because sinne is become so wily as that it presents it selfe vnto vs in the habit of the harmlesse sheepe beeing in heart a wolfe we must desire God to open our eyes and take away the web of ignorance For if we want the eye of the mind which is knowledge as Izhak wanted the eyes of his body surely as he bestowed his blessing vpon the younger in stead of the elder vppon Iacob in stead of Esau so wee shall set our heart amisse and bestow our blessing wrong taking vice for vertue because it comes disguised Thirdly we had need search our waies very surely because the seede of all sinnes is sowen in our hearts there hath taken roote and shall not till wee die be altogether consumed Now if our hearts be polluted our waies cannot bee pure For if the fountaine be bitter the brooke cannot be very sweete and if the roote be corrupted the branches fare the worse When men call to minde the murther of Caine the churlishnes of Nabal the vnnaturall ambition of Absolon the wickednesse of Haman the cruelty of Herod the malice of the Iewes the treason of Iudas the blasphemies of Iulian the barbaritie of those sauage Romanists that would haue blowne vp the Parliament house they do condemne and accuse them to the pit of hell from whence they came Beloued there is in vs by nature an inclination vnto all these sinnes and a thousand other therefore we must obserue our waies very narrowly least wee should be ouertaken or if we finde pollution in them that wee may in time redresse them If a king knew certainly that there were traytours in all the quarters of his kingdome which plotted his death and the destruction of his Kingdome hee would bee very wary how or where he walked and he would be as industrious in searching out his enemies If a man knew theâ—e were some in his house that would if they could cut his throate and robbe him he would be very circumspect If a Cittie had certaine intelligence that there were some in the towne that would either fire it ouer theyr heads or betray it if it were possible to their enemies surely they would not be secure but would vse all meanes possible to finde them out Verily beloued we are pestered with enemies Our waies are many our workes are many and not one of all these no not the best but it is polluted with some sinne or other So many sinnes as a man hath so many enemies he hath to the saluation of his soule for the waies of sinne is death But our hearts our heads our hands yea all the powers of our soules are tainted with sinnes all which conspire against vs with Sathan to worke the eternall destruction of our soules bodies Therfore it stands vs vpoÌ„ to vse all diligence to find theÌ„ out Fourthly wee are by God commaunded to keepe our hearts With all diligence which wee can neuer doe vnlesse we view them throughly and search our waies with exceeding care How can a Gouernor of a Cittie keepe and defend it in the time of warre when the enemies do begirt it vnles he haue a narrow eye vnto all the in-rodes and out-rodes of his souldiers and to the behauiour of the townes-men So we shal neuer defende the
so let vs looke to our owne professions The Bee trims her owne hâ—ue so let vs dresse our own hearts The bird frequenteth her owne neast The Cony keepeth her owne burrow The good huswife mindeth her owne house and carrieth it about with her like a snaile so we must haunt our owne hearts and haue greatest respect and a most watchfull eye to our owne waies The good heardsman chiefly searcheth his owne flockes The good husbandman doth most of all seaâ—ch and trie the qualitie and nature of his owne soile so we must chiâ—fly husband search and examine our owne soules our own affections our owne workes and our own waies The Apostle saith that hee that prouideth not for his owne denieth the faith and is worse then an Infidell So it may be truly saide of him that dooh not search and proue his owne waies that hee dooth denie obedience vnto God and is in a wretched condition not able to prooue himselâ—e better then a Pagan setting aside his outward profession and name of a Christian which stands him in no more stead then for a ranke beggar to bee reputed rich or for a man to bee intituled Emperour of all the world and yet to want a house to shroud his head Here then comes to be condemned the common custome of many curious and captious persons that forget themselues busie themselues in searching and examining their neighbours Salomon saith of the harloâ— that she is babâ—ing and loud and her feete cannot abide in her house So these men delight in babling of other mens sinnes they are loud and shril in sounding out the faults of othersâ— and in censuring and taxing their waies but they passe by themselues they loue not to tarrie within the doores of their owne hearts They will search others to the quicke and passe their verdict