hee therefore that hath in his nature the seede of all sinnes hath also the seede of it And againe seeing all euill tendes to a perfection as well as grace doth 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 hand of God preuented him who will neither suffer wicked men nor the Diuell himselfe to bee so wicked as they could 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 colours or deceit and fully discouers vnto vs the vglinesse of our natures and it may teach vs all how to think and esteeme of our selues when we heare of Caines vnnaturall murther Pharohs vnnatural crueltie the Sodomits vnnatural lust Achitophles diuilish pollicy Senacheribs horrible blasphemie Iudas monstrous treason Iulians fearefull Apostacie When we heare of the fearefull murders treasons periuties sinnes against nature blasphemies Apostacies witchcrafts and other the horrible sinnes of the world let vs then returne into our selues looke homewards euen into our owne hearts and confesse euery one that these should haue bene euen thy sinnes also if Gods grace had not preuented thee This will humble thee and make thee thinke vilely basely of thy selfe and so consequently bring thee to repentance and true amendment and the very reason why men repent not nor amend their waies 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 harsh and a strange Doctrine to them Oh they haue excellent natures and they cannot indure such and such sinnes and they thanke God they are not as ill as others but let all such men knowe they must cease magnifying nature and 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 euery mans heart is a bottomlesse fountaine of all sinne therefore praise not thy nature but Gods grace and mercy in giuing thee so good a nature or rather so well restraining and rectifying thy nature and stay not there but desire of the Lord that as he hath giuen thee a better tempered nature thē to other men so also he would bestowe on thee his speciall and sauing grace and as he hath kept thee from the feareful sins of others thou being as ill naturally as they so he would also lead thee into the way of saluation which else the best nature in the world can neuer attaine vnto The third rule to be known and practised by him who will truly search himselfe is that euery man borne of Adam is by nature the child of wrath and Gods enimie this is true of all without exception High or Low Rich or poore noble or simple borne in the visible Church or without And further by being enemy of God he is therefore borne subiect to hell to damnation and to all other curses so that looke as a Traytour conuicted stands therby in his Princes high displeasure and is sure of death without speciall pardon so stands euery man when he is borne conuicted of high treason against God in his high disfauour and is in daunger 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 conceined me If in sinne then in Gods wrath and vnder the danger of damnation If any aske how or why this is so I answere the truth as also the equitie of this third rule depends on the two former for because euery man is borne guiltie of Adams great sinne and also tainted originally with all corruption a pronnesse to all sin 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 truth 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 therfore they neede not to sue for it in humiliation and repentance but onely liue ciuily and do no open wrong and all is well whereas alas there is no condemned Traytour more out of his Princes fauour nor more sure of death without a pardon then al we are out of Gods fauour and sure of damnation vnlesse we procure Gods fauour again by faith and repentance For the better opening of this third rule and the manifesting of the truth let vs know further that the curse of God vnder the which we are all borne is three-fould The first is a bondage vnder Sathan It is a certaine truth that euery man as he is borne of his Parents and till hee repent is a slaue of Sathan man or woman high or low Sathan is his Lord and Maister Hee sittes as iudge in his heart and in this sence Sathan is the King of the Nations and God of the world Men will in wordes defie Sathan and not name him without defiance and spitte at him and yet alas hee is in their hearts they spit him out of their mouthes but hee is lower they should also spitte him out of their hearts and that is true defiance indeede for alas hee lodgeth in thy heart and there he makes his Throne and raignes vntill the spirit of regeneration dispossesse him and till then no seruant is so subiect to his maister no slaue to his Lord as is the heart of man by nature vnto Sathan the prince of darknesse Nay our bondage is more fearefull then the slauery of any 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 commaundements are Iniustice whose seruice is sinne and whose hyre is damnation The second part of the Curse is the first death or the death of the body that is a separation of the soule and body a sunder for a time namely till the last iudgement This death is duly and iustly the punishment of any one or the least sinne therefore how due and iust a punishment vpon 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 hel and the downfall to 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 gracious and glorious blessing for it is altered by Christ his death But vnto all men by nature and which repent not it is the heauy curse of Gods wrath and the very downfall into the gulfe of Hell The thirde part of the
