that they obtaine that glory which the Lord hath prepared onely for the humble and for the contemners of this world what should I speake of them as it is meete woe to you that hasten to the kingdome of heauen through the way of riches seeing that it is easier for a camell to goe through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heauen These are not my words but the words of Christ if this sentence be reuocable Christ is no more God The heauen and the earth saith he shall passe away but my words shall not passe away Bewaile ô ye miserable Nobles and Potentates the titles of vnslable fortune because yee are blinded with the fumes of the honours and falfe dignities of this world when as the threed of your brittle life shall peraduenture be cut off this night and ye shall be tormented in hell more than others world without end liuing in continuall dying Yee are not amongst the labourers in the world yea ye do not onely not indure labour with men but ye doe not suffer the laborers to liue therfore ye shall be scourged not with men but with deuils For by how much your glory and ioy hath bin the greater in this world by so much the greater punishment is prepared for you in hell We confesse that Christ chose twelue Apostles amongst whom Bartholomew onely was of noble descent and Matthew only was rich before that he was receiued into the Apostleship the rest were poore fishermen Now heare wherfore I haue related this If Christ be true and all which I haue heard out of his mouth he true amongst such kinde of men scarse one of a thousand is to be sound fit for the kingdome of heauen But such of them as doe not beleeue mee shall after a short time feele it when they are placed in torments Yet some man blinded from the light of the truth will now maruaile to whom if hee would aske mee hereabout I would answer Do we not beleeue that a man is damned for one sinne and if it be so how can he be saued that liueth in an hundreth thousand sins But what other thing is the rich man fed with the ayre of fading honour but a rotten vessell full of all sins Where is couetousnesse where is pride Is it not in the rich in the noble in the great ones Are they not also theeues which doe violently prey vpon the hire of the poore and presse them downe and kill them who dowicked things out of the plenty of the Lords house which they haue receiued that they might giue to the poore Certainely they adde to superfluitie in dyet superfluitie in apparell hauing no regard to the poore that dye through cold nakednes They reare vp pallaces and great buildings that they may be seene when the poore dye in the streets They prouide feasts often for other rich men that they may fill their bellies with most delicate dishes when the poore perish through samine What other is their life but sinne if the belly be filled with such plenty of meate is not surfet at the doores And what should I say more when the tongue of euery man would faile in telling the thousands of sins which they do Neither do they acknowledg God vnlesse it be by dreame neither do they thinke that they shall dye as I suppose for he that thinketh that he shall dye and that God shall iudge him doth not easily fall into sinne He is verily ouer weake and miserable that hath not the remembrance of these things Therfore to speake truly if they did acknowledge God their iudge and beleeued that they heard they would at the least wise not sinne so securely Why doe these most milerable men goe to the Church to be present at diuine mysteries whether that they may behold the countenances of faire women this is their meditation preaching and knowledge of God If they looke into Gods law it is but that trauailing by sea or by land they may gather money to themselues and their children by often watches and distractions of minde that they may be the first in changing their suites through the wonderfull inuention of the workeman But miserable men what do yee doe yee not consider that you destroy your bodie before the time and slay your soule whence come weaknesses so vntimely deaths but of the much plenty of meats and of the often vse of women Doe ye thinke to mocke God yee doe certainely mocke your selues for the body yee forget the soule and ye destroy both bodie and soule before the time But delay not to do what ye do change your garments often lest your Nobilitie should decay if any man should exceede you that ye may receiue shame and confusion in hell Where shall your feasts where shall your delicare dishes then be where your costly wines mixt with honey and spices Banquet and be drunken for yee shall do no more so after death but being in hell torments yee shall with the rich man desire the least drop of water and shall not obtaine it Take your comfort in surfets fulfill your pleasures sowe in corruption that of corruption ye may reape that sentence which the iust iudge will giue in the great day of iudgement saying Goe yee cursed into heli sire prepared for the Deuill and his angels O stenle heart that dost not feare that such a doome hangeth ouer thy head for the slender comforts of this world If thou lookest for that day so terrible and cruell wherein thou shalt giue account not onely for thy surfets and vaine apparell and drunkennesse and of thy time lost