aspexit Remember Lots wife how she was brought indeed out of Sodome because she beleeued God but was changed by the way into a pillar of salt because she looked backe God hath commaunded vs as he did Lot and his wife that wee should come out of Sodome that is that we should forsake our sinnes and not so much as looke back vnto sinne but runne in hast till we come into heauen which is our Zoar. If therefore with Lots wife we wil looke backe in our way to the pleasantnesse of sinne we shall be sure with her to tast the bitternesse of her punishment for as she vbi respexit Gen. 19.26 ibi remansit where she looked backe there she stood still and came not vnto Zoar where her life should haue bene saued so if once we haue abandoned sinne which is the broade way that leadeth vnto death and haue entred into a holy and religious course which is this narrow way that leadeth vnto life if then with Lots wife we go not forward but looke backward to our former delights of sin it is impossible for vs to come to Zoar that is vnto heauen where our soules and bodies should be saued They are our Sauiour Christ his own words in the ninth of Luke and the last verse No man putting his hand vnto the plough and looking backe is fit for the kingdome of God Exod. 16.26 The Israelites were commanded not once in a moneth nor once in a weeke but euery day to gather Manna except vpon the Sabboth day to teach them and to teach vs that till such time as we come vnto that eternall Sabboth of our euerlasting rest in heauen we must neuer stand still in the way of a godly life but euery day be going forward Apelles posie was Nulla dies sine linea Let no day passe from me without drawing one line at the least and Titus the Emperor was wont to say Sueton. in Tit. Amici diem perdidimus Ezech. 47.4 that he had lost that day in which he did no good As the waters in Ezechiel rose by degrees first to the ankles then vnto the knees then vnto the loines and lastly to the head and as the wheate which Christ speakes of Mark 4.28 grew vp riper and riper first there was a blade then the eare then the full corne and lastly came the haruest so like those waters we must grow higher and higher till we come vnto our head Christ and like that wheate we must grow riper and riper til we come to the haruest which is the end of the world There is in Persia a stone called Selenites Plin. lib. vlt. cuius interior candor cum Luna crescit decrescit whose inward whitenesse increaseth and decreaseth as the Moone The deuotion of Christians must not be like this stone still changing and continuing no longer in one moode then a sparrow lights vpon the ground but we must proceed in the way of righteousnesse euen as Abraham went to Canaan that is we must eundo pergere still be going and as those kine of the Philistines which bare the Arke of God 1. Sam. 6. though they were milch had calues at home yet without turning either to the right or left hand they kept on their way to Bethshemesh so hauing once ioyned ourselues vnto the yoke of Christ and bearing the arke of his law vpon our shoulders in the way of a vertuous life though we haue many allurements to draw vs backe as those kine had their calues yet without turning either to the right or left hand we must keepe our way to Bethshemesh that is vnto the house of the Sunne for so the word signifieth where the Son of God raigneth In the 13. of Saint Matthew the kingdome of God is described in this manner It is as a grain of Musterdseed at first the least of al seeds Math. 13.31 but when a man hath sowne it in his field it becometh first an herbe then the greatest of herbs thirdly a tree lastly the birdes make arbours and shades in the bowes of it Now why should the kingdome of God be compared vnto this seede which is still increasing verily no better reason can be giuen for it then this that we may all learne not to stand still in our Christian growth but to preseuere and go on from grace vnto grace till we become perfect men in Christ Iesus As the star neuer ceased going Math. 2.9 till it came vnto the house where Christ was so if we be once entred into the way of a holy and religious life we must neuer stand still but continue still going till we come vnto heauen where God is If we haue faith we must then go from faith to faith if we haue loue we must continue and abide in loue if we haue zeale we must labor to be consumed with zeale if we giue almes we must go a step further and giue it with chearfulnesse and as God hath continued a chaine of his good graces vnto vs first by predestinating secondly by calling Rom. 8.30 thirdly by iustifying fourthly by glorifying vs so must we continue a chain of our graces towards God by giuing al diligence 2. Pet. 1.5.6 as the Apostle Saint Peter speaketh to ioine vertue with our faith and with our vertue knowledge and with our knowledge tēperance and with our temperance