and a loaden asse that cannot goe and therfore must needes be hindered Sam. 1. â—7 Purge theÌ„ this filth cast away this vaile and disburdeÌ„ thy shippe The auncient gamesters would wrestle naked Dauid would not fight in Saules harness and hee that vseth masteries abstaineth from all thinges that may hinder him Cor. 1.9.25 Behold Christ came to beare thy burden vnload thy vessell and ease thy shippe He was made the son of man that thou mightst be the child of God he was layed in swadling bands that thou mightst be loosed froÌ„ the bonds of sin He was wrapped in ragged clowts that that thou mightst be cloathed with his righteousnesse innocency He was poore that thou mightst he rich A stranger that thou mighst be sure of an heauenly citie Hee payed tribute that thou mighst he free from the trihute of hell Hee was debased that thou mightst be exalted accursed that thou mightst be iustified condemned that thou mightst be saued Died that thou mightst liue and calles for euery one tbat is weary and heauy loaden to come vnto him and he will ease them The third hinderer is vnskilfulnesse in the carde ignorance in ayming and rudenesse in guiding Math. 11.28 for by this meanes he may roaue at random misse the hauen and hinder his iourny Iudg. 16. Blinde Sampson cannot finde the Pillars vnlesse he be guided Acts. 9. nor Saule Damascus vnlesse he be directed but if the blind leade the blind both fall into to the ditch and may be drowned Not vnlike vnto this temporall blindenesse is the spirituall darkenesse of ignorance and infidilitie For the ignorant goe they know not whether they walke in darknesse they are very fooles they are like the blind Sirians they rowe among ther enemies and there voyage is distruction Iohn 12 Seeke then for knowledge Christ is the light Prou. bee skilfull in the carde his word is the lanther Iob. 4. walke not in darkenesse Christ is the way drowne not in error his worde is the truth Iohn 8 To know God is life euerlasting Ignoratiô scripturarum est ignoratio Christâ— Iohn 12. to be vnskilfull in the scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ These are Iacobs ladder Dauids key and will leade thee into all truth without these thou art like the Sodomites looking for Lots house the Iewes see king for Christ the Pilot rouing at the hauen but cannot hitte it Iohn 17. For the scriptures are our sword ballaÌ„ce rule square dore that opens to vs the knowledge of God and conducts vs to euerlasting happinesse Iohn 14. Notwithstanding albeit the scripture be a candle that burneth most brightly and the sun that shineth most clearely yet they are not so vnto the blind the hid the dead but only vnto him whose darknes is inlightned whose eares are vnstopped and whose eies are opened to heare to see to beleeue the worde of truth The Isralites hard the thunder but saw not God the two disciples hard saw Christ but knew not Iesus before their eies were opened Infidility is a stoÌ„e that must be remoued a cloud that must be dispersed a death that must be quickened He that is troubled with this disease hath hands without feeling eares without hearing eyes without seeing Aug. O then let vs aske seeke and knocke for faith Iohn 1.5.9 For faith is the inlightning of the mind the victorie ouer the world the gate wherby God enters into our harts it is the star that leads the wisemeÌ„ to Christ the woman to her groat and the Prodigall child to his father Math. 2. It is the light by which we walk Luke 15. the life by which we liue the sheild be which we are defended the Cinosura be which we sayle without this we shoot besides the butte Cor. 2.5 run beside the goale and row beside the hauen Forthly as Noes Arke receiued al kind of creatures Gennes 7. the ship beareth al sorts of burdens so doth man all manner of miserie Eurip. For what is life but violence griefe the body but a sepulchre the figure but fetters birth but earth and to liue but to die Homer cals man vnhappy Antiphanes death stipendary NazinanzeÌ„ a race of vnstabilitie borne to laboure and brought vp to miserie euen pleasure breedes paine welth woe singing sighing so that Menander prefers all creatures before man for happines whose ioy is but sorrow whose mirth is but griefe whose whole life but wretched miserie our coÌ„fort is in God our goodnes Christ our captaine and heauen our happie hauen Fiftly as the ship is in continuall danger of waues windes gulfes or rockes so is maÌ„s life of sin sickenes miserie and misfortune both sea and land water and earth all are full of mischefe paine trouble ill harme hurt in such sorts as the poets add these Epithits to the sea and say ling teÌ„pestuous boistrus froward dangerous as they that saile the sea can well recount the dangers of the same Colas 3. Gal. 5. Acts. 27. But tent ines more strang titles giue the scriptures vnto man as inordinate vncleane couitous