some for tradse-men some for men some for women but repentance is for all without which it may bee said of all and euery one of age not one excepted No Repentance no saluation These Sermons being in my hands and not deliuered to mee from hand to hand but taken with this hand of mine from his owne mouth were thought worthy for the excellencie fit for the generallity of the matter to be offered to the publique veiwe I haue also other workes of his in my hands of which being many I confesse my selfe to be but the keeper for the time taking my selfe bounde to keepe them safely to the benefite of Gods Church of whose treasure vpon earth I make no questiō but they are a part and I hartily desire you my godly friends all other faithfull Christians to solicite the Lord in prayer for me that I may faithfully discharge my self of that great charge which in this respect lyeth vpon me and that his grace and blessing may be on mee and all others who are to be imployed in this seruice wherein had the Lord so pleased wee could heartily haue wished neuer to haue bin imployed but that his life might haue eased vs of the labour and that as I begin with this so I or some other better able which I rather desire may goe forward vndertaking the weight of this great burthen and not faint till he haue made a faithfull account to the Church of God of all these Iewels deliuered to our trust And now these first fruites of my labours in another mans vineyard as also all that hereafter doe or may follow I humbly consecrate to the blessed Spouse of Christ Iesus the holy Church of God on earth and namely to the Church of England our beloued mother who may reioyce that she was the mother of such a sonne who in few yeares did so much good to the publique cause of religiō as the wickednesse of many yeares shall not be able to weare out But first of all and especially I present the same vnto you my very worsh and Christian friends who I must needes say are very worthy of it in many respects 1 For the matter it selfe which is repentance my selfe being able to testifie that you are not heares but doers ripe in knowledge rife in the practise of repentance insomuch as I dare from the testimonie of my conscience and in the word of a minister pronounce of you that as you haue heard and knowne this Doctrine of repentance so blessed are you for you doe it And 2. for him who was the author hereof whose mouth spake it from the feeling of his soule whose soule is now bound vp in the bundle of life I know and cannot in good conscience cōceale the great delight you haue alwaies had in the reading of his bookes the reuerend opinion you had of him liuing and how heauily and passionately you tooke his death and departure therefore to cheare you vp in want of him I send you here this little booke his owne childe begotten in his life time but borne after his death obserue it well and you shall find it not vnlike the father yea you shall discerne in it the fathers spirit and it doubts not but to find entertainement with them of whom the father was so well respected And for my selfe I spare to rehearse what interest you haue in me al my labours it is no more then you worthily deserue and shall haue in me for euer you are the fairest flowers in this garden which in this place I after others haue planted for the Lord or rather God by vs And two principall pearles in that caowne which I hope for at the last day from the Lord my God whose worde at my mouth you haue receiued with much reuerence and with such profit as if I had the like successe of my labours in others I should then neuer haue cause to say with the Prophet I haue laboured in vain spent my strength in vaine but my iudgement is with the Lord. my work with my God And if I knewe you not to be such as take more delight in doing well then in hearing of it I would proue at large what I haue spoken of you yet giue me leaue to say that which without open wrong I may not conceile that beside your rare knowledge and godly zeale to religion and other duties of the first table to God himselfe your charity pitty to the needy distressed Christians at home and abroad your mercifull dealing with them who are in your power your beneuolence to learning and namely to some in the Vniuersitie doe all proclaime to the world those your due praise which I well knowing your modesties do spare once to name neither would I haue said thus much were it not for this cold and barren age wherein wee liue that so when our preaching cannot moue yet your godly examples might stirre vp Pardon me therefore I pray you and think it no wrong to you which is a benefit to Gods Church But goe forward in the strength of the Lord your God hold on in that happie course you haue begun bee faithfull vnto the end the Lord will giue you the Crowne of life faithfull is hee which hath promised who will also doe it proceed good Sir to honour learning in your selfe and others and religion especially which is the principall learning and proceed both of you to practise religion in your own persons and in your family hold on to shine before your family and amongst the people where you dwell in zeale and holinesse hold on hereby still to shame popery to stop your enemies mouthes and to honour that holy religiō which you professe to gaine comfort of good conscience to your selues assurance of eternall reward and lastly to encourage me in those painefull duties which lye vpon me for I openly professe that your religious zeale and loue of the truth with māy other good helps are principal incouragements in my ministry especial motiues vnto me to vndertake the charge of publicatiō of so many of the workes of this holy man deceased as may not in better maner be done by others But I keep you too long from this holy exhortation following I therefore send you to it it to you and from you to the Church of God for I dare not make it to bee priuately yours and mine wherein the whole Church hath interest as well as we It was preached in the field but it is worthy to be admitted into our hearts I found it in the open field but vpon diligēt view finding it to bee Gods corne and a parcel of his holy and immortal seed therefore I brought it home as good corne deserues And as it is Gods corne so in you I desire all holy christians to lay it vp in Gods garners that is in their hearts and soules And thus committing this little volume to your reading the matter
