harshness and rashness but Zwinglius answered In alijs Epist ad Servet mansuetus ero in blasphemijs in Christum non ita a Injuriam contra me patienter â—ult contra Christum ferre non potui I can beare any wrong done to my selfe but against Christ I am not able saith Jerome b Invâ—niar sane superbus modo impij sidentij noâ— arguar dum dominus patitur Luth. Epist ad Staup. Let me be accounted proud and passionate so I be not found guilty of sinfull silonce when the cause of Christ suffers Luther Sometimes to be dumb in Christs cause is as bad as at sometimes to deny Christs cause yea indeed dumbness is deniall and they know what sad consequences will follow thereupon Matth. 10. 33. Inform. 4. It renders the reason why the godly so little weigh and value the judgements of men because tbey eye the judgement of Christ What cares Joseph though he be accounted incontinent Naboth a blasphemer Job an hypocrite Michaiah the troubler of Israel Paul a pestilent fellow Luther the Trumpeter of rebellion they and all other believers doe say in Pauls words With us it is a very Jusii non humana judicia sed aeterm judicis examen aspiciunt et ideo cum Paulo derogantium verba despiciunt Ans Acts Mon. small thing that we should be judged of mans judgement he that judgeth us is the Lord 1 Cor. 4. 3 4. They well know how erroneous the men of the world are in their judgement they call white blacke and account cyphers figures and figures cyphers Thou art an hereticke said Woodrosse the Sheriffe to Mr Rogers the Protomartyr in Q. Maries dayes That shall be knowne said he at the day of Judgement Rom. 2. 2. We know Gods judgement is according to truth Inform. 5. What good ground all persons have to get into favour with Jesus Christ who is to sit Judge upon the life and death of their bodies and soules for all eternity Pro. 29. 26. Many seeke the Rulers favour how do men desire to ingratiate themselves into the favour of the Judge though but of Nisi prius if they have but an action of the case to try what suings sollicitations presents how much more to this Judge who when he hath killed the body is able to cast soule and body into hell-fire Matth. 10. 28. Inform. 6. How to demeane our selves under all wrongs either nationall from publique Magistrates or particular from private persons patiently waite upon this righteous Judge Eccles 5. 8. If thou seest the oppression of the poore and violent perverting of judgement in a Province marvell not murmure not at the matter For he that is higher than the highest regardeth yea so regardeth that he will right and revenge all thy unjust and injurious sentences James 5. 6 7. You have condemned and killed the just and he doth not resist you be patient therefore brethren untill the coming of the Lord. Oh remember John Husse Jerome of Prague with many other sufferers and sustainers of injuries and indignities who did not appellare Caesarem but Christum Inform. 7. It shewes us how greatly and greivously they offend who ascend Christs judgement-seate arraigne men at their barre passe sentence of death on all those that are not of their way opinion party side judgement many judge themselves the greatest Christians because they are the greatest Criticks to judge others I shall endeavour to cleere this that he or she that is the greatest censurer is ever the greatest sinner the more criticall ever the more hypocriticall 1. The rash judging of thy mouth is a trumpet to proclaime the reall jugling of thy minde Marke 14. 70 Thou art a Galilaan thy speech agreeth thereto Stinking breaths argue rotten lungs and rash judging rotten hearts Matth. 12. 34. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Such water as is in the pipe such is in the spring the mettall of the bell is knowne by the clapper Aera puto nosci tinnitu pectora verbis Sic est namque id sunt utraque quale sonant 2. Christ calls thee and the Scripture accounts thee an hypocrite 1. Christ calls thee so Thou hypocrite plucke first the Matth. 7 5. beame out of thine owne eye he that sees strawes in other mens eyes and hath beames in his owne is an hypocrite he that sayes and sees all things are yellow in others it is sure his owne eyes are troubled with the jaundise 2. The Scripture accounts thee so James 1. 26. If any man among you seeme to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this mans religion is vaine that religion which layes and leaves the reines loose to the tongue to slander men for their present state and to censure them for their finall it is but a videtur quod sic a dissembling counterfeite religion for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies Prov. 26. 23. Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsheard covered with silver drosse Os maledictum cor malum Luth. A censorious mouth and a corrupt minde are like a potsheard covered with silver drosse which shew and shine faire to the eye yet the one is but earth and the other is but drosse Burning lips of mens persons in hell shew their tongue is set on fire from the hell of their owne hearts James 3. 6. 