also the seede of it And againe seeing that all euills tendes to a perfection as well as Grace doeth what reason therefore is there but wee may safely thinke that the Diuell would hale euery one to that height of sinne if it were not that the powerfull hande of God preuented him who will neyther suffer wicked men nor the Diuell himselfe to bee so wicked as they coulde and would be The vse of this second rule is notable For in this searching of our selues it sheweth vs what wee are without all colour or deceit and fully discouers vnto vs the vglines of our natures it may teach vs all how to think and esteeme of our selues when we heare of Caines vnnaturall murther Pharaohs vnnaturall crueltie the Sodomites vnnatural lust Achitophels diuellish pollicie Senacharibs horrible blasphemie Iudas monstrous treason Iulians fearefull Apostasie When wee heare of the fearefull murthers treasons periuries sinnes against nature blasphemies Apostasies witchcrafts crafts and other the horrible sinnes of the worlde let vs then returne into our selues and looke homewardes euen into our owne heartes and confesse euerie one that these should haue beene euen thy sinnes also if Gods grace had not preuented thee This will humble thee and make thee thinke vilely and basely of thy selfe and so consequently bring thee to repentance and true amendement and the verie reason why men repent not nor amend their wayes is because they are Pharisies by nature and thinke highly of themselues and of their owne natures and their naturall inclinations this will be a harshe a strāge doctrine to them Oh they haue excellent narures and they canot endure such such sinnes and they thanke God they are not as ill as others but let all such men knowe they must cease magnifying nature learne to magnifie Gods grace Let them knowe that nature in them is in the roote as much corrupt as in the worst man in the world and euerie mans heart is a bottomlesse fountaine of all sinne therefore praise not thy nature but Gods grace and mercie in giuing thee so good a nature or rather so well restraining and rectifying thy nature stay not there but desire of the Lord that as hee hath giuen thee a better tempered nature then to other men so also hee woulde bestowe on thee his espeiiall and sauing grace and as hee hath kept thee from the fearefull sinnes of others thou beeing as ill naturally as they so he would also leade thee into the way of saluation which else the best nature in the worlde can neuer attaine vnto The third rule to be knowne and practised of him who will truely searche himselfe is that euerie man borne of Adam is by nature the children of wrath and Gods enemie this is true of all without exception high or lowe rich or poore Noble or simple borne in the visible church or without And further by beeing enemie of God hee is therefore borne subiect to hell to damnation and to all other curses so that looke as a Traitor conuicted stands thereby in his Princes high displeasure and is sure of death without speciall pardon so standes euerie man when hee is borne conuicted of high treason against God in his high disfauour and is in danger of Hell which is the fulfilling of the wrath of God Thus Dauid confesseth of himselfe I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceiued mee If in sinne then in Gods wrath and vnder the daunger of damnation If anie aske howe or why this is so I answere the trueth as also the equitie of this third rule dependeth on the two former for because euery man is borne guiltie of Adams great sinne and also tainted originally with al corruption and a pronenesse of all sinne therefore it followeth in equitie and iustice that euery man is borne vnder the wrath and curse of God This point is a plaine and euident trueth yet men in the world thinke not so and it is the cause why men repent not of their sinnes for most men thinke that by nature they are in Gods fauour and therefore they neede not so sue for it in humiliation repentance but only liue ciuillie and do no open wrong and all is well whereas alas there is no condemned traitour more out of his Princes fauour nor more sure of death without a pardon then all wee are out of Gods fauour and sure of damnation vnlesse wee procure Gods fauour againe by Faith and Repentance For the better opening of this third rule and the manifesting of the Truth let vs knowe further that the curse of God vnder the which wee all are borne is three-fold The first is a bondage vnder Sathan It is a certaine truth that euerie man as hee is borne of his Parents and till he repent is a slaue of Sathan man or woman high or lowe Sathan is his Lord and Maister Hee sits as Iudge in his heart and in his sense Sathan is the king of the natiōs and god of the world Men wil in words defie Sathan and not name him without defiance and spit at him and yet alas hee is in their heartes they spitte him out of their mouthes but hee is lower they should also spit him out of their heartes and that is true defiance indeede for alas he lodgeth in thy heart and there hee maketh his Throne and reignes vntil the spirit of regeneration dispossesse him and till then no seruant is subiect to his maister no slaue to his Lorde as is the heart of man by nature vnto Sathan the Prince of darkenesse