vnto vs euery daye for amendment of lyfe sayinge with S. Paule aryse thou that sléepest and stand vp from death and the Lorde â–ª shall giue thée light and yet for all this we sléepe stil And therfore I fear me that many of vs shall dye in our sinnes without repentaunce and haue our soules buried in hell to euerlastinge paine which if we woulde awake and aryse from sinne shoulde dwell in heauen to euerlastinge lyfe And truely we that be heare in thys country be of all others I feare me fruthest of froÌ„ saluacion For although the trumpet of gods word doe dayly sounde in our eares and although we haue the blacke cloudes of darkenes and ignorauÌ„ce driuen away from vs by the shininge light of the gospell yet for all this we walke not as the childrâ—e of light but are to wel acquainted and ouer much occupied in the vnfruitfull workes of darkenes for howe can we be saide to be the childrne of light when as no fruit of godly life appeareth in all our doinges and when our déeds be such towards our neighbours that they shewe and declare there is nothinge but doung and poyson in our hartes And howe can wée be saide to be awake when as we lye still buried in sin drowned in vice séeinge that we daily commit such déedes as stiâ—cke both before she face of god and all good men We say that a man is awake wheÌ„ as he can do the office of a maÌ„ as talke write go run such like So in like maner a man is said to bée a waked out of the sléepe of sinne wheÌ„ as he beleueth truely in Christ loueth his neighbour and walketh in the waies and commaundementes of the Lorde god Kinge Dauid awaked out of this sléepe of sinne wherein he had laine aboue a yeare when as Nathan the Prophet came vnto him reproued him therfore For after that NathaÌ„ had rebuked him for his whoredome hée began to mislike him selfe earnestly for his sinne coÌ„mitted humbled himselfe before God and cryed out I haue sinned against the Lorde sayinge Miserere mei deus secundum magnum miserecordiam tuam c. Haue mercy on me O God according to thy great mercy and accordinge to y multitude of thy compassions wype away my offeÌ„ces Wash me throughly from my wickednes and clense me from my sinne The Prodigall sonne awaked out of the sléepe of sinne wheÌ„ he forsooke his fylthy strompets and retourned home to his father from whom he had rashly departed submittinge him selfe vnto him and sayinge Father I haue sinned against heaueÌ„ and against thée am no more worthy to bée called thy sonne The wicked Iewes which had crucified Christ harkeninge to the sermon of Peter began to awake out of thys deadly sleépe of sinne when as they began to be pricked in the harte and to say vnto Peter the other apostles Men and bretheren what shall we do which examples doe teache vs y men are then said to be awake and to arise out of the sléepe of sinne when as they are hartely sory for the sinne coÌ„mitted and bringe forth the fruit of repentaunce Thus you sée what is ment by sléepe and arising from sléepe And truely it should séeme that the apostle doth vse this Metaphor of sléepinge and wakinge and of night and day that we might haue good occasions to muse and thinke of these thinges as oft as we sée the sonne â—o arise and as oft as we awake out of sléepe and rise out of our beddes For euen as it is the parte of a good husband not to slugge and slepe in his bedde when as the daye appearinge offereth vnto him good occasion to arise and to go about his busines but to get vp with all conuenient spéede and to goe about such thinges as are néedeful to be done So christian men which haue any care of their owne saluation ought not to let slip the good opportunitie to do good offered to them of god but they ought to shewe them selues readye and diligent to doo those things that God hath coÌ„maunded by his worde An other reason which he vseth to perswade vs to arise nowe out of this deadly sléepe is bicause our saluation is nearer then when we beleued it By which reason he sheweth that it had haue to small purpose to tel vs of these thinges and to haue exhorted vs to holinesse of life before we did beleue in Christ and had the knowledge of the truth But séeing that our saluation is nowe nearer then it was in time past we ought in no wise to neglect thys occasion By saluation he meaneth that full and perfect saluation and blessednesse which we shal be parsakers after this lyfe So that the sence and meaninge of Paule is that our fall and perfect salutation is nowe nearer then it was longe agâ—e and when we did syrst begyn to beléeue For as without sayth beleefe in Christ there is no hope of saluation no remission of sinnes no eternall lyfe to be looked for so heauen and eternall lyfe beginne then to appeare when â—â—yrst God giueth a hart to beléeue and eyes to sée the waye to most blessed immortalytie And the more that our fayth encreaseth