curse vnder which euery 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 body soule and conscience The first curse was a spirituall death the death of the soule The second a temporarie death the death of the body 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 torments and I shewe it thus Often when thy tooth acheth and sometime when thy head acheth or in the paine of the stone or collicke thou wouldest giue all that thou hast in the world to bee eased of that paine Nay in the exstremitie of some fitts many will wish them-selues euen out of the world Now if the paine of one tooth can so farre distemper minde and body that it cannot bee releiued with all the pleasures of this life O 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 body and conscience and that not for a time vnder hope of better but eternally without hope of release and that not in this world where there are comforts helpes and remedies but in that vgly and darksome place of torments and that not amongst liuing men which might mittigate thy paine or else bemone thee and beway leit with thee but with the Diuels and damned spirits which will now laugh at thy destruction and solace themselues in this thy misery and will reioyce as thou didest serue them in earth so now in hel to be thy tormēters It may be therfore by the way good warning and wisedome to vs all when we feele the extremity of some bodily paine to consider with our selues and say O then what shall be my misery and torment if I repent not when not one member but soule bodie and conscience shall be racked and tormented in the feeling and apprehension of the anger of the Lord of Hostes In these three points stands that curse and wrath of God vnder which euery man is borne And these doe answer 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 three-fold guiltinesse First a guiltinesse of Adams sinne Secondly the taint of originall and vniuersal corruption Thirdly a pollution by many outragious actuall sinnes In the first of these euery man is equally guiltie In the second euery man is equally corrupt But in the third euery one keepes that compasse within which the Lord wil keepe them by his limitting power Now as in our guiltinesse of Adams sinne sin hath his beginning In originall sinne his continuance in actuall sin his perfection So answerable herevnto the wrath of God which alwaies standeth opposite to sinne is begun in leauing vs by nature to the slauerie of Sathan is continued by death and is accomplished in damnation And now these three Rules I commend to the carefull Christian consideration of you all certifying you from God that as you can neuer bee saued vnlesse you repent nor repent vnlesse you Search your selues as here the Prophet bid deth So that you can neuer search your selues aright til you bee perswaded and resolued of these three Rules and of the truth of them all euen in your hearts and consciences namely First that thou art guiltie of Adams sin Secondly that thou art prone by nature to al 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 these three Rules haue described thee then if thou Search into thy selfe thou wilt finde thy selfe and thy estate to be such as will cause thee to repent returne and take a new course therefore what the Prophet sayd to those Iewes I say vnto you also my brethren of this Realme of England who are here now gathered together out of so many countries 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 do or not to doe it but know it that God commandes you as euer you will come to saluation Search your selues And the rather because by these three Rules you see how much chaffe of corruption is in your nature and what neede therefore it hath to bee 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 proue nothing but Chaffe at the last day and so be blown away with the winde of Gods iustice into Hell Take hold therefore 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 lie cankering and rotting in thy heart Bee sure that that little portion of grace which thou attainest vnto by liuing in the Church and vnder the Ministrie of the Word of GOD will bee putrifyed and cleane corrupted with the Chaffe of thy sinnes therefore againe and againe I exhort 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 conceits of Gods fauour before wee haue it that so this Chaffe being blowne away the Lord may then bestow vpon vs foundnesse of grace the foundation of al goodnes which is a holy humbled heart Salnation is such a building as the foundation thereof had need to be sure and strong Ignorance blindnesse and presumption are not sufficient foundations for such a building therefore as no man wil build a strong house vpon any earth but will first search it least it prooue Sandie so ouerthrow all So a wise Christian will not build his saluation vpon fancies 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 wil refuse them all and labour to furnish his heart with such sound grace as whervpon he may trust so weighty a work as is the Saluation of his soule Againe if thou wilt stand in the day of triall then Search thy heart betime and discerne betwixt Chaffe Wheat thou seest that chaffe flyeth away before the wind but good corne indures the Fan and the furie of the wind so in