on their waies to the highest straine of the Law but in the meane time they meddle not with themselues or make but a very parâ—iall triall These men like crowes are best at ease when they are feeding their corrupt humours vpon the carrion of other mens sins or like the flesh-flie that alway delights to sit vpon the soare I taxe not the lawful searching and examination of other mens waies made by the lawfull Magistrate the godly Minister the honest Maister and religious parent or of any other that keepeth himselfe within the lists and limits of his calling Onely this I say let curious inquisition bee abandoned and let him that searcheth and trieth the waies of other men be mindfull of his owne lest hee proue no better at the best then either the lanthorne which beareth a light for others to see by or the wilde fig-tree which as they say giueth that to others which it hath not it selfe So let him take heede lest hee be an occasion and helpe to others for to repent by discouering their waies vnto them yet be through his own default the destruction of himselfe in that he did not discouer and ponder his owne Thus much concerning the two former branches of the Prophets exhortation which I beseech you brethren be mindefull of Shall the Oxe know his owner and the Asse his masters crib and shall wee be ignorant of our waies and not know our selues If wee would not then we must search and try them Wouldst thou haue the vessell of thine heart clensed of the lees of sinne As thou must get it rinsed with the clensing water of Gods Spirit so thou must search and examine it thy selfe or otherwise thou wilt not thinke it is so full of dregges and corruption as it is and so will bee more secure then is meete I proceed now to the third braÌ„ch And let vs turne againe vnto the Lord. Whence I gather these two Doctrines First that sinnes sets a man out of his right way and makes him wander from the Lord for hee that will haue fellowshippe and fauour with God is exhorted to turn from his sinnes Sinne doth vntune the strings of the heart and puts the limmes of the soule out of ioynt It makes one stray like a sheepe and leades one from God to the diuell from life to death from heauen to hell Therfore though it sometimes bring hony with it in the mouth like a Bee yet it neuer is without a sting in the taile For that which Salomon saith of the harlot is mâ—st true of sin Though it be as soft as oyle in the beginning and as sweete as the hony combe to the taste of the sinner yet the end thereof is bitter as worme wood and as sharpe as a two edged sword the feete thereof goe downe to death and the steps take hold on hell it causeth many to fall downe wounded and slaieth the mightie Wherfore then should men delight in sinne and embrace the bosome of iniquitie Secondly and so to conclude this text from these words of the Prophet I am taught to teach you That it is not sufficient for a man onely to search and trie his waies but he must also turne from them if he find them wrong and seriously repent himselfe of them For therefore we search and trie them that discerning them to be euill we may forsake them The ende of fishing is not angling but taking the ende of fowling is catching the ende of plowing is not working but sowing so the ende of searching and prouing our waies is that we may repaire them and and returne to God Therefore when the wise man had saide Ponder the path of thy feete hee addeth immediately And let all thy waies be ordered aright turn not to the right hand nor to the left but remoue thy foot from euill As the Sessions and Assises are helde for the repressing of enormities and iniuries and for the suppressing of irregular and vicious persons so we hold this Assises in our soules for the arraigning enditing examining iudging and condemning of our sinnes that dying vnto sinne we may liue vnto God with peace of conscience and tranquilitie of minde Secondly if we doe onely search and examine our waies and proceed no further we shal make our selues more inexcusable encrease our condemnation For if after the performance of these things we shall perceiue our waies to bee our owne and not the waies of God and wil yet content our selues and not seeke to mend them we shall the more displease his Maiestie we shal aggrauate our punishment and make our selues more guiltie of our owne destructions For it is not so much the coÌ„mitting of sin which condemns the sinner as the continuing in it without conuersion from it being seene and knowne If a man were fallen into deepe dungeon or pit would not seeke to come forth when he might be deliuered if he sought in time he makes himselfe guiltie of his owne death If a man by searching of his wounds did perceiue the present and future daunger of them and yet would hide them