Nay our bondage is more fearefull then the slauerie of anie poore Christian in the Spaniards or in the Turkes Gallies for their bodies are but in bondage and at commaund and vnder punishment but our best part our heart our conscience our soule it selfe is captiuated vnto him and vnder his commaunde who is the king of crueltie and confusion and lord of hell whose commandements are iniustice whose seruice is sinne and whose hyre is damnation The second part of the curse of the first death or the death of the bodie that is a separation of the soule and bodie asunder for a time namely til the last iudgemēt This death is duely and iustly the punishment of anie one or the least sinne therefore howe due and iust a punishment vppon that horrible heape of sinfulnesse which is in euery mans nature and it is a most terrible curse For it is the very gate of hell and the downefall of damnation vnto all men but such as by faith and repentance doe get their death sanctified by the death of Christ vnto such men indeed it is no curse but a gratious and glorious blessing for it is altered by Christ his death But vnto all men by nature and which repent not it is the heauie curse of Gods wrath and the verie downe-fall into the gulfe of hell The third part of the curse vnder which euerie man is borne
is the second death the death of soule and bodie which is the eternall want of Gods presence and the accomplishment of his wrath and an apprehension and feeling of that wrath seazing on bodie soule and conscience The first curse was a spirituall death the death of the soule The second a temporall death the death of the bodie The third is an eternall death a death both of soule and bodie together and for euer This eternall death is the curse of all curses the miserie of all miseries and torment of all tormentes and I shewe it thus Often when thy toothe acheth and sometime when thy headacheth or in the paine of the stone or collicke thou wouldest giue all that thou hast in the worlde to bee eased of that paine Nay in the extreamitie of some fittes manie will wish themselues euen out of the world Now if the paine of one toothe can so farre distemper minde and bodie that it cannot bee releeued with all the pleasures of this life Oh then what a torment shall that bee when not one kinde of paine but the whole viole of GODS wrath shall bee powred not on one member but on the whole soule bodie and conscience and that not for a time vnder hope of better but eternallie without hope of release and that not in this world where there are comforts helpes and remedies but in that vglie and darksome place of torrments and that not amongst liuing men which might mittigate thy paine or else bemone thee and bewaile it with thee but with the diuells dāned spirits which will now laugh at thy destruction and solace themselues in this thy miserie and will reioyce as thou diddest serue them in earth so now in hell to bee thy tormenters It may bee therefore by the way a good warning and wisedome to vs all when wee feele the extremitie of some bodilie paine to consider with our selues and say Oh then what shall bee my miserie and torment if I repent not when not one member but soule bodie and conscience shall bee racked and tormented in the feeling and apprehension of the anger of the Lorde of Hostes. In these three points stands that curse and wrath of God vnder which euerie man is borne And these doe answere to the three degrees of sinne which are in vs for as the two first rules taught vs there is in euery man by nature till hee repent a threefolde guiltinesse First a guiltinesse of Adams sinne Secondly the taint of originall vniuersall corruption Thirdly a pollution by manie outragious actuall sinnes In the first of these euerie man is equallie guiltie In the second euerie man is equallie corrupt But in the third euerie one keepes that compasse within which the Lorde will keepe them by his limiting power Now as in our guiltinesse of Adams sinne sinne hath his beginning in original sinne his continuance in actuall sinne his perfect on So answerable herevnto the wrath of God which alwayes standeth opposite to sinne is begunne in leauing vs by nature to the slauerie of Sathan is continued by death and is accomplished in damnation And nowe these three rules I commend to the carefull and Christian consideration of you all certifying you from God that as you can neuer bee saued vnlesse you repent nor repent vnlesse you searche your selues as heere the Prophet biddeth So that you can neuer search your selues aright till you be perswaded and resolued of these three rules of the truth of them all euen in your hearts and consciences Namely First that thou art guiltie of Adams sinne Secōdly that thou art prone by nature to all euil in the world Thirdly that for these thou art subiect to the wrath of God and to all the curses of his wrath but when thou art in heart conscience resolued that these are true then thou art a fit scholler for this Lesson of the Prophet Search thy selfe For when thou goest thus prepared vnto this Search and esteemest of thy selfe as the three Rules haue described thee then if thou Search into thy selfe thou wilt finde thy selfe and thy estate to bee such as will cause thee to repent returne and take a