patience and with our patience godlinesse and neuer leaue ioyning the linkes of that golden chaine there ioyned till our bodies and soules come to be disioined But beloued if the want of any vertue is to be lamented in this age it is the want of this vertue of all vertues perseuerance For if we take a view of all estates of men euen from the highest to the lowest shall we not be so far frō finding any increase or growth in Christian duties any going forward in the way of righteousnesse from grace vnto grace Indies deficit in agris agricola Cyp. con Deme. and from strength vnto strength that we shall rather finde an vniuersall falling away and defection in them Is there not now as S. Cyprian iustly complained in his time a daily defectiō in the world both of men and of mens manners Is there not a defection of the husbandman in the field of the marriner at the sea of citizens in townes of townsemen in villages Is there not a defection of innocency in the court of iustice in iudgement of concord in friendship of workmanship in arts of discipline in manners Where is that zeale vnto the word that hunger thirst after the waters of the wel of life that was wont to be amōg vs Do we still thirst after these waters of the well of life 2. Sam. 23. as Dauid for the waters of the well of Bethlem Nay rather are we not come vnto that fulnesse and satietie Numb 11.7 that we euen loath these waters of life as Israel loathed Manna If it were not so
a sinner they apply either one or both these comforts to them first that nullum tempus poenitentiae inidoneum that no time is too late to come vnto God by repentance and if they stagger in their hope notwithstanding this first comfort then is it commonly backed with this second that God is Deus misericordiae a God of mercie and will forgiue them And in this for the most part we are all like vnto Benhadad 2. King 20. For as he fled from the King of Israel from place vnto place till he was forced into a chamber and when he could go no farther thus he was comforted Reges Israel sunt Reges misericordes The Kings of Israel are mercifull Kings So men commonly when they are in health and strength of bodie they run on in iniquitie and sinne and are impiously rebellious against the holy one of Israel but when they are chased as it were into their chambers either by sicknesse or old age and when there is no way but one as we say but death with them then this is their comfort that Deus Israel est Deus misericordiae that the God of Israel wil be then vnto them a God of mercy But beloued let vs neither flatter our selues with vaine hopes nor deceiue our neighbours with false comforts for though God accepteth of him who cometh vnto him in his old age which is the euening of his life as you may see by him who had a penie giuen him Math. 20.9 though he came at the end of the day to the vineyard and by the theefe Luke 25.43 who was posted euen from the crosse vnto Paradise yet God had rather thou shouldest come vnto him in thy youth which is the morning of thy age And to that end saith the wise man Eccles 12.1 Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth least our comming vnto God should be put off and deferred he saith Remember now and least we should put off till old age or death he addeth in the dayes of thy youth And â—â—rely if there were no other reason for it or if we had not the lamentable example of the fiue foolish virgins in this chapter to direct vs who calling Lord Lord open vnto vs when it was too late were shut out and excluded from the kingdome of heauen yet this may be sufficient that we see commonly in our experience carnall and carelesse sinners Justo Dei iudictio hac poena punitur peccator vt mortens obliuiscatur sui qui cuÌ„ viueret oblitus est Dei Augustin by the iust iudgement of God to be punished with this kinde of punishment namely in old age and at the houre of death to forget both themselues and God as before in their youth they had no care to remember him And for the second comfort that God is Deus misericordiae a mercifull God sure it is that as the women sung concerning Saul and Dauid 1. Sam. 18.7 Saul hath slaine his thousand but Dauid his teÌ„ thousands So we may sorowfully sing and say truly that the despaire of Gods mercie hath slaine thousands but the grosse presumption of his mercie hath slaine ten thousands it hath sent ten times as many more vnto hell as the despaire of his mercie And therefore let vs not suffer our selues any longer to be deceiued for as it is true of God which the Prophet Dauid hath Psalm 86.15 that the Lord is a pitifull God mercifull slow to anger and great in kindnesse for all these doth be heape together in that verse yet haue we no reason to be presumptuous vpon these his mercies but we should rather looke backe vnto the 18. Psalme and 26. verse where the Prophet speaking of God he saith thus With the pure thou