Wherfore was Adam exiled out of Paradise but for his sinne Why was the olde worlde drowned with water but for their sinne Why was Sodom burnt with fire and brimstone but for sinne Pauls sinfull zeale made him a persecutor Sinne made Absolom ambitious Haman malicious Nabal a churle and Iudas a traytour Sinne caused Korah and his company to be swallowed vp of the earth sinne made Pharaoh and his people to be consumed by the water sinne occasioned Nadab and Abihu to be deuoured with fire sinne caused Herâ—d to be eaten with wormes God turneth a fruitefull land into barronnesse for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein And the Spirit of wisedome saith that For the transgression of the Land there are many Princes thereof that is many and no small alterations in the state Our sinnes are the cause of our sorrowes and our wickednesse is the worker of all our wretchednesse It is the cause of all disorder and dissention in Church in Common-wealth and Family Yea it oftentimes is the cause why the sinner is punished by committing of other sinnes therefore Paul saith that God gaue the Heathen for their wickednesse vp to their harts lusts and deliuered them ouer to a reprobate minde to commit very feareful and odious enormities Sinne is like the Serpent Amphisbaena which hath as it were two heads one before an other behinde at the taile as if shee were not hurtfull enough to cast her poyson at one mouth only Sinne woundeth at both endes in the one it wounds the soule by poysoning and infecting it and in the other it wounds both soule and body by destroying them without the Antidote or counter-poyson of the meritorious bloud of that true brazen serpent Christ Iesus Sinne as it were out of two mouthes spitteth forth her venime whereby she both hurteth our hearts and exposeth vs to the fire of Gods dreadfull indignation Fourthly sinne is very subtil like a serpent all like a witch to work our woe It is like the Hyaena which as Pliny recordeth is said to vomit like a man therby to train dogges to come vnto him and then will deuoure them Sometimes it will weepe with the Crocodile sometimes it will be musicall with the Syren but all to destroy It begins sometimes with a song like a Gnat but it endeth with byting Pliny sayeth that the Hyaena will change his eies into a thousand colours so sinne will make many faces The Beiuers haire is softer then the downe of feathers yet is he dangerous with his teeth For as Pliny writeth he will gnaw trees with his teeth is if they were cut with axes and if he catch hold of any ioynt in a man he will not leaue till he haue knapped the bone asunder So sin doth oftentimes very much delight the sinner as being very soft to the touch and pleasant to the taste and yet it is but a painted Iezabel a disguised harlot and a sweetned poyson it gnawnes the conscience and bites the soule to the bone It is greene like the boxe tree but the seed is poyson The hurtfull serpents are ordinarily of the colour of the harmles earth so sinne sometimes doth seeme a vertue and is so esteemed of some that are bad-sighted or grown to desperate impietie Which speake good of euill and euill of good which put darknesse for light and light for darknesse that put bitter for sweete and sweete for sowre Sinne hath so distempered their tastes and bewitched their eyes If sinne were not exceeding subtill and the sinner made by sinne exceeding simple Salomon would not say There is a way that seemeth right vnto man but the issue thereof are the waies of death Neither would any hypocrites bee so impudent as to say without blushing if at all with those in Isaih Stand apart come not neare vnto me for I am more holy thâ—n thou If sinne had not bene very deceitfull would the Valentinian heretiques haue condemned all others as grosse and earthly and haue called themselues onely Ghostly Would the Arrians haue called the true Christians that profesâ—ed the faith of the holy Trinitie sometime Ambrosians sometimes Iohannites and sometimes Homousians allowing themselues onely something like our Papists to be called Catholiques Would the Brownists which are sprung out of the ashes of the Donatists condemne our Ministrie our Churches and assemblies as Antichristian Could widowes houses be deuoured through the pretext of long praiers Could vice wander in the habit of vertue or would any but a dogge returne like a dogge to his vomit if sinne were not very deceitfull but did appeare vnto all men as it is in it selfe Considering therefore beloued the malicious subtiltie and the subtill malice of sinne vnto mankinde let vs not onely bewise to discerne it but carefull also to flie from it and eschew it Hee that fostereth sin fauoureth a false and perfidious enemie and doth as Ioash did who entertained seruants which slew him Let no man therefore I say bee the seruant of sinne Giue not your