but also of euery euill thought why art thou not amended Why dost thou wretch deferre from day to day to turne vnto the Lord why dost thou not now repent thee of thy sinnes Behold death maketh haste running night and day that it may teare thee in peeces behold the Deuill maketh haste to catch thee behold thy riches shall faile thee behold the wormes waite for that body which thou doest nourish so daintily that they may gnaw vpon it vntill such time as being receiued to the soule it may togither suffer endles punishments Why dost thou seeke comfort by vanities wandring in the by-waies of this world Thou canst not finde true riches and glory and pleasant things here because they are not but if thou seekest for true ioyes hasten to that heauenly glory for which thou wert made There doubtlesse are those true ioyes which the eye hath not seene nor the care heard nor the heart conceiued Let goe I pray thee fading momentanie things and seeke things euerlasting But why doe I speake of these men that will not cease from sinne through loue and feare of God or for the terror of death and torments following after but are grieued if they cannot doe the wicked things which they desire Woe woe vnto yo◠wretches that laugh here for yee shall mourne woe be to
if thou wilt come vp to him Whatsoeuer a man doth saith Chrysostome if there bee not humility Chrysost Matth Hom 15. but vaine-glory the soule suffereth shipwracke though it be euen in the hauen of tranquility Et quid infoelicius potest homini accidere quam in ipsa tranquilitatis portu naufragium facere By humility then shee sat safely in the hauen and saw the shore she gat vp vnto the step and beheld God her faluation Fiftly she was annoynted with due subiection to her owne husband as Sarah 1 Pet. 3.6 who reuerenced her husband whose example is most carnestly by S. Peter commended to all wiues promising that thus they become the daughters of Sarah not being terrified with any feare Whetfore hauing this vertue also added shee was doubtlesse without feare stedfast in the faith of her saluation Vnruly wines like vnto Rachel the wife of Iaacob Gen. 30.1 quarrelling with their husbands 2 Sam. 6. or like Michol the wife of David mocking their husbands or like lezabel the wife of Ahab 1 Kin. 21. imperious ouer their husbands and helping them forward in sin or like Peninnah the wife of Elkana puft vp 1 Sam. 1. because of their fruitfulnesse or like the daughters of lerusalem vainely decking themselues without end in superfluous implements to the needlesse cost of their husbands these and the like haue such a mist or dark clowd of blacke sinnes before their eyes as that they cannot see this saluation they may haue hope indeede but their hope is presumption the end of which is damnation Now as this elect seruant of God was beautified with these graces in her health so they remained in her without being dimmed in her last sicknesse 1. For heauenly zeale shee gaue a sure instance heereof in the beginning of this sicknesse by commanding her seruants not to trouble her with any worldly affaires for now she would wholly be setled to heauen And indeed shee lay in her sicke bed as in heauen full of heauenly speeches and of heauenly comfort Now all her practise was praying confessing of sinnes singing Pâ—almes and godlâ— conference 2. For wisdome when strength of body falled her this was strong yet in he euon vnto the end most wisely shee spake to euery thing with much vnderstanding producing sundry places of the holy Scriptures Being much troubled for her sinnes and buffetted by the temptations of Satan she sayd that shee had yet much assurance because that Mat. 11.28 Come vnto mee saith the Lord all you that are weary and beauy laden and I will refresh you Hee biddeth to come sayd shee and come all yea euen such wretches as I am Againe Lue. 10. Mary said shee that had chosen the better part was promised that it should neuer be taken from her and the gifts and calling of God are without repentance And againe the Church saith Come and the Spirit saith Come who so will and drinke of the water of life freely Another time being dealt withall about willingnesse to depart out of this world yea said shee Lot was a worthy man yet he was faine to bee pulled out of Sodom Another time after great trouble of mind being restored againe to comfort by prayer Thou art a God sayd shee that hearest prayer therefore to thee shal all flesh come with many like sayings excellently applied which I cannot repeat againe 3. For true loue that still abounded in her towards God her loue did wonderfully shew it selfe by the great care which she had all the time of her painfull sicknes that nothing in her passions might proceed from her to scandalize that holy profession which she had entertained wherby God might bee dishonoured and by her great remorse and sorrow for any behauior amisse in her greatest extremity No heart could bee pricked more for sinne then her tender heart was for her slips in her greatest passions shee wished rather to bee as Lazarus then to bee any way a scandall or meanes of the opening of wicked mouths against the Gospell Oh that we had all in our health and freedom from distractions that tendernesse of heart and affection towards Gods glory so should not