and the more that we profit in the knowledge of God the nearer and nearer doo we drawe towardes heauen and moste blessed saluation When as a man diggeth in a gold myne the déeper he diggeth the nearer he commeth to gold The further that the trauayling man goeth on his way the nearer he commeth to his iournies ende So the most happy perfect saluasion that we shall enioy after thys mortal life is nearer vnto vs theÌ„ wheÌ„ we first beleued For when as we began first to beleue then did we begin to set forward in our rate iourneye to goo towards heueÌ„ but now we haue gon a great way in our iorney euery day draweth nearer nearer the day of our deth At which time our souls shal be caried vp into heaueÌ„ Again we are now nearer to the day of iudgemeÌ„t and the world is nearer an end theÌ„ it was mani a yere agoe At which time christ shall raise vp our bodyes out of the dust and make vs partakers of that kingdom whereof his blessed body is pertaker of all redy For then shall mortalyty put on immortality corrupcion incorrupcioÌ„ then may we be bould to say O death wher is thy stynge O hel where is thy victory And truely the consideracion of this full and perfecte saluacion whych is nowe nearer then when we first beleued ought to moue vs to leade a holy and Godly lyfe least that through our slouthe and necligence we lose it and giue testimony to the worlde that it doth not appertaine vnto vs. For our necligence must néedes be accounted horrible and shamefull if we now leaue of to serue GOD when as we haue but a short tyme to liue and be at the very poynt to
be to his owne hinderanÌ„ce He that loueth his neighbour will not goe about to defile his neighbors bed with fiilthy and execrable whoredome neither will seeke to coÌ„pany with any woman out of marriage beinge maried will haue enioye his owne wife soberly and doe nothinge vnséeminge the honorable estate of matrimonie Hee that loueth his neighbour will not goe about to plucke awaye from him any part of his substance by violence fraude or anye other vnlawefull meanes Hée that loueth his neighbour will not backbite him or make or forge lyes of him to his disprofit any maner of waye To be briefe he wil so deale with his neighbour as he would haue other men to deale with him Nowe after that the apostle hath set downe certaine godly rules touching the duties of loue and holy life least peradueÌ„ture they might sone slyde out our mindes he thought it good and right néedfull here in the ende of the chapter to perswade vs there vnto by certaine waightye and graue reasons By which he goeth about to perswade all men which belieue in Christ to expresse their fayth by good workes and holines of lyfe which thing in déede is not lightly to be regarded but aduisedly to be considered especially séeing that god doth require it euery where of vs in his holy worde For séeing that god in the beginning when as we were nothing but claye and earth did of his onely grace and goodnes breath into vs the spirite of life placed our first parentes in Paradice a place full of all pleasurs and goodnes and afterward when as we by sinne and transgression had lost that worthines that by creacion wée had and were become subiect to death and eternall damnacion he did restore vs againe to lyfe and confirme vs in y same by the promise of Chrst to come who by the innocencie of his manhood hath recouered that for vs which wée before by sinne and disobedience had destroyed These thinges I saye considered we shal be not only verye much vnthankefull but also most wicked vnlesse we constantly defend this our dignitye bought and obtayned with y price of Christ his bloud and aboue al loue that GOD againe that loued vs first so derely and forth with endeuor our selues euery day more and more to liue as it becoÌ„meth vs walking all the dayes of our lyfe in holy feare before the lord And truly to the performaunce of these thinges the consideracioÌ„ of this perell of scripture may very much profyte vs The which I will deuide into thrée parets 1 The first parte contayneth an exhortatioÌ„ to liue vprightly with certaine great weighty reasons to perswade vs therevnto 2 The second parte setteth downe what we must shunne auoide if we will liue vprightly and honestly 3 The third last parte teacheth to put on a newe garment and to fight against our owne wicked lustes and croked affections The apostle chosen vessell of Christ S. Paule did very well way and consider that such is naughtines corrupcion of mans nature that he is not easily perswaded to doe those thinges which the Lord by his word hath coÌ„mauÌ„ded and to leaue those thinges â—ndone which he hath by his worde forbidden And therfore after that he hath commended vnto vs charity giuen vs to vnderstand howe we should liue least we should let these good lessons slyppe out our mindes he seketh to