members as weapons of vnrighteousnesse vnto sin Listen not vnto it least by listning vnto it as Eue did vnto the serpent ye make your selues as shee did her selfe a pray to the diuell Fiftly vnlesse a man do purpose and with a constant determination of minde and resolution of spirit doe labour to leaue his sinnes and to stand against the streame of his sinfull affections he doth shew himselfe destitute of the feare of God which is to hate euill and altogether vnlike to God who is holy yea euen holinesse it selfe and he doth moreouer make himselfe vnmeete to aske forgiuenesse of his sins For with what face dare hee desire of God to forgiue him his sinne that makes no conscience of committing sinne How dare he desire God to turne his iudgements from him seeing he doth not seriously himselfe purpose and accordingly study to turne from his sinnes which doe not onely deserue the iudgments of God but are also a match to giue fire vnto his wrath or as bellowes to blow it vp Yea it is a very manifest argument that hee which will not turne from his sinne doth not sincerely with an honest heart desire the pardon of sinne For no man will thinke that he doth hartily desire the peace and pardon of his neighbour who commeth creeping to him for it and yet in the meane time dooth either secretly practise against him or at the least dooth not purpose to forbeare the practise of those things which makes the â—arre betwixt them Hee doth only dally with him and abuse him Sixâ—ly let vs remember that there is a day of death and a day of iudgment in which euery man must anâ—were for his facts Caine for his murther Ismael for his mocking Nahal for his drunkennesse Absolon for his ambition Achitophel for his wicked counsell Haman for his hautinesse Herod for his pride Iudw for his treason Iulian for his blasphemies and euery sinner
for his sinnes For the bookes wherein all mens actions are as it were recorded shal be opened and euery man shall be iudged of those things whicâ— are registred in the bookes of Gods knowledge and mans conscience according to their works And euery man without exception shall receiue the things which are done in his body according to that hee hath done whether it bee good or euill The riches of Laban the wealth of Nabal the wisedome of Achitophel the beauty of Absolon the crown of Saul the strength of Lamech the kingdomes of Nebuchadnezar the eloquence of Tertullus the miter of Caiaphas will than stand them in no stead at all For the Lord is no accepter of persons he hath prepared Tophet of olde for wicked princes and hee will rebuke the vngodly of all their wicked deedes Now as death dooth leaue them so the last iudgement shall find them If therefore wee would either fit our selues for death or frame our selues to the last iudgement let vs abandon our sinnes and iudge our selues If wee will accuse and condemne our sins and execute them as Iosiah did the priests of the high places wee shall not neede to feare the terrour of death which is appointed for all nor the sentence of the iudge which shall onely be pronounced against the wicked Lastly I say wee must turne from all our sinnes and not from some onely For so is the will of God Cast away from you all your transgression for why will yee dis O house of Israel Euery sinne displeaseth God and deserueth death euery sin doth staine the soule and wound the conscience It is not possible for a man to carry fire in his bosome and his clothes not bee burnt and impossible for him to goe vppon coales and his feete not be scorched so is it impossible to fauour any sin and not to be infected As euery enemie is dangerous and as the least drop of poison is hurtfull and the least plague-sore infectious so the smallest sinne wil smart the least offence is pernicious pestilent infectious Secondly we vowed to God in our baptisme that we would turn from all our sinnes and from all the workes of the diuell Hee that will not keep touch with God must neuer looke that God will keep touch with him For his promise of pardon belongs onely vnto penitent persons And therefore he saith If the wicked will returne from all his sins hee shall surely liue and shall not die Thirâ—ly the Lorde in expresse tearmes forbiddeth not onely greater but aâ—so smaller sinnes He doth not onely condemne drunkennes but hee doth also pronounce a woe vnto them that are mighty to drinke wine and are strong to powre in strong drinke Saint Peter doth not onely râ—quire vs to forbeare drunkennesse but also drinkings Saint Paul doth not onâ—ly forbid vs filthines but foolish talking The Lord commandeth the wicked to forsake their very imaginations Christ telleth vs that we must giue account of euery idle word Peter warneth vs to lay aside all malitiousnesse and all guile and all euill speaking Dauid saith