are all lodged in the same graue of the earth and death hath like dominion ouer them all 3. But afterwards at the last day at Gods great haruest great winnowing time he then with the winde of his power seuereth them a sunder in soule and body Wheate from the Chaffe sheepe from the Goates separateth them neuer to be mingled againe for euer euer and then with the winde of his wrath he 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 affection The second in soule for a time The third actually in soule and body for euer and euer Now of these three winnowing times the holy Ghost speaketh here properly of the second namely the fan of Gods iudgements so that the meaning of the Metaphor is this search your selues and repent betimes least God come vpon you with some fearefull iudgements because you haue so long contemned the fan of the word and finding you too light to abide the try all doe take you away in the iudgement and cast you into hell for as sure as the fan of the word hath made difference 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 we are the corne heape of God and those Brownisles 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 cōfesse we are ful of chaffe that is of prophane wicked Hypocrits whose hearts and mindes abound in sinnes and rebellions and many of our best professors are also too full of chaffe that is of corruptions and doe giue themselues too much libertie in many sinnes but alas the pure wheate how thinne is it scattered howe hard to finde 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 we haue some pure wheat amongst much chaffe therefore God will winnow vs to find out the corne if hee haue but one corne of wheat in a handfull of chaffe but one good man of many he will stirre all the heape for those fewe cornes hee will not care to blow all the chaffe to hell to finde out those fewe cornes of wheat to lay them vp in heauen so that out of all question England being so ful of chaffe must look to be winnowed Nowe 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 worlde 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 bee sure therefore that God will bring his second Fanne vpon vs because wee will not suffer the first and the milde and gentle fanne of his word to try and search vs therefore hee will bring the fearefull fanne of his iudgements and with it hee will blowe soule body into hell with those our sinnes corruptions which we would not suffer the Fanne of Gods worde to blowe from vs. The first hath so long blowen in vaine that the second must needs come vpon vs it hath already begun to blow three or four blasts haue blown ouer vs famin pestilence earthquakes 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 be able to stand against the next blast for come it wil when it comes no wealth nor worldly thing can inable vs to endure it onely faith repentance the grace of God will stand at that day Now therefore in that so feareful a fanning abideth vs seeing it is so neer as appeareth by the blasts already past ouer vs which are nothing but the forerunners of a greater tēpest what shuld be our care except wee care not to be blown body soule into hel but to labour to efchew this feareful fan of Gods wrath or at least if it come vpō vs that it may not blow vs to hell but hasten vs to heauen It thy heart be touched to aske how this may be I answere thee onely 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 and to escape Gods iudgement to be a iudge to thine owne soule and so the way to escape the fearfull fanne of God is to fanne thine own heart by the law of God For whomsoeuer the first fanne that is the word of God doth worke vpon these men are neuer blowen away with the fanne of Gods iudgements O then entertaine the word of God into thy heart submit thy soule vnto it let it pearce try and ransacke thy heart and lay before thee thy wretched estate by thy sinnes and when thou seest thynakednesse and misery confesse it bewayle it be humbled for it cry call for mercy and forgiuenesse pray against thy speciall sinnes striue to purge them out as the poyson of thy soule craue grace from God against al thy sinnes and if thou seest any sins more welcome to thy nature more deere vnto thee and which more prevaile against thee then others doe pray against these sinnes and striue against them aboue all and endeuour that by the fanne of Gods word they may bee blowen away from thee When thou hast done this then marke what will come of it when thou hast fanned thy selfe God will not fanne thee but when the fanne of his iudgemēt comes and bloweth so strongly vpon the wicked then the Lord finding thee already 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 Sodom or else shall fanne out all thy corruptions and blow thee vp to heauen to be laid vp as pure wheat in the heauenly garners and mansions of glory which Christ ascended to prepare for thee Now then amongst those many businesses with which this world doth comber euery one of vs all which shall perish with the worlde it selfe let vs good brethren spare some time 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 bee 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