perswade vs thervnto by certaine weightye and graue reasons The first reason which the Apostle here in this text vseth to perswade vs to liue vprighly to forsake sinne and wickednes is takeÌ„ of the circumstaunce of the time the wordes be these And that cosidering the season it is nowe time for vs to awake out of sléepe In which verse he telleth vs that it is now high time for vs to amend our liues and to serue God especially because good oportunitie serueth therevnto and somuch the rather bycasue the cloudes of ignorauÌ„ce vnbeléefe and wicked lustes are now driuen away from vs by the light of the gospell and knowledge of gods truth and therefore it behoueth vs so to order our liues as they which haue y light and which are still conuersaunt in the open sight eies of all men For they which perceue that all mens eies are bent vppon them haue a diligent care least they should doe any thing that is not séemelye and honest bycause they knowe by experience that if they steppe neuer sâ—â— lyttle aside out of the ryght waye then they shall bée espyed and haue many witnesses ready to accuse them of theyr sinne and iniquitie So in like maner it behoueth vs who liue in the sighte of God and his angels hauing Christe the true soÌ„ne of rightuousnesse a vewer and beholder of all our dooings coÌ„mauÌ„ding vs to walke as before him to take aduised héede y we doo nothing that may offeÌ„d his diuine maiesty bicase if we so doo we shall haue Christ himself a witnes against vs who shall iudge in the last day pronounce sentene vpon all flesh acording to the tenour of iustice and equitye But it appereth that â–ª the talke that is here vsed is not plaine but Metaphoricall For the Apostle maketh mencion of sléepe of waking of night of darkenes of lyght of day And therefore before I procéede any further in the text I thinke it méete and conuenient to declare vnto you what is ment by euery one of these wordes to the ende that that which I am about to teach may bée more manifest and playne to you that be my hearers Know ye therefore that by sléepe hée meaneth sinne and a certen sluggishnes and drowsines to imbrace the gospell to heare gods word and to frame and fashion our liues ther after By awaking out of sléepe hée meaneth a certen desire and readines to doe our duties and such things as God requireth of vs in his worde Aristole therfore doth very well and truely cal waking a liberty or fréedom of the sences and hée calleth sléepe a bande or imprysoninge of them For when a man is a sléepe he hath all his sences so tyed vp imprisoned that he hath neither eyes to sée eares to heare nose to smell handes to touche féete to goe nor hart to conceyue but is like vnto a deade corps that lyeth rottinge in the graue But when a man is a wake then is hée ready ynough to sée to heare to speake to run to goe or to doe any thing belonging to a reasonable creature Therefore the Apostle sayth it is now time for vs to awake out of sléepe as though hée should haue sayd before our regeneration before god had geueÌ„ vs eies te se and harts to beleue the truth we were fast a sleepe in sinne and did lye in the shadowe of death and there was nothing in vs but horrible blindnes so that we could not see the maiesty of god we did not féele and fast the mercies of god offered to vs in Christ
his deare and welbeloued soÌ„ne neither had we learned how swéete the Lorde is Our eares were so stopped y we could not harken vnto the swéete voyce of God and glad tidinges of saluatioÌ„ we perceaued nothing at all of the goodnes of God towards vs neither yet were we moued to any worke of charitye towards our neighbour but were vtterlye vnapt altogether vnable to doo any good worke yea not so much so much as to thinke a good thought But now seinge it hath pleased the lord to pittye our misery to awake vs out of this deadlye daungerous sleepe of sinne to send his worde amongest vs and by it through the working of his spirit to create fayth in vs it is very méete and also right nedefull that we sléepe no more in sine but rise vp with al spéed vnto newnes of life For seing we haue nowe the light of the Gospell amoÌ„gst vs it is now no time for vs to â—lugge and sléepe any more and to folowe the lustes pleasures of the fleshe as though Christ had neuer bene preched vnto vs and we neuer called by the voyce of God to repentance and amendment of lyfe Let vs therefore not neclect this good occasion considering y the apostle doth héere fel vs that it is nowe high tyme for vs to awake out of sléepe but let euery man be redy to do his duty séeing that good opportunitye serueth therevnto we ought in no wise to deferre the reformation of things that be amisse from daye to daye and yere to yere and to be idle at such a time as this is bicause god perchaunce will not alwaies graunt vs the like occasion to do good And therfore