3. Thou art an impudent and audacious hypocrite thou pretendest faire to Christ and yet thou puttest him by his chaire robbest him of his royalty to be Judge of mens finall estate is Christs prerogative The Pope is a notorious hypocrite he pretends himselfe to be Christs Vicar yet he thrusts Christ by all his royalties he pardons sins enjoynes penances pilgrimages dispences with Christs Injunctions disposes of Kings and Kingdoms and blasphemously affirms Per me reges regnant Qui judicat fratrem tantum crimen clationis incurrit ut cui tribunal assumit ejus judicium praevenit Ans What art thou but another usurping Pope jostling Christ from his royall tribunall and sets downe thy selfe acting his part and exercising his power summoning and sentencing by thy Bulls people to eternall death and destruction Would it not be an impudent part for any private man to summon in the Country to sit in the Judges place to act his part to passe sentence of death much more is this 4. Thou art an obstinate and obdurate hypocrite thou perseverest in this sin against the cleere light of Scripture charging and commanding to forbeare all such rash and irreligious judging Matth. 7. 1. Judge not i. e. rashly or rigidly actions or persons for their finall state Bern. Noli esse alienae vitae temerarius judex Rom. 14. 10. But why doest thou judge and why doest thou set at naught thy brother A chiding and checking Apostrophe in an Interrogation 1 Cor. 4. 5. Let us judge nothing before the time it is very dangerous to antidate and anticipate judgement
and be content with their wages How are these Rules inverted by most Souldiers they offer violence to every man acccuse any man falsly are not content with their pay but will have plunder and free quarter into the bargain How hard a matter would it be to answer one that should ask this question Cui bono do Souldiers serve I know some will be ready to answer to fight the Lords battails to withstand forraign invasions to subdue intestine rebellions and to preserve Princes in their Royalties Parliaments in their Priviledges and people in their Liberties I cannot deny but that they may do such things and must do or else cannot be able to justifie the lawfulness of their calling Yet for the most part they serve for nothing else but to maintaine Princes in their Tyranny and oppression Parliaments in feare and subjection people in vassalage and slavery I read of Xerxes that viewing almost an innumerable Army of men fell on weeping saying Where will all these men be within an hundred yeares If he thought that for his sake or rather sin they should be in hell it might well make him weepe 6. Rich men How few of them that are rich towards God Luk. 12. 21. Rich in faith James 2. 5. Rich in good works 1 Tim. 6. 18. Inopem sua copia fecit Their plenty in temporalls and poverty in spiritualls Riches for the most part are not ladders to lift mens souls to heaven but to let them downe to hell Riches to most men are as wind and quill to bladders puff them and swell them with prophaneness they make gold their God and worship that in the stamp which they abhor to do in the statue These are such as the Apostle could not mention with dry eyes Phil. 3. 18 19. Their minds are so taken up with earth as they have no leisure nor love to looke after heaven As the Duke d' Alva told H. 4. of France asking him whither he had observed the late great Ecclipse they are so taken up with minding their Hawks and hounds and worse employments that they have no time to mind God Christ grace poore nor their own immortall soules See an instance in that rich man Luk. 16. 19. Here is minding back and belly no praying reading singing or releiving Lazarus c. Oh that all rich men would but seriously weigh two places of Scripture they are able to make their hearts tremble Math. 19. 23 24. Then said Jesus unto his Disciples verily I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdome of heaven And again I say unto you It is easier for a Camel to goe thorow the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of God Philip was wont to say An Asse laden with gold would enter any City-gates I say not enter the City-gates of heaven Luk 6. 14. Woe unto you that are rich for you have received your consolation Rich men usually have their heaven on earth Consolation here and desolation hereafter Luk. 16. 25. 7. The ordinary and Common sort of people bond and Praeter paucissimos quosdam qui mala fugiunt quid est aliud penè caetus Christi norum quà m sentina vitiorum free as in the Text who live more like Bruits then men Cretians then Christians We may say of most of them as Plato said of the Argentines they live as if they should never dye and come to judgement for all their oathes whoredomes cosenages c. Heu vivunt homines tanquam mors nulla sequatur Seu velut infernus fabula vana foret Salv. de Pro. They call and count judgement a bug-beare to scare children They have made a Covenant with death and with hell are they at agreement Isa 28. 15. Tell them of an Assize on earth wherein they are much concerned either for land or life they like the Devills believe and tremble James 2. 19. But tell them of an Assize in the aire wherein they are most concern'd for their eternall life they little believe it and less tremble at it David in Psal 14. 1 2 3. The fool hath said in his heart There is no God they are corrupt they have done abominable works there is none that doth good The Lord looked downe from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seeke God They are all gone aside they are all together become filthy there is none that doth good no not one And Paul Rom. 3. 13 14 15 16 17 18. Their throat is an open sepulchre with their tongues they have used deceit the poyson of Asps is