wrathful angrie malitious cursed proud seditious drunken hating murderous yea what not So that as a ship in daunger of drowning must be helped by vnloading stopping pumping or anchoring so must man in this perilous world When Pauls sbip was in hazard by tempest they lightened the burden eased the vessell and cast out the very tackling And when thy ship is in daunger and loaden with the cares of the world feare of death and pleasure of sin thy remedy is to ease it by faith repentance and good workes which Abraham Dauid Peter and the rest did Secondly the leaking shipe must be mended and thy sinfull soule amended The water will drowne the ship and sin will smite thy soul water must be kept out by stopping and sin by risisting for euery assent the soule giues to Sathan sin the world and the flesh is like a fearefull rift in a crased vessell Sinnes resemble great waues and close rifts some being great and manifest others close and secret The first like mightie waues wil swallow vs vp quickely the second like hidden rifts will sinke vs suddenly Sathan suggested Eue delighted Adam consented and all were drowned Tecum prius ergo voluta haec anime ante tubas galeatum sero duelli paenitet Genes 3. Iuuen. 8. VVhen the stead is stolne it will be to late to shut the doore when the house is burnt to poure on water and vvhen the battle is done to put on harnesse Stop sin in the thought refist it in the entrance it is a serpent bruse it on the head a cocatrise kill it in the egge and a wolfe distroy it in the litter Sin is thy enemie looke vnto thy waies a thiefe looke vnto the doores a Dalila looke vnto thy soule thy senses are thy porters beware they be not beguiled Be thy sins
Anker which they construed to signifie captiuity hee interpreted to pretend conquest and security In which sence Plutarch vseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an anker signifying security making it with Lucian the very rescue of defence And the Egyptian Hieroglyphickes when they would describe vnto vs true safety or safegard they painted a ship and an anker noting vnto vs that if aduersity beset vs in this world as a tempest sets vpon a shippe in the sea yet there was an Anker a readie refuge to stay vs from drowning Now then seeing man with his burden is compared vnto a ship with his loade and wee must assure our selues that heere we shall finde a sea therefore let vs prouide for our selues a steady Anker lest wee bee suddenly inuaded with a storme of boysterous calamitie and so perish in our slothfull securitie for nauigamus in hac vita quasi per quoddam marâ— vbi ventus est procellâ—… non desunt tentationum Aug. tract in Iohn 14. We sayle in this life as it were thorow a sea wherein there are both windes of aduersity and stormes of temptations Here being but two seas to passe mortuum and rubrum the dead sea and the redde sea The first is mare pacaetum a sea calme without surges and the saylers heerein are worldlings therefore called calme because dead and therefore dead because the saylers herein are already smitten with death being slayne by sin and murdered by iniquity for sin is gladius serpens venenum a sword that wounds the soule a serpent that stings the conscience and poyson that kils Christ the true life of the soule The second is turbidum a rough troublesome sea and the marriners herein are the louers of God red with the bloud of the Saynts For heere funditur ater vbique cruor crudelis vbique luctus vbique pauor plurima mortis imago Cor. Tac. in Ner. persecut Here is shed euery where the bloud of Christians here is heard in all places the lamentation of Saints here is feare and the image of death seene and seazing vpon the liues of holy men and Gods seruants These are the two wayes whereby the deuill assaults sets vpon men in this world persuasione vt molliat persecutione vt frangat Greg. by perswasion to winne and vanquish man by fayre meanes as hee set vpon Christ Mat. 4.8,9 offring him all the kingdomes of the world and the glory of them if he would worship him Iob. 2.7 or by persecution to break bend him with foule meanes as he inuaded Iob smiting him with sore boyles froÌ„ the sole of his foot to the crowne of his head to coÌ„pel him to blaspheme God and forsake his Creator Quid igitur facies Excita Iefum dic Magister perimus Aug. 49 tract vpon Iohn What is now to bee done in this case Euen that which the Disciples did when the tempest arose in the sea and the shippe was couered with waues They came vnto Christ Mat. 8.25 and awoke him saying Master saue vs we perish This is that anker which the Emblemists paint tied vnto a strong rope with this title or mot Tutum te littore sistam Claudius Paradin I will place thee safe vpon the shore Signifying vnto vs that our hope of saluation being fastened vpon our Sauiour Christ Iesus who is our surest safegard and sauing