as that their decree stands ratified in heauen Therefore though their place bee great and they bee Gods vppon earth yet must they withall acknowledge that in iustifying a sinner in interpretation in declaring vnto man his righteousnes in binding and loosing their power also is immediate from God aboue theirs and they themselues as they are men must submit themselues to this powerfull word of the ministers to be taught by it and to be reconciled by meanes of it highly must they respect it for though a man speake it yet is it the word of God this is to lick the dust of Christs feete which the Prophet speaketh of not as the Pope would haue it to hold the stirrop leade the horse hold the water to the Pope to kisse his toes to holde their kingdomes of him as tenants at will or by curtesie but reuerently to acknowledge the ordinance to be Gods the function duty to be high excellent to acknowledge the power of their keyes and censures being rightly applied their promises their threatnings to be as frō God to submit to them accordingly Secondly Ministers thēselues here must learne when they take the word of reconciliation into their hands and mouthes to call to minde whose it is euen the Lords and that he worketh with them hath the greatest hand in the work and that therefore they must vse it in holymaner with much feare and reuerence It is not their owne they may not vse it as they list And lastly Hearers are here taught first to see how mad such men be which carelesly and sildome heare sermons but vpon any occasion flye to wisards and charmers which are the diuels Prophets for see the difference of these two the wisard and charmer hath societie with the diuell the Preacher with God the charmer hath his calling from the diuel the Preacher is from God the Charmers charme is the diuels watchword when he charmeth the diuell doth the feate the preachers doctrine is Gods watchword when hee truly applyeth it GOD himselfe ratifieth and makes it good therefore let all men feare to haue thus to doe with the diuell by seeking to his slaues let them draw neere to God by entring into fellowship with his holy prophets and godly Ministers And further if when they preach and thou belieuest then GOD hath mercy on thee then learne what reuerence they and their word is worthy of which is thus accompanied with Gods mercy and forgiuenes and then learne to heare the Word with feare and trembling for it is Gods word and not theirs and when a true Minister saith vnto thee on a true ground I denounce thee a sinfull man and vnder the curse or I declare thee to be righteous and a child of grace it is all one as though God from heauen had said so vnto thee If any man aske But is it not as good if another man pronounce forgiuenesse vnto me vpon my repentance I answere yes vndoubtedly if it be in extraordinarie times or places when there are no Ministers for otherwise certainly this blessing is principally tied vnto the Ministers calling for it is not said of any priuate mens calling any wher in the scripture as it is heere saide of the ministers If an Angell an Interpreter come to a man and declare vnto him his righteousnesss then marke the conexion then will GOD haue mercy on him and will say Deliuer him c. Whence comes this blessing from this promise of God If therfore other callings wil challenge ordinarily the same blessing then must they haue the same prosmise Besides other Christiās being priuate men though they be sanctified haue a good measure of knowledge yet haue they not the same spirit of discerning that godly Ministers haue nor can so fully truly iudge when a man hath repented when not and therefore cannot so truly pronounce the sentence of the law or Gospel nor haue they abilitie ordinarily by their good conference and Christian counsell to conuert a soule but to confirme one conuerted but that power ordinarily belongs to the publike ministery of the word therefore it followeth that ordinarily they haue not the power to pronounce the sentence of binding or loosing vppon any man I confesse in times or places where no minister can be had God blesseth the labours of priuate men that haue knowledge sometimes euen for the conuerting of a man to God for comforting him at the houre of death and giues a vertue and power to that sentence which they shal pronounce one vpon anothers repentance but as this is extraordinary and in the want of ordinary Ministers so in that case a priuate man of knowledge and Godlinesse is made a Minister for that time to himselfe or to another euen as a priuate man in cases of extreame danger whē no magistrate is present is made a magistrate himselfe to defend his own life So then as in want of a Magistrate the sword of the magistracie is put into the hand of a priuate man so in the want of Ministers the keyes of the Ministerie are committed and put into the hands of priuate men as in the dayes of persecution that then they may with comfort admonish aduise and with power pronounce mercy and forgiuenesse one vnto another vpon their true repentance Yet alwaies remember that in so doing a priuate man is as a minister for that time in that case but ordinarily and alwaies in setled Churches this power pertaineth to the Ministerie is theirs alone by ordination and to them belongeth the promise and the blessing that when hee hath declared to a man his righteousnesse then God will haue mercie on him And thus we see also the blessing of God vpon the function of the Ministerie annexed therunto by the merciful dispensation of God It followeth And will say Deliuer him that he goe not downe into the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation The fift and last part of this description is the Commission authoritie giuen vnto him which is so great as neuer was giuen to any creature and is this when a Minister of God hath declared vnto man his righteousnesse hath brought him to the state of grace and God in his fauour hath had mercie on him then God saith to the Minister Deliuer that soule from hell for I haue pardoned him in Christ I am reconciled to him In which words authoritie is giuen to a Minister of God to redeeme a man penitent from hell damnation not that hee is the meanes of working out this redemption for that wholy and onely is Christ himselfe but hee is Gods instrument and Christs instrument First to apply those meanes vnto him Secondly to pronounce his safetie and deliuerance when these means are vsed Here is the principall honour of all belonging to that calling and it is the greatest that euer was vouchsafed