newe course therefore what the Prophet saide to those Iewes I say vnto you also My brethren of this Realme of England who are now heere gathered together out of so manie countryes and quarters of this Realme yea in the name of the same God I cry vnto you Search O Search your selues and thinke it not a matter indifferent to doe or not to doe it but knowe it that God commands you as euer you wil come to saluation Search your selues And the rather because by these three Rules you see howe much chaffe of corruption is in your nature and what neede therefore it hath to be searched into and fanned by Repentance Bee well assured thou man whatsoeuer thou art there is so much chaffe in thee that if thou search not and fanne it not out thou wilt prooue nothing but Chaffe at the last day and so be blowne away with the winde of Gods iustice into Hell Take holde therfore of this exhortation and deferre it not Thou wilt not suffer thy Wheate to lye too long in the chaffe for feare of hurting it Is it then safe to suffer the Chaffe of thy sinnes and corruptions to lye cankering and rotting in thy heart Be sure that that little portion of grace which thou attainest vnto by liuing in the Church and vnder the ministery of the word of God will bee putryfied and cleane corrupted with the Chaffe of thy sinnes therefore againe and againe I exhorte you to make conscience of this dutie Search into your selues fanne out this chaffe this presumption of ours and high esteeming of our owne nature and conceites of Gods fauour before we haue it that so this Chaffe beeing blowne away the Lord may then bestowe vpon vs soundnesse of grace and the foundation of all goodnesse which is a holy and humbled heart Saluation is such a building as the foundation thereof had neede to bee sure and strong Ignorance blindenesse and presumption are not sufficient foundations for such a building therefore as no man wil build a strong house vpon anie earth but hee will first search it least it prooue sandie and so ouerthrowe all So a wise Christian will not build his saluation vpon fancies and conceits and naturall presumptions but will Search and looke into his heart and finding these to be sandie and rotten and therefore too weake for the foundation of so glorious a building will refuse them all and labour to furnish his heart with such sounde grace as wherevpon hee may trust so weightie a worke as is the saluation of his soule Againe if thou wilt stande in the day of triall then search thy heart betime and discerne betwixt chaffe and wheate thou seest that chaffe flyeth away before the winde but good corne indures the Fanne and the furie of the winde so in the day of triall
same graue of the earth and death hath like dominion ouer them all 3. But afterwards at the last day at Gods great haruest and great winnowing time he then with the winde of his power seuereth them asunder in soule and body Wheat from the chaffe Sheepe from the Goates and separateth them neuer to be mingled againe for euer and euer and then with the winde of his wrath hee blowes the chaffe into fire vnquenchable and with his louing fauour gathereth his wheate into the euerlasting and glorious garners of heauen So then the first seuereth them in affectiō The second in soule for a time The third actually in soule and body for euer and euer Nowe of these three winnowing times the holy Ghost speaketh here properly of the second namely the fanne of Gods iudgements so that the meaning of the Metaphor is this Search your selues and repent betimes lest God come vppon you with some fearefull Iudgements because you haue so long contemned the fanne of the word and finding you too light to abide the triall doe take you away in the iudgement and cast you into hell for as sure as the fanne of the word hath made differēce of you which are chaffe and which are wheate so sure shall the fanne of his iudgements blow away the chaffe to hell and damnation Thus much for the meaning Now for the vse for vs in England the case stands thus Our Church doubtlesse is Gods corne field and wee are the corne heape of God and those Brownists and Sectaries are blinde and besotted who cannot see that the Church of England is a godly heape of Gods corne but withall we must confesse we are full of chaffe that is of prophane and wicked hypocrites whose hearts and mindes abound in sinnes and rebellions and many of our best professours are also too full of chaffe that is of corruptions and do giue themselues too much libertie in many sinnes but alas the pure wheate how thinne is it scattered how hard to find a man at least a family which dedicate themselues to the Lord in holy and sincere obedience and labour to make conscience of all sinnes now therefore seeing wee are Gods corne field and wee haue some pure wheate amongst much chaffe therefore God will winnow vs to find out the corne if he haue but one corne of wheate in a handfull of chaffe but one good man of many hee will stirre all the heape for those few corners hee will not care to blow all the chaffe to hell to finde out those fewe cornes of Wheate to lay them vp in heauen so that out of all question England being so full of chaffe must looke to be winnowed Now for the first Fanne of his word it hath beene vsed in this land these