refuge whereunto we must continually flie in all our troubles and aduersities it will bring vs vnto the hauen of safe deliuerance and quiet happinesse This anker wee are put in minde to haue in continuall readinesse if by no other name yet by this that wee are called saylers whose condition is so perilous and estate so dangerous as Anacarsis could not tell whether he should account them inter viuos vel mortuos among the liuing or the dead And if we will needs haue theÌ„ to be numbred amoÌ„gst the liuing yet the farthest they are from death is but spissitudo tabularum nauticarum the thicknesse of a three inched boord a most brickle lamentable case yet were we happy if our vessell wherein wee fayle in this world were thus strong as is the marriners boate But alas it is much more fraile and fickle being compared sometimes vnto a flower Iob. 14. vita in carne flos in foeno Greg. Am. vpon Luke as the flower in the grasse so is this life in the flesh sometimes to a shaddow sometimes to a reede yea sometimes to vanitie it selfe Psa 144. Notwithstanding the enemies that daily assault our vessell are much more mighty enuious then those things which are obnoxius to the sailers ship albeit they be ignis aqua and hostes Bernard fire water and enemies then the which in their fury there is no earthly thing more dangerous for here is concupiscentia cogitatio opera concupisceÌ„ce thoughts words and wicked works like fire to burne it water to drowne it and enemies to destroy it Fire but it is the wild fire of coÌ„cupiscence which Saint Paul cals for the trouble Rom. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the hurt it brings with it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flat sinne and Saint Iames compares it Ia. 1.14 for the subtilnesse of it vnto a teÌ„pter and for the cruelnesse of it vnto a fowler because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it tempts drawes vs from that which is good and then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it snares and ouertakes vs before wee be aware And Saint Iohn makes a threefold kind thereof 1. Ioh. 2.16 First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life yea this fire is so much more dangerous then the elementary fire by how much it is more secrete and vnknowne Wherefore Dauid calleth it a hidden fire crying out Who vnderstandeth his faults and costing the anker of prayer for his deliueraÌ„ce calleth vpon God Psal 19.13 saying O cleanse me from my secret faults To second this there comes the water of actuall sinne sometimes like vnto a boystrous sea wherein one waue ouertakes another so is the sinne of thought sometimes followed by the sin of words sometimes both thoughts words are accoÌ„panied with wicked works otherwhiles this water of actuall sin enters our ship by drops and makes a great flood within our soules for Aug. de guttis minutis flumina implentur and humor per rimas influens nauem confundit great floods arise of little drops water issuing in by small riftes drownes and sinkes the ship O therefore sayth the wise man Ecclesi adde not sin vnto sin for this is but to adde fire vnto fire when we would haue the first fire to be quenched and water vnto water when we would haue the first water dryed If we would know how this water of sin sokes in by little
smelleth more filthily in the nostrels of God then the rankest carrion in the nose of man O therefore beware of the inticements of Sathan the allurements of sinne and stoupe neither to their lure nor offer to tast vpon their baite porris ac coepis simile est peccatum Greg morall 11. cap. 16. sin is like vnto garlicke and onions that breeds loathing vnto the smeller and weeping vnto the eater I am saith the penitent soule in the tauerne of vanitie and I tasted the cup of iniquitie haustum felicitatis obtulit but poculum mortis propinauit there was mel in ore but it fel in ventre appaâ—…uit in palato vinum but in stomacho experientiae absinthium vera mors in olla Beda exhor 13.5 There was offered me a cup of felicitie but sin began vnto me in a cup of mortalitie it seemed in my mouth to be as sweete as honie but I felt it in my belly as bitter as gall I hoped to haue taken a cup of delight but behold in the bottome there were drugges of loathsome confusion It seemed in my pallate to be pleasaÌ„t wine But I proued it in my stomach to bebitter wormwood and to say the truth there was eueÌ„ death it selfe in the cup. Neither are wee to expect any thing else of sin then death seeing the greatest reward that sin can afforde vs is death and destruction Rom. 6.21 vAnd thus much for the second point Now followeth the third which is the remedy against this burden that is twofold the one to giue a remoue vnto sin and the other to cast they burden vpon the Lord. For the first Sinne is like a leauen that will leauen the whole lumpe like a