wilt shew thy selfe pure and with the froward thou wilt shew thy selfe froward that is as he wil mercifully receiue and pardon those that are penitent so he will iustly repell and seuerely punish those that are impenitent In the verses which go before from the beginning of this Chapter we haue the truth and proofe of this doctrine in the parable of the ten virgins For as we see the fiue wise virgins who had oyle in their lampes that is whose good workes and godly liues did shine and giue light vnto others as a lampe giues light vnto those that are in darknesse as we see these most mercifully to be receiued and to enter in with the bridegroome so the fiue foolish virgins who did slumber and sleepe and had no care to expect the bridegroomes coÌ„ming by a vertuous and godly life those we see most iustly to be shut out And our Sauiour Christ concludeth and shutteth vp that parable with this comfortable sweet caueat vnto vs Watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the houre when the Sonne of man will come As if he should haue said seeing there will be a comming of the Sonne of man to iudgement and his comming as it wil be ioyfull and comfortable to the godly so it will be fearfull and terrible to the wicked and we know neither the day nor the houre when he wil come therfore slumber not sleepe not be not carelesse be not secure in your sinnes but watch that is be prepared by a vertuous and godly life against his comming that so when he shal come you may be receiued into heauen with the fiue wise virgins and not be excluded and shut out of heauen with the fiue foolish Watch therfore for you know neither the day nor the houre when the Sonne of man will come In the right opening handling of which words I beseech you to obserue carefully with me these foure particular considerations First that there will be a comming of the Sonne of man to iudgement He wil come Secondly that because he commeth to iudgement therfore his comming wil be fearful terrible Thirdly that the time of his fearfull and terrible comming vnto iudgement is vncertaine We neither know the day nor the houre when he wil come And lastly the vse which we are to make of all these this is a careful vigilant preparation of our selues against his coÌ„ming in the first words Vigilate igitur Watch therefore Watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the houre when the Sonne of man will come Now of all these in their order And first for the first consideration 1. That there wil be a comming of the Sonne of man to iudgement He will come It was the fond opinion of Aristotle that great Philosopher that the world had no beginning Lib. 1. de coelo cap. 10. and so consequently shall haue no end and that mankind with all other creatures in the world were alwayes and should be alwayes The which opinion of his if it were true then might men lawfully doubt whether there should be a general Sessions a generall calling or no of men vnto iudgement But the best way to confute a heathen is by a heathen Plinius
mortuus sum non sentio non attendo non curo siqua verò sunt Christi haec viuuÌ„ inueniuÌ„t paratuÌ„ Concerning these earthly and worldly matters I haue no sense or feeling of them by my reason I condemne them and from my heart I abandon them but if there be mention made of Christ and of finding the waies of life then my decaied spirits gather strength then all the powers and faculties of my soule will me to cry with the Prophet Dauid Paratum est cor meum Psal 57.7 Domine My heart is ready ô Lord my heart is ready For otherwise if cleauing by an inordinate affection and loue to this world and the things of it we neglect and reiect the waies of life Deut. 3.27 as Moses from the top of Pisgah might behold with his eyes the land of Canaan but might not enter into it as the Syrians did heare Elisha speake whom they desired to take 2. King 6.29 but could not take him so with the outward eares of our bodies we may heare of the ioyes of another life and with the intellectuall eyes of our minds we may see that great glory which the iust shall haue heareafter but our selues shall neuer come into heauen our selues shall neuer be partakers of it And as Lysimachus king of Lydia hauing yeelded himself into the hands of his enemies for a cup of cold water to quench his thirst cryed out Plutarch O me hominem infoelicem qui tantillae voluptatis gratia tantum amiserim regnum ô miserable and wretched man that I am who for so short a pleasure haue parted with so glorious a kingdome as the kingdome of Lydia so when we shall see in the last day that by yeelding too much vnto this world and the things of it we haue parted with the wayes of life and so consequently haue yeelded vp our selues into the hands of our spirituall enemies we shal mourne and lament we shall sigh and wring our hands and all the dreadfull torments which we shall then suffer shall