fiue and thirtie yeares and that as powerfully and as plentifully as any where in the world and yet alas many are more godlesse more ignorant more prophane then euer they were yea wickednesse groweth and the chaffe increaseth aboue the wheate be sure therefore that God will bring his second fanne vpon vs because we will not suffer the first and milde and gentle fan of his word to try and search vs therefore wee will bring the fearefull fanne of his iudgements and with it hee will blowe soule and body into hell with those our sinnes and corruptions which we would not suffer the fanne of Gods word to blow from vs. The first hath so long blowne in vaine that the second must needes come vnto vs and it hath already begun to blow three or foure blastes haue blowne ouer vs famine pestilence earth-quakes fire water winde these haue so blowne some of vs that they haue taken away a great number of vs For vs that remaine this onely remaines that wee strengthen our selues by grace to bee able to stand against the next blast for come it will and when it comes no wealth nor worldly thing can inable vs to endure it onely faith and repentance and the grace of God will stand at that day Now therefore in that so fearefull a fanning abideth vs seeing it is so neere as appeareth by the blastes already past ouer vs which are nothing but the forerunners of a greater tempest what should be our care except wee care not to be blowne body and soule into hell but to labour to eschew this fearefull fanne of Gods wrath or at least if it come vpon vs that it may not blow vs to hell but hasten vs to heauen If thy heart be touched to aske how this may be I answer thee only to follow the Prophets aduice in this place by searching and trying our selues The way to escape Gods triall is to try thy selfe to escape Gods iugdement to be a iudge to thine owne soule and so the way to escape the fearefull fanne of God is to fanne their owne heart by the law of God For whomsoeuer the first fanne that is the worde of God doth worke vpon these men are neuer blowne away with the fan of Gods iudgements O then entertaine the word of God into thy heart submit thy soule vnto it let it pierce and try ransacke thy heart and lay before thee thy wretched estate by thy sinnes and when thou seest thy nakednesse and misery confesse it bewaile it and be humbled for it cry and call for mercy and forgiuenes pray against thy speciall sinnes striue to purge them out as the poyson of thy soule craue grace from God for all thy sinnes if thou seest any sinnes more welcome to thy nature more deere vnto thee and which more preuaile against thee then others doe pray against these sinnes and striue against them aboue all endeaour that by the fanne of Gods word they may be blowne away from thee When thou hast done this marke what will come of it when thou hast fanned thy selfe GOD will not fanne thee but when the fanne of his iudgement comes bloweth so strongly vpon the wicked then the Lorde finding thee alreadie fanned and clensed by his word will spare thee and his iudgement shall either blow ouer thee and passe by thee vntouched as ouer Lot in the destruction of Sodome or else shall fanne out all thy corruptions and blowe thee vp to heauen to be laide vp as pure wheate in the heauenly garners and mansions of glorie which Christ ascribed to prepare for thee Now then amongst those many businesses with which this world doth cumber euerie of vs all which shall perish with the world it selfe let vs good brethren spare sometime for this great businesse Martha may be combred about many things but this is that one thing which is necessarie therefore whatsoeuer is done let not this be vndone Once a day put thy selfe and thy life vnder the fanne of Gods lawe try thy selfe what thou art and thy life how thou liuest Once a day keepe a court in thy conscience call thy thoughts thy wordes and thy deedes to their triall let the ten commaundements
an other that Rule is certaine and an euident truth needs no prouing Now wee haue beene visited with famines Earth-quakes pestilences invndations Thunder and lightnings in winter and most straunge and vnseasonable weather but alas all these haue taken no effect where is the humiliation Repentance and reformation which they haue wrought therefore it must needes bee there remains behind a greater iudgement Men may be so madde to thinke these to be ordinarie things and to come by course of Nature and ordinarie causes but certainly they are the shaking of the Rod and fore-runners of a great iudgement vnlesse Repentance cutte off their course For look as one cloud followeth another till the Sunne consume them so one iudgement hastens after an other and repentance onely is the Sunne which must dispell them 3. Thirdly it stands with the iustice of God according as he hath reuealed it in the Scripture especially in Deut. 28. out of the whole Chapter it must needes bee gathered as a Rule I will curse that people that breake my lawes nowe wee may not deny but this land of ours is for abundance of sinne a people of Sodome All kinde of sinnes in all estates of men rage raigne euery day more and more therefore I conclude that vnlesse we repent and so dissolue this cloud of iudgemēt that hangs ouer our heades it cannot be