poyson that will corrupt the whole body like a plague that will infect the whole house yea it is ignis ardens a burning fire that will consume the whole Cittie Now if we would not haue the whole lumpe to be leauened we must take away the leaueÌ„ nor the body to be corrupted we must send away the poyson nor the house to be infected we must chase away the plague nor the Citie to be burned we must quench out the fire nor the man to be destroyed we mustremoue the sin For quantum peccandi materiam sustuleris tantum extinguetur quantum adieceris tantum accendetur Maâ—… Heremita The more thou shalt detract from the matter of sin the more thou shalt diminish it seeing the cause being â—aken away the effect likewise will decay For as Theotimus if he had obeyed the Phisicians counsell in abstaining from vncleaÌ„nes he had saued his eyes Ambrosius in Luke so man had saued both body and soule had he abstained from sin and iniquitie Sin is like â—nto a flegmaticke stomacke si euomuerit releuatur If it vomites it is eased because it disgorgeth that which most heauily did molest it The vomite of our sinfull soules is confession of our sinnes vnto God and the best way to keepe our soules from corrupting is to vse the diet of abstinene from sin and iniquitie Thus much was insinuated by Iohn Baptist vnto the Iewes and by Christ vnto his disciples willing them to preach repentance for the kingdome of God is at hand Now then seeing thou hast found the way to remoue thy sin and obtained of thy Phisician a purgation to purge thy iniquitie which is repentance cur cessas aggredi quod scias mederi tibi cervus sagitta transfixus scit sibi Dictamno mederi Tertulliaus lib depaenitent why doest thou delay to assay that which will be thy cure The Hart no sooner peirced with the dart but presently runnes to heale her selfe with Dittinie The swallow if her young ones chance to haue their sight put out by any mischance flies presently for swallowort to redeeme their sight The Lord counselleth thee to seeke for him while he may be founde For it may be qui tempus senectutis expectat ad poenitendum dum speret miserecordiam inveniet iudicium Gregorius That he who boasteth of his repentance vntil the time of age or the day of death instead of mercie may finde iudgmeÌ„t wherefore Chrysost seminemus dum est tempus vt metamus nauigemus dum mare nauigari potest antequam sit hyemps quando magnus ille tremendus dies aduenerit non licebit nauigare let vs sow our seede while it is seede time and set forward to saile while the sea will serue For it may be it wil be too late to begin our iorney when the sunne setts Numb 25. to hoyst vp saile when the tempest ariseth to sow our seede when we should reape our corne to repent when we lie a dying and to do good when we are dead Remember that Zimry and Gozby were apprehenhed in the very acte of their iniquitie and suddenly were destroyed Actes 5. And Ananias and Saphyra were taken in the very moment of their sin and without repentance perished yea saith Augustine spiritus reprobus repente in morte rapietur á corpore The reprobate and sinfull soule shall be suddenly taken from the body in the moment of death and carried with vnspeakeable feare before the tribunall of the greate iudge of heauen and earth Then shall the soule in the remembrance of her sinnes seeke of flye away from them and request but truce respite of one howre to be seperated from their sight and coÌ„pany but shall not obtaine it For they will answeare opera tua sumus et tecâ—m ibimus we are thy sinnes the worke of that hands and heart and we will goe with thee euen to the iudgement seate of God there to accuse and for euer to condemne thee Luke 16.2 Thus happened it vnto the rich man in the Gospell who being euen now in pleasure and delight and not regarding repentaunce was not long after smitten dead and caried to hell fire for euer to be burned This made that holy father Gregorie Nazinzin to say One thing I lament and I feare an other the first is my sins and the second is gods iudgment seate with hell fire Basill O therefore saith Basill bewaile euer thy sinnes and lament for thy iniquitie Aug. Flie flie those destroying torments vbi nec tortores desiciunt nec torti misere morientur where the tormenters are neuer wearie nor the tormented shall euer die Where is death with outextinction and burning without coÌ„sumption Wherefore while it is to day harden not thy heart but cast off thy sinne and remoue thy iniquitie by true repentance for thy transgression Thus much for the first remedy and that is to giue a remoue vnto thy sin Now followeth the second which is to cast thy burthen vpon the Lord which is to lay it downe in the bosome lap of God and that must be done by prayer and affiance Thus did Dauid Psal 6. First he cryed my soule is soare troubled theÌ„ hee prayeth returne O Lord which prayer