not working Repentance is alwayes a fore-runner of another that Rule is certaine and an euident truth and needs no prouing Now we haue beene visited with Famines Earthquakes pestilences inundations Thunder lightning in winter and most strange vnseasonable weather but alas all these haue taken no effect where is the humiliation repentance and reformation which they haue wrought therefore it must needs bee there remaines behinde a greater iudgement Men may be so madde to thinke these to be ordinary 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 greater iudgement vnlesse Repentance cut of their course For looke as one cloud followeth another till the Sunne consume them so one iudgement hastens after another and repentance onely is the Sunne which must dispel 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 needs be gathered as a Rule I wil curse that people which breake my lawes now we 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 and raigne euery day more and more therefore I conclude that vnlesse wee repent and so dissolue this cloude of iudgement that hangs ouer our heads 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 we had done it Therefore in the bowels of Christ Iesus Let this be 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 already drawn out but yet hath not stricken home may quench the wrath which is already kindled but yet burns not out as it wil do if by repentance we quench it not do this euery one as you tender the saluatioÌ„ of your owne soules the continuance of the Gospel to this glorions Nation and the peace and prosperous state of this Church common wealth For let men 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 Gospel It followeth And you be as Chaff that passeth on a day The Prophet proceedeth describeth more plainely the manner and state of that plague which God will send vpon theÌ„ 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 would not try your selues and finding â—ou vppon the tryall not sound wheat but light chaff blow you to hel with the winde of his wrath the Metaphor which the Prophet vseth is this he compares the Lord to a husband man great and rich the whole world is his corne-field seueral nations as this of ours for one are his heapes of Corne but these heapes of corne be ful of chaf that is these particular Churches are ful of hypocrites now a wise husbandman letteth corne and chaffe lye together no longer then til the winde doth blow and then he appoints his fanning time to seuer his corne from his chaffe and to blow away his chaffe lay vp his corne so God the great wise husbandman will not let the Chaffe lye for euer amongst the Wheat hee hath therefore appointed his fanning times when to blow the Chaffe into hell and to gather his wheat into heauenly garners Now 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 alâ— men when the bad shall bee seuered from the good for euer neuer to be mingled againe with theÌ„ but by the strong and powerfull fanne of his last and finall iudgement to be blowne into Hel the winde of whose wrath at that day shall bee stronger to blow them all away then al the winde in the world to blow 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 fans For when the Gospell is preached to a Nation or Congregation it fannes them and tries them purgeth them and so seuers them that a man may see a manifest difference of the chaffe and the wheate that is of the godly 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 hee saith Whose Fanne is in his hand and hee will â—roughly purge his floore and gather his wâ—eat into his garner but the chaffe he 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 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 only pronounce the sentence and thereby strike the conscience 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 〈◊〉 the first will not preuaile this â—â— his powerfull and strong fanne driuen about with the winde of his wrath this fanne went ouer the olde world and swept them all away and went ouer the nation of the Iewes and we see they are no more 1 These three fannes of God make a three-fold separation of the Chaffe from the Wheate that is of the wicked from the elect with the fanne of his word which is powerfull he seuers them in affection and disposition and makes a distinction of them so as generally the Wheate is knowne to be Wheate and Chaffe discerned to be Chaffe by the preaching of the word but though the tare be knowne to bee tare yet both grow together so that the word onely seuers them in affection and sets seueral notes of distinction vpon them both 2 But then the second fanne of his Iudgements is more violent for thereby he seuereth them a sunder in soule gathering the godly men as his wheat into the heauens blowing the soules of the wicked into hell but yet the bodyes of them both lye together as partakers of the same iudgement so subiect to the same corruption and