not wound and vexe vs so sore as this one consideration namely when we shall call to mind that for the momentary and traÌ„sitorie pleasures of this word we haue parted with that same exceeding 2. Cor. 4.17 eternall surpassing weight of glory in the kingdome of heauen And thus much shall serue to haue spoken of the world and of the things of the world which is the first enemie that opposeth himself against man to keepe him from the way of life I com to the second enemy and this is Caro. The carnall lusts and desires of the flesh â—th lib. 10. c. 5 Aristotle disputing of the nature and efficacie of pleasure saith this that a man which taketh greater delight in instrumentall then in vocal musick if he heare the same musitian both to play vpon his instrument and to sing the pleasure and delight which he conceiueth in hearing of the instrument doth so leade away his affections that he hath no care at all of the voice and as this is true in musick so is it true saith he in all other things when we intend two things at once that which breedeth the greater pleasure and delight for the most part doth euermore exclude the lesse There being then in man two kinds of affections carnall and spirituall and all men for the most part taking greater delight in their carnall then in their spirituall affections of necessitie it must come to passe that their carnall affections do swallow vp their spirituall and so consequently they are so farre from finding the waies of life that there is in them no desire no lust at all vnto it The sect and companie of the Epicures who maintained carnal pleasure to be the onely summum bonum of this life did swarme in greater abundance then any other sect did non quòd veri aliquid afferat Lactan. de falsa sap cap. 17. sed quia multos populare nomen voluptatis inuitat not because saith Lactantius there was any truth at all in their doctrine but because the popular name of carnal pleasure is able to draw a world of men to it Saint Paul confesseth of himselfe Rom. 7.18 that in his flesh there dwelt no good thing and that he saw a law in his members rebelling against the law of his mind and not that only vers 23. but that it led him away captiue to the law of sinne insomuch that for very griefe of heart he breaketh out into these words Miser homo vers 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death Saint Hierome writeth of himselfe In Epist ad Eustoch that albeit he led a most strict and austere life in the wildernesse exercising himselfe continually in prayer and bringing his body vnder by long and often abstinence yet notwithstanding that he was vehemently assaulted by the lusts and desires of the flesh euen as Saint Paul was And surely if the mortified flesh of these Saints of God mortified no doubt by prayer and by long and often fasting did notwithstanding as themselues confessed leade away their soules captiue to the law of sinne then may we well conclude that the vntamed flesh of vs vnbridled men will forcibly and with violence misleade our soules from the way of life Our Sauiour Christ speaking of his owne passion is so farre from the feare of death in himselfe that he armeth his disciples against it saying that he would go to prepare a place for them Iohn 14. â— but afterwards when he was to die vnto the world and to go to his father then he seemes to be of another mind then transeat à me Calix Luke 22.42 Father if it be thy will let this cup passe from me And what was the reason of this surely that in the 26. of Mathew and 41. verse The spirit is ready but the flesh is weake The spirit indeed of many men is prone vnto that which is good they desire so to runne the race of a godly life here that hereafter they may receiue a crowne of glory but so it is that mans life is as Iob speaketh Iob 7.1 Gal. 5.17 Militia super terraÌ„ a warfare vpon earth the flesh still lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and that which is most to be lamented in most of vs the flesh extinguisheth the spirit Sampson was a strong and valiant man Iudg. 14.6 he encountred a Lion and ouercame him but encountring with the fury of his owne lustful passions he could not master them Messes incendit alienas Iudg. 16.17 Ambros in Apol Dauid vnius ipse mulieris accensus igniculo messem suae virtutis amisit He set fire indeed on the haruests of other men but himself being inflamed with the fire of lust lost the haruest of all his vertues Salomon built a goodly Temple vnto God but in the meane time his