I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes A froward heart shall depart from me I will know none euill And according to this his resolution hee saith againe I haue refrained my feete from euery euill way and do hate all false waies And desireth God to let none iniquitie to haue dominion ouer him The Lord hateth all our sins Christ hath suffered for all our sins therefore let vs abandon them all If we entertaine but one we open a casemenâ— for another and animate the diuell to sally a fresh vppon vs who like a Crocodile flieth if hee be resisted but if we yeeld vnto him in the least sinne hee will very falsely assault vs and seeke to swallow vs vp Must wee abstaine from all appearance of euill Must wee hate the very garment which is spottâ—d by the flesh Then good reason haue wee to abstaine from all things that are meerely euill in themselues and to detest the flesh which defiles the man and lusteth against the Spirit Shall kings fight against their quarrellous despitâ—ful enemies which onely seeke to depriue them of their earthly kingdomes and shall not we contend and war against our fleshly lusts which fight against our soules and seek to defeat vs of our heauenly kingdome Will euery man by the vertue of his nature like Chariâ—us in the Comedie proue euery way before they will perish or lose their liues in this world and shall not wee take any paines to escape eternall paines and to saue our soules in the world to come Shall Christ lament yea and die for our sinnes and shall we make our selues mery with them as many doe Or rather shall we not mourne for them and seeke to bee deliuered from them Shall Dauids eyes gush out with riuers of water because other men kept not Gods law and doth it beseeme vs to be drie cheeked and not lament for our owne sinnes whereby wee haue broken his law and battered the castles of our owne consciences Shall Ieremy wish that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountaine of teares that he might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of his people and shall wee neuer lament weepe for our sinnes which displease our friend and please our foe which did once slay our soules and doe daily wring them would consume them vâ—terly if the Lord who hath restored them to life in Christ did not guard them by his grace Doe we not see what an antipathy there is amongst the creatures One of them by a secret instinct of nature doth hate and persecute another Nay doe wee not see that many men are as wolues each to other Wherefore then should we not persecute and hate our sinnes seeing that they be our mortall enemies and will neueâ— become our friends The fish called Lepus is as some write poisoâ— to a man and man to him Sinne is poison vnto vs so let vs be as poison vnto it Shall tâ—e wicked lay wait for blood and swallow the innocent vppe like a graue and shal not we seeke to mortifie our siâ—nes which are noxious vnto vs and offensiue vnto God Mortifie therefore your members which are on earth fornication vncleannesse the inordinate affection euill concupiscence and couetousnesse which is idolatry If wee will not mortifie them they will mortifie vs If we will not part from them God will part from vs. Surely saith Dauia God will wound the head of his enemies and the hairie pate of him that walketh in his sinnes Shall Dauid hate the desperate enemies of God and earnestly contend with those that rise vp against him and shall not wee hate sinne which makes men hatefull vnto God and haters of God Shall not we earnestly contend against our sins which do both
the plague-sores of our soules and vtter enemies to our peace and safety shall wee let them alone shall we stand still suffer them to destroy vs O daughter Babel worthy to bee destroyed And is not sinne the daughter of the diuell and the Babel of the soule as worthy to bee destroyed Blessed saith the Psalmist shall hee be not seeme nor called that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones euen so blessed shall that man be I say bee that dasheth his sinnes in peeces and killeth the killing corruption of his heart which like the fire saith not It is enough and like the Crocodile will grow so long as it hath any life vnlesse it be both pressed and oppressed If Dauid crie out Woe is vnto me that I remaine in Meshek and dwell in the tents of Kedar haue not we cause to lameÌ„t that we remaine in our sinnes and for that not onely sinne dwelleth in vs but we also in sinne as it is to be feared many of vs may truly say as much if we did search our selues narowly Dauid could say My soule hath too long dwelt with him that hateth peace Wherefore then should not we be wearie of our sinnes which are sworne enemies to all true peace Amos maketh mention of some that desire the Sabbath were gone that they might sell their corne deere and falsifie their