it behoueth vs to strayne our selus the more whilest occasion â—â—steth while god grauÌ„teth vs leaue to do wel The Smith stricketh his yron 〈…〉 it is hot The husband ma◠〈◊〉 his corne to be already ripe prouideth in dâ—â— seaâ—on reaperâ— and sicles to cut it doâ—â—â— and in the harâ—est time you shall heare him say to his seruauntes wheÌ„ the weather is faire plie it â—â—irs plye it for we cannot tell whether it will raine or no and howe longe this faire weather will last Likewise the Marchantman if he haue a voiage to make he will take shippe while tide anâ— wâ—â—de serueth For hée knoweth that time and tide will â—arye for no man The prophet Esay therfore giueth good counsel and willeth all men to receyue Christ when as he offereth himselfe into them by the preaching of his worde Sayinge Quâ—â—â—te dominum dum inueâ—â—â— potest inuocate eum dum prope est sieke the Lorde whilest he may be found cal you vpon him whilest he is neare Christ in the gospell doth shewe that manye through their owne slownes and negligence shall be that out of the kingdome of heauen he depriued of eternal life Here vpoÌ„ he saith Contendite intrare per anguâ—â—am portaÌ„ quia dico vobis multi quaerent intrare et non poterunt Stâ—â—ue to enter in at the strait gate for many I say wil seeke to enter in and shall not be able When the good man of the house is risen vp and hath shut to y dore ye begin to staÌ„d without and knock at the dore sayinge Lorde Lord open vnto vs he shall answer and say vnto you I knowe you not whence you are In the xxv of Math. we read y the siue wise virgins which wer ready went in with the Bridegrom vnto the weddinge but the fiue folishe virgins bicause they were not ready in time had the gate of heauen shut against them For whilest they went to bye oyle for their laâ—ps y bridegrome came the gaâ—â— was shut Paule therfore in the Gal. willeth vs to do good to all men while we haue time And here in this place he telleth vs y it is now time for vs to awake out of slepe Wherefore seeinge y good occasion of well doinge beings 〈◊〉 â—et â—lipe cannot be called back agane fâ—râ—â—much as it hath plesed god of his infinit mercy to seÌ„d his word amoÌ„gst vs to giue vs vnderstaÌ„diÌ„g of his good will plesure to awakeÌ„ vs which were afore fast a sleepe in Idolatry and vtterly vnable to do any good worke let vs I say not neclect this good occasion but with an earnest desire endeuour to do our duties whilest god graunteth vs leasure and whilest good opportunity serueth thervnto An other reason which ought to perswade vs to doo our dutye without delay is because our lyfe is short and passeth away swyftly and good occasions of well dooing slippe away apace and therefore greate cause haue we to do good whilest God giueth vs respite whilest opportunity serueth For we are taught by the prophet the we cannot be couÌ„ted for good fruitful trées vnlesse we bringe footh fruite in dwe season A good trée doth not only bringe forth good fruit but also it bringeth it foorth in due coÌ„uenieÌ„t time So if we wil be counted good ChristiaÌ„s we must do good whilest opportunitye serueth The good Samaritane meÌ„tioned of in the Gospel did good while opportunity did serue and when occasion was offered For so sone as he sawe the man that was falleÌ„ into the hands of theues lying by the way side sore beaten and wounded he was straight way moued with coÌ„passion on him in somuch that he went vnto him bouÌ„de vp his wounds powred wine oyle into them layde hym vpoÌ„ his beast caried him to his Inne and made prousion for him But the Preist and the Leuite had the same occasioÌ„ offered them to do good and to exercise theire charity towards theire neighbour but they passed by would not do good when occasioÌ„ serued thervnto So likewise wheÌ„ poore Lazarus laie at the gate of Diues with a naked body an empty belly crauinge to be refreshed with the smal cruÌ„mes that fell from his table there was occasion offered vnto him to do good but he would not do good when he might bringe forth fruite in dwe season therefore he was cut downe as an vnfruitful trée and cast into the fyre and his ende was euerlastynge myserye withoute all hope of mercy Therfore let vs learne to do good whilest we haue tyme and when we may But alas although we are here told that it is time to awake out of sléepe to arise out of the bedde of carnal securitie and to goe about our busines yet for al this we lye still wée are none of the hastinges yea wée deferre our doinge well from one day to another yea from one yere to another that is to say from henceforth for euer more Such is our negligence and slownes in this behalfe For we are in such a deade sléepe that wee awake not for all the noyse and callinges that is made and vsed euery daye The preachers crye out cease not they exalt their voyces like trumpetes and call