Secundus August de ciu dei lib. 15. cap. 9. It was therfore the true sentence of another heathen man that the older the world waxeth the bodies of men naturally for stature are lesse and for strength are weaker and this was the opinion of Homer himselfe a great Poet and no small Philosopher For speaking of the battell which was fought betweene Aeneas and Diomedes he affirmeth that Diomedes cast a stone at Aeneas so heauy and of so great a weight as fourteen men saith he are not able to cast the like as men go now a dayes And if as the world waxeth in yeares so mans strength doth decrease then doubtlesse the world waxing still old it will at last come to nothing and so consequently euen in plaine reason the world and men in the world will haue an end But me thinks I heare some godlesse and prophane Atheist reply thus Suppose that the world and men in the world shall haue an end yet I am of opinion that there is the same end of a man that there is of a beast A beast when it dieth the flesh is consumed and the soule vanisheth into the aire and there is his full period and why may it not be so with man For the answer herunto It was Plato his opinion who deserued and that iustly the name of a diuine that the soules of men did not die but liue being separated frō their bodyes and that after this life ended they should giue an account of all their actions And those fictions in the Poets concerning the Elisian fields and places of pleasure for good men after this life and places of punishment for euil men what did they else shew but that there hath bene among the wisest of the heathen a certaine perswasion of the soules immortality and that after this life it should be iudged But because the prophane Atheist wil not be drawne to a beleef either of the soules immortality or of the bodies resurrection in the day of iudgment vnlesse we can win them therunto by the maine sway of reason let vs see whether in reason we commit any absurdity or no in beleeuing the resurrection of the body Tertullian propounding the question for them In Apol. cap. 45 Quomodo dissoluta materia exhiberi potest How is it possible that the matter of mās body being once dissolued as it shall be in the graue should euer rise againe and be perfectly exhibited before the iudgement seat of God he doth answer their question thus Quid tibi noui eueniet qui non eras factus es cum iterum non eris fies What strange or new wonder is this thou which once wert not wast made by God and so hereafter when thou shalt not be thou shalt be made again for God can as easily restore thee being dissolued into dust as he could create thee at the first being nothing In the first Psalme fifth verse we reade it thus The wicked shall not stand in iudgement but the Caldey paraphrase hath it thus They shal not rise in that great day the day of iudgmēt In regard of which words some Hebrew writers haue bene bold to make this collection that the wicked shal not rise but their bodies and soules at the houre of death shall perish and come to nothing But as in many points they are fantastically foolish so in this are they most erroneously hereticall For although it be there said that the wicked shal not rise in iudgmēt we must not thereby gather Carere eos resurgendi natura sed resurgendi in iudicium perdidisse ordinem We must not gather that the nature property of rising shal be wāting vnto thē but that they haue lost the order of rising vnto iudgmēt Now what the order of rising vnto iudgemēt is we may see in the third of Ioh. the 18. 19. ver where our Sauiour saith thus He that beleeueth in me shall not be iudged but he which beleeueth not Iam iudicatus est he is already iudged The which words of our Sauiour haply they may trouble the carelesse hearers and the negligent readers therof for in that he saith he that beleeueth in me shall not be iudged there he exempteth the faithful from iudgment and in that he saith he that beleeueth not is already iudged he seemes to teach that the Infidels shal not be admitted vnto iudgment And if the faithfull are exempted frō iudgemēt to come and the Infidels are already iudged why then Non videtur locus esse relictus iudicio It should seeme there is no place left for iudgement and that there are no persōs to be iudged Yes saith Hilary for in the 18. verse our Sauior hauing exēpted the beleeuers and vnbeleeuers the beleeuers à iudicio condemnationis from the iudgement of condemnation and the Infidels and vnbeleeuers because their iudgement of condemnation is so certain that it is in the eternall decree of God already past and there remaines onely at the last day but the publication thereof In the 19. verse he expresseth the parties to be iudged and the cause of their iudgement for thus he saith This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loued darkenesse rather then the light because their deeds are euill As if he had said There is a middle sort of people which are neither altogether without faith nor absolutely faithfull the feare of God containeth them in the Church but the vaine vanities of the world draw them vnto secular vices Orant quia timent peccant quia volunt they pray because they are afraid of God and his iudgements but withall they commit sinne because they take a pleasure and delight in it These then which do loue darkenesse rather then light that is which are content to loue Christ who is the light of the world but withall they preferre the euill deeds of darknesse these are they let the Hebrew writers fable what they wil which shal one day come to iudgement And that we may the better conceiue and beleeue this there are as you know in our assises and sessions here vpon earth certaine things necessarily required As first there is required the person and presence of the Iudge Secondly certaine vpright Iustices his assistants vpon the bench Thirdly the citation of the prisoners to the bar with leaue giuen them to pleade for thēselues Fourthly the allegation or accusatiō of the witnesses Fiftly the Iudges verdit Sixtly the proceeding to sentence either of absolution or condemnation And lastly the execution of the sentence cōmitted to the sheriffe or bayliffe Of al which beloued that we may the better beleeue that great sessions in that last and dreadfull day of iudgement we haue speciall mention in the Scriptures And first for the Iudge that is Iesus Christ the second person in Trinitie Forhowsoeuer the whole Trinitie haue a stroke in the action yet the execution thereof is committed by them to the second person So Christ himselfe saith Iohn the
their left hand the diuels ready to execute Gods eternall sentence on them within them shall be their conscience gnawing without them the damned soules wailing and round about them the whole world burning Good Lord good Lord saith a deuout father what will a wretched sinner do enuironed with all these miseries how will his heart sustaine these anguishes what way will he take to go backe saith he it is impossible and to go forward it is intollerable And surely all this being true and drawne by necessary consequent from the word of God me thinkes now there should need no watchword at all and our Sauiour Christ his vigilate igitur in this place may seeme superfluous The heathen man did both say and beleeue Tul. de nat deor lib. 1. that whosoeuer remembreth that God will reward the godly and punish the vngodly he cannot but be godly And if this be not true in vs that are Christians then as Clymacus well obserues Plus timebimus canem quaÌ„ CreatoreÌ„ we shal shew our selues to be more afraid of our dog then we are of our God If a theefe do assault our house in the night and our dogge which is within do but barke we need no further vigilate we 〈…〉 warning 〈…〉 〈…〉 will â—ise and we will 〈…〉 Our Sauiour Christ then haui◠〈…〉 many times that he will on◠〈…〉 that his comming will be as 〈…〉 and terrible and that the time 〈…〉 is most vncertaine we know 〈…〉 now any further vigilate any 〈…〉 prepare our selues against this comming 〈…〉 â—ued a very cleare case that the barking of 〈…〉 wil preuaile more with vs for the sauing of 〈…〉 then the voice of our God for the sauing of 〈…〉 When Ioseph had forewarned Pharaoh and the 〈…〉 of Aegypt of that great famine which was 〈…〉 vpon the land there was no further 〈…〉 be vigilant And if they 〈◊〉 so care◠〈…〉 momentary death of body ough◠〈…〉 to be vigilant how to preuent the e◠〈…〉 of soule and body Well then how 〈…〉 our selues that our true vigilancie ma◠〈…〉 thus saith Saint Bernard Audisti edictu◠〈…〉 dictum Hast thou heard of the fearefull 〈…〉 which God hath determined to powre vp 〈…〉 beware then of sinne which will be the 〈…〉 punishment But is this all no the watc◠〈…〉 well set for the same spirit which saith Psal 〈…〉 Flie from euill immediatly addeth and do 〈…〉 14. of Luke and 31. verse What King saith 〈…〉 going to make warre against another King sâ—t◠〈…〉 downe first and taketh counsell whether he be ab◠〈◊〉 ten thousands to meete him which commeth agâ—nst him with twentie thousands or else while he is yet a grea◠〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 â—olicie betw◠〈…〉 〈…〉 â—rre better policie betw◠〈◊〉 〈…〉 sinnes grieue God more 〈…〉 can vexe his neighbor king 〈…〉 â—ter disproportion between 〈…〉 the strength of God then 〈…〉 of ten thousands and an ar◠〈…〉 â—houâ—ands First then let vs seriously 〈◊〉 counsell whether we may boldly say with 〈◊〉 3. verse 18. Behold now if I prepare me vnto 〈◊〉 I know that I shall be iustified And if we can◠〈…〉 this perswasion in regard of our for◠〈…〉 contempt of Gods commaunde◠〈…〉 must be our second course euen 〈…〉 off that is while his grace by 〈…〉 the Gospell is offered vnto vs 〈…〉 and vnfained repentance as an 〈…〉 him desiring him that he would 〈…〉 â—om his throne of iustice and be◠〈…〉 his throne of mercy That so in that 〈…〉 full day of his comming we may not 〈…〉 euerlasting horror of our soules that fear◠〈◊〉 Go ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is 〈…〉 diuel and his angels but to the endlesse 〈◊〉 our soules that other comfortable sen◠〈…〉 â—â—e ye blessed of my Father inherite the 〈…〉 â—dome prepared for you from 〈…〉 the beginning of the world FINIS