blasphemous mouths bee set so wide open to speake euill of our Christian profession neither should so many stumble and be hindered from the right way She exceeded also still in loue of her neighbours as her almes were alwayes great so now much more willing that both money and cloath should bee plentifully giuen to the poore round about She thewed a right mother like affection to her children commending to them in patticular the feare of God and the loue of the vertuous and charity to the poore with many other good exhortations to her maidens likewise she had memorable speeches of instruction and admonition and the like 4. For Humility shee did with all patience beare her sicknesse no discontented speeches no impatient complainings no distempered groanings were heard to come from her but when shee had greatest pangs her mourning was inward and when shee had any little time of respit she was very cheerefull singing and talking comfortably A most happy woman then was she Simeons most delightfull sight was her sight in health and sicknesse to the last with her eies shee did see her saluation 2. For the ioy Now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace Lettest depart or dismissest or lettest loose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen as a man let loose out of prison or held longer then he would from the place which hee desireth to goe vnto but now sent away Inpeace that is in ioy and comfort for such as depart in peace goe away comfortably Doct. Note that Simeon obtaining this fauour to see the Lords saluation did ioyfully dispose himselfe to goe out of this world and euery Simeou that is euery faithfull person is likewise ioyfull and comfortable against the terrours of death whensoeuer it commeth The changing of their haires into gray in olde age the wrinckling of their faces their deafe eares dirnme eyes their lame and aking limbs summoning to death doe not dismay them If their streights be such as that they see nothing but death before their eyes yet they reioice with Paul saying I haue fought a good fight I haue runne a good race now remaineth for mee the crowne of righteousnesse c. And great reason is there that the faithfull should cheere vp themselues when death approcheth because there is nothing in death to hinder but all things to further their ioy For death is nothing but a letting loose of the soule to goe to Christ for which cause Paul speaking heere of saith Phil. 1.17 desiring to bee loosed and to be with Christ which is best of all Now who would be grieued to bee let loose and not rather reioice to be let loose from the streight prison of the body that the soule may enioy the liberty of its proper Countrey viz. heauen from whence it came 2. Death is
nothing but an vncloathing a putting off of base rags that we may be cloathed with glorious apparrell 2 Cor. 5.3 We sigh desiring to be vnclothed not that wee may bee lest naked but that we may bee clothed upon that death may bee swallowed vp of life Our body wherewith wee are now cloathed is moitall the cloathing to come is immortall neuer wearing away it is heauen which is glorious and euerlasting 3. Death is nothing else but a sweet sleep after long and toylesome labour For blessed are the dead which die in the Lord they rest fro their labours saith the Spirit and their workes follow them After the hard brunt of the lewes malicious onset Steuen is said to haue falne asleepe And who is not glad when the time of rest commeth after long and painefull labour 4. Death is nothing else but a committing of the soule into the hands of holy Angels to be carried into the company of Patriarkes and Prophets to liue together in continuall feasting and ioy For when Lazarus dyed the Angels carried him into Abrahams bosome Luc. 16. and the faithfull are sayd to sit downe in the kingdome of Heauen with Abraham Luc. 13.29 Isaak and Iaacob And who would bee afrayd or grieued to go into such company to liue in so ioy full a place whatsoeuer he must forsake in this world seeing that heere many bitter morsels are mixed with our sweet bits but there is all sweet and pleasant meat without any dramme of bitternesse But it will against this bee obiected Ob. that if this be the case of the faithful then many that liue a good life and expresse greatest zeale doe shew littie signe of their faith towards their end seeing they are wonderfully vncomfortable and oftentimes loth to depart I answer that this may happen euen in the true faithfull seruants of God and yet their faith remain vnshaken First through the desire of bringing more glory to God and of heaping vp a greater treasure in Heauen Thus Hezekiah pleaded for life in his great sicknes because saith hee the liuing the liuing they shall praise thee hee hee did earnestly desire because that hee was yet young and able to liue to gloritie God more in this world Euen as the laboring man that serueth a good master if his wages be offered him before the end of the day that hee may bee dismissed hee is loth to receiue them yet because hee had rather hold out in the seruice of so bountifull a master and doe him a full dayes worke so the faithfull person though he be assured of Heauen when he dieth yet he had rather continue whilst ability serueth to doe God more seruice in this world before his dismisse that doing a full dayes worke he may partake the more of the Lords bounty Secondly this salleth out somtime through the violence or the disease the greatnesse of the pain beâ—umming the sense for a time so a that there is no feeling of comfort but great heauinesse Thus the Lord lesus himselfe in his extreaine passions was in a wonderfull agony and heauy till that the Angels came and comforted him and much more the weake members of Christ when their passions are extreame must needs bee heauy and vncomfortable and loth to come neere death for a season Euen as the Labourer in the extreame heat of the day being pained with toyle and the weather is without all comfort although he be sure of his wages at night so the faithfull soule being scorched with the heat of extreame pangs hath no feeling of comfort although hee bee assured of his reward at the last Thirdly this falleth out through Satans temptations who then assaulteth most busily when we are weakest and heerein hee often preuaileth so farre as that the patient can finde no comfort though he prayeth againe and againe Thus S. Paul when he was most highly fauored of God had the buffettings of Satan by which hee was exceedingly cast downe 2 Cor. 12. and prayed once twice thrice before that hee could receiue any comfort Euen as the manly Souldier who hauing fought valiantly and a breach being made now in the wall through which hee is entring the city is notwithstanding much daunted by the desperate Aduersary which maketh the passage very hard and painefull vnto him insomuch as for a time there is nothing but horrour before his eyes though hee seeth the resistance to bee so weake as that hee cannot possibly be kept from the spoyle So the Christian souldier sighting manfully all his life time and the breach being now made in his last sicknesse though hee seeth the riches of the new lerusalem from which he cannot be stopped yet by Satan now growing de perate hee is so resisted as that his brunt is very grieuous and hee is much dismayd It is not so euen with wie ked persons for they lie vpon their sicke beds oftentimes with more comfort and euen quietly depart out of this world but this is partly because their pangs are not so great they being spared here to bee the more tormented heereafter and partly because the Deuid hauing them in his suare is no way troublesome vnto them but rather as an Angell of light speaketh all peace and comfort till they be in the midst of his lawes As Elishahs seruant led the Syrians with hope 2 King 6. till they were taken in the midst of their enemies Wherefore let no faithfull person bee discouraged for the brunts which the godly suffer in their sicknesse neither let the wicked be incouraged for the easie passage of some of the common sort for it remaineth firme Such as see by faith their saluation shall depart in peace and none else Had wee not an instance of this in our faithfull sister Shee had brunts of temptations brunts of pangs and part of her day yet in the course of nature remaining young children amongst whom she might think profitably to spend her time to Gods glory yet howsoeuer these things might trouble her ioy yet they could not all take it from her For vpon the Saturday growing very weake and being much troubled for a time she yet professed her stedfast assurance willing one that was then about to go to a friend of hers a Gentle woman that had labored but could not finde assurance to commend her vnto her and certifie her what ioy she had saying that she vndoubtedly should rather haue the like Soone after this being through this ioy reuiued in her spirit she arose from her bed and sang most sweetly saying that it put her in minde of the singing in heauen The next day being the Lords day when she heard the family singing below in the house she sayd that she should be singing ere long in heauen That night being prayed for sundry times when mention was made of restitution to health in prayer shee seemed not to bee much mooued but when heauen was mentioned and being receiued thither shee sayd aloud
as new born Bibes yea shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen A new borne Babe seeing a faire woman is not delighted beholding gorgeous apparell he doth not desire it Being hurt he dwelleth not in anger he doth not remember nor hate therefore he followeth his father and doth not forsake his mother And therefore let no man thinke that he shall attaine the kingdome of heauen vnlesse he be a follower of this innocencie viz of chastitie contempt of the world of loue and patience following Christ and resting in the bosome of the church his mother Put off most beloued the old man and put on the armour of God that yee may stand against the treacheries of the Deuill Let your weapons wherewith ye fight be chasâ—itie patience humilitie and charitie for these are weapons against the subtleties of the Deuill wherewith if yee be armed yee shall gird your loynes with fortitude and strengthen your arme and when yee shall be in the battaile yee shall laugh your house shall truly be founded vpon a sure rocke which is Christ Luxurie is the sword of the Deuill as how many doth he slay with that sword and there is no sin whereby the Deuill doth so often ouercome For as chastitie doth equall a man vnto the Angels so luxurie doth make a man like to the brute beasts yea to speake truly it makes him worse than a beast We doe not read of any other sin that God said that he repented that hee made man for it The workes of luxurie are these it weakneth the body and doth alwaies as it were destroy a man by death it brands the good name it emptieth the purse it sets a worke to steale it causeth murther it dulls the memory it takes away the heart it blindes the eyes of either man and prouokes the wrath of God aboue other sinnes It springeth from gluttonie as from a roote and for no other sin hath God exercised so manifest iudgement as for that without all mercy For this sinne God brought the flood vpon the world he burnt Sodom and Gomorrah and slew many other men This is the net of the Deuill if any man be taken herein he is not soone let loose againe In this so grieuous a battaile no men can ouercome vnlesse hee flies none can firmely indure vnlesse he times the flesh He that vseth wine carries fire in his bosome Be not drunken with wine saith the A postle where in is luxury This brunt is not borne but by abstinence and fasting Wine hurteth but the countenance of a woman an hundreth fold more A beautifull woman is the deuils dart whereby a man is soone drawne into luxurie Let no man liuing be confident in this if thou beest a Saint yet thou art not secure Can a man hide fire in his bosome and his garments not burne or walke vpon coales and his feete not burne A man a woman togither are fire and towe and the Deuil neuer ceaseth blowing to kindle it Many most holy men haue fallen by this vice for their securitie therefore feare ô my sonaes and if in other sinnes much more in this But to speake truly a new kind of fornication is committed by many of the spiritualty now a dayes Alas what shall I say men doe not now blush but glory in doing euill There is some kinde of bashfulnesse tho but a litle in women but in men this euill hath so increased that he is counted a foole that is not expert in these things What should I say more This is their holy day keeping this is their preaching for this come they to the Church that they may see faire women and that they may talke with them that the desire of filthinesse may the more increase thereby But ô wretched man why dost thou glory in this euill Thou sinnest an hundreth times more than the woman Shee is weake and thou thinkest thy self strong shee sitteth at home and thou wandring abroad seekesta thousand waics to intangle hir and sometime compellest hir by force and when thou dost these things because God holds his peace thou thinkest that hee is like vnto thee But the time will come wherein he will reproue thee and set thy sinnes before thy face Wherefore ô my sonnes be yee wise as serpents innocent as doues fight manfully against the old serpent O loue one another I haue receiued this not of man but of my Sauiour who saith This is my commandement that yee loue one another As out of one root many branches do spring so out of charitie spring all vertues If I speake with the tongues of men and angels and haue not loue I am nothing saith the Apostle He that hath loue is benigne and patient He hath true loue which doth not only loue the nearest vnto him by kindred and in the flesh as the heathen doe but which loueth his enemy euen as his friend By this one thing a man may know that he abideth in loue if he loueth him that is against him There are very many that loue but they loue amisse for in louing man they oftentimes loose the loue of God They which loue any thing more than God are not worthy of God In all vertues temperance is required vertue must alwaies keepe a meane To loue too much or too litle is euill All loue that hurteth is to be anoyded Through too much loue some haue fallen into fil thinesse through too litle some haue fallen into enuie Ouer-much loue would alwaies see the thing which it loueth This loue is ignorant of iustice and truth it wants reason it knowes no measure neither can it thinke any thing but that which it loueth It is impossible that a man which hath such loue should offer acceptable prayers vnto God or please God This loue is not charitie but folly We ought to loue all our brethren as our selues but yet so as that we loue not their vices It is loue to punish sinne it is iust to loue more the better man Men are so to be loued that goodnesse may be exalted and vice disgraced He that is without true loue is without God because God is loue and loue is God He that dwelleth in loue hath already begun to dwell in heauen Where there is true loue there is no enuie no ambition no backbiting no murmuring or mocking but one and the same will Therefore I beseech you whilsi yee haue time that ye receiue not the grace of God in vaine In this short time of our life let vs sow and so we shall reape in due time The dayes of man are short our life is cut off as a weauers threed death commeth as a theefe and euery mans workes follow him Whilst ye haue light walke not in darknes he that walketh in darknesse knoweth not whither be goeth Your light is Christ which doth shine in darknesse come there fore vnto him the liuing stone reiected indeede or men but chosen of God that yee as liuing stones may be