weights yea that they might buy the poore for siluer and the needie for shooes Their delay was as death vnto them Shall any man make so much haste for filthy lucre and to worke heinous iniquitie and shall wee linger the time and deferre to do good to turne from our sinnes vnto God Dauid was grieued because he saw men that kept not the word of God shal not we be grieued for our selues when wee breake the commaundements of God and demonstrate our griefe by our true turning vnto him Must Ierusalem mourn because the children of Iudah haue set their abhominations in the house of God and shall we be ioyfull and careles while our hearts which are the houses of the holy Ghost are polluted with abhominable corruptions whereof we haue not all of vs as yet truly repented as our liues doe testifie Yea rather let vs repent and turne againe vnto the Lord and then we may indeed reioyce Was Ieremie sore vexed for the hurt of the daughter of his people Shall his eye cast out riuers of water for her destruction And shal not we lament for our owne hurt for defacing of Gods image within vs and for the many grieuous wounds of our soules Must Christ be nayled to the Crosse for thy sinnes and pearced with a speare to the heart for thy wickednesse and wilt not thou turne from them and forsake them Shal he grone and sigh and sob shall he sweate water and bloud for thy sinnes and wilt thou yet delight in them wilt thou not forsake and leaue them knowest thou not that Christ bare our sinnes vpon the Crosse that we should die to sinne and liue in righteousnesse Paul saith that Christ gaue himselfe for vs that hee might redeem vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe Zealous of good workes Therefore to shew our selues to be the redeemed of Christ we must turne from our sinnes and follow the workes of pietie and iustice As there is no agreement betweene God and the Diuell betweene Christ and Beliall betweene light and darknesse as there is mortall enmitie betweene the Eagle and the Swan betweene the Turtle and the Pyralis betweene the Ichneumon and Waspe the Rauen and the Leriot one of them iarring and warring with an other so let there be no concord betwixt theâ— and thy sinnes but as they contend against thy soule so doe thou wage warre with them and cease not till thou haue gotten conquest ouer them And as Peter saith of the faithfull in his time that they were as sheepe going astray but are now returned vn-the Sheepheard and Bishop of their soules euen so though ye haue bene in time past straglers from the Lorde and transgressours of his lawe yet now repent of your sinnes and turne againe vnto him so shall Sathan be grieued his members silenced the godly edified your selues comforted and God glorified vnto whom be rendered all honour praise and glory in the Church and of the Church â—or euer and euer Amen Trin-vni Deo Gloria Neuem 5. 1605. Deut. 32. 15. Iob. 39. 7. Mare mortuum Reue. 2. 5. Ier. 7. 3. 2. Chron. 30. 9. Plin. lib. â— cap. 26. Plin. lib. 8. c. 26. Doct. 1. 2. Tim. 3. 16. 2. Pet. 1. 21. Iam. 4. 12. Reuel 1. 6 Mar. 5. 13 Num. 22. Zep. â— 1â— Vse 1. Act. 27. 15. antipiptete Act. 7. 51. For the breach of euery commandement and exhortation is eternal death Isa 28. 1â— Vse 2. Gal. 1. 4. Rom. 12. 2 Mat. 8. 9. Math. 12 50. 1. Thess 4. 3. 2. Sam. 26 7. 2. Math. 2. 8 2. King 25 Gal. 6. 7 Doct. 2. Ps 19. 12. Ec. 7. 31. Matt. 23. 17. Mare mâ—rtuum Gen. 27. An. 1605. Ro. 6. 23. Pro. 4. 23 Ier. 9. 5. 1. Pet. 2. 15. Mat. 7. 13 Prou. 27. 23. Mouent non pro mouent Isa 38. 8. Ios 10. 13 Psa 19. 5. Doct. 3. Pro. 16. 2. 21. 2. Pro. 30. 12 Eccl 7. 22 Gen. 6. 5. Rom. 7. 18. 23. Ioh. 8. 44. Psal 19. 8. 11. Psal 119. 104 105. Psal 119. 144 151. Vse 1. Psal 119. 15. 18. Psal 119. 24 64 73 Vse 2. Occultum quatiente auimo tortore flagelluÌ„ Iuuen. Vse 3. Ps 119. 59. Doct. 4. Doct. 5. Lam. 1. 1. 3. Lam. 2. 2 11 12 20 â—1 Lam. 4. 4. 5. 10. Lam 5. 4 5 12 14. Lam. 2. 5 15. Lam. 3. 46 Lam. 2. 7 20. Lam. 4. 16 Ps 145. 9. Ps 89. 32 33. Doct. 6. Rom. 1. 7. 1 Cor. 1. 2 Rom. 15. 14. 15. 1. Ioh. 1. 8 1. Ki. 8. 46 Doct. 7. 2. Cor 5. 20 Psal 4. 4. Iam. 5. 17. Prou 1. 11. 14. Prou. 7. 18 Ps 64. 5. Gen. 30. 37 38 39. Doct. 8. Gen. 2. 10 Iosh 6. 4 3 Vse 1. Vse 2. 1. Sam. 2. 25. Vse 3. a Ps 75. 6. b 1. Chro. 2â— 12. c 1. Sam. â— 30 d Ps 37. 34 Act. 27. 22 23 31 34 43. Ps 119. 9 Exod 4. 3. Doct. 9. Psal 4. 4. Zeph. 2. 1. 1. Cor. 11. 28 2. Cor. 13. 15. Gal. 4. 4 5 2. Cor. 5. 10. Pro. 27. 23. Pro. 31. 27 1. Tim. 5. 8 Pro. 7. 11. Caprificus Isa 1. â— Ezek. 36. 25. Doct. 10. Doct. 10. Pro. 5. 4. 5. Proâ— 26. Doct. 11. Pro. 4. 26 27. Sinne inuironeth or hemmeth a man about Heb. 12. 1. Ps 39. 1. 2. Cor. 2. 13. In vtramque aurem â—â—â—mire Rom. 7. 23 Act. 8. 21. 23. First point Who must turne Rom. 15. 4 Rom. 2. 6. 11. Act. 17. 30 1. Cor. 7. 19. 2. Cor. 5. 27. Eph. 2. 1 3 12. Ps 81.