but a most fearefull tempest is to come at the last and when it is come it will be too late to wish they had done it Therefore in the bowels of CHRIST IESVS Let this bee to intreate and exhort you all to search and looke into your selues that so repenting and changing your wayes you may get the sword againe into his sheath which is alreadie drawne out but yet hath not stricken home and may quench the wrath which is alreadie kindled but yet burnes not out as it will doe if by repentance we quench it not and doe this euery one as you tender the saluation of your owne soules and the continuance of the Gospell to this glorious Nation and the peace and prosperous state of this Church and common wealth For let mē make what causes they will it is certainely sinfulnesse that ouerturnes kingdomes and changeth states as all these kingdomes and states haue felt who haue continued finally to contemne the Gospell It followeth And you be as chaffe that passeth on a day The Prophet proceedeth and describeth more plainly the manner and state of that plague which God will sende vpon them the meaning was partly opened before to bee in effect thus much Search your selues least God take his fanne and try you because you woulde not trye your selues and finding you vppon the tryall not sound Wheate but light Chaffe blowe you to Hell with the winde of his wrath the Metaphor which the Prophet vseth is this he compares the Lord to a husbandman great and rich the whole world is his corne fielde seuerall Nations as this of ours for one are his heapes of corne but the heapes of corne bee full of Chaffe that is these particular Churches are full of hypocrites nowe a wise husbandman letteth Corne and Chaffe lye together no longer then till the wind doth blowe and then he appoints his fanning time to seuer his corne from his chaffe and to blow away his chaffe and lay vp his corne so God the great and wise husbandman will not let the chaffe lye for euer amongst the Wheat he hath therefore appointed his fāning times whē to blow the chaff into hel to gather his wheat into heauenly garners Nowe Gods winnowing times are two the one is at the last day after this life and that is Gods great winnowing day of all his corne that of all men when the bad shall be seuered frō the good for euer neuer to be mingled againe with them but by the strong powerfull fan of his last and finall iudgement to be blown into hell the winde of whose wrath at that day shal be strōger to blow them all away then all the wind in the world to blowe away one handfull of light Chaffe 2. Gods other fanning time is in this world and that is also double The one is when the word is preached the Preaching of the word is one of Gods fannes For when the Gospell is preached to a Nation or Congregation it Fannes them and tries them and purgeth them and so serues them that a man may see a manifest difference of the chaffe and the wheat that is of the goodly man and the wicked man this preaching of the Gospell doth Iohn the Baptist expresly call a Fanne where the holy Ghost pursueth this whole Metaphor most plainely speaking of Christ he saith Whose Fanne is in his hand and he will throughly purge his Floore and gather his wheate into his garner but the Chaffe hee will burne with fire vnquenchable The winde of this Fanne of the word preached is so strong as that it seuers the Chaffe from the Wheate that is good professors from hypocrites in the visible Church and blowes so strongly vpon the wicked that it brings them to the beginning of Hell euen in this world for it so worketh vpon the conscience as if it cannot conuert them it strikes them with feare terrour and torment either in life or at death which torment of conscience is the very flashes of hell-fire But when this first Fanne of the word will not serue to bring men to repentance for the word preached doth not confound a man actually but onely pronounce the sentence and thereby striue strike the consciēce then God hath another fanne and that is the Fanne of his iudgements and that fanning or winnowing time is when he executes his vengeance and his iudgements on a Nation this is his latter fanne when the first will not preuaile this is his powerfull and strong fan driuen about with the winde of his wrath this fanne went ouer the olde worlde and swept them all away and went ouer the Nation of the Iewes and wee see they are no more 1. These three fannes of God make a threefold separation of the Chaffe from the wheate that is of the wicked from the Elect with the fanne of his worde which is powerfull hee seuers them in all affection and disposition and makes a distinction of them so as generally the wheat is knowne to be wheat and Chaffe discerned to bee Chaffe by the Preaching of the word but though the tare be knowne to be tare yet both grow together so that the word onely serues them in affection and sets seuerall notes of distinction vpon them both 2. But then the second fan of his iudgements is more violent for thereby he seuereth them asunder in soule gathering the godly men as his Wheate into the heauens and blowing the soules of the wicked into hell but yet the bodies of them both lye together as partakers of the same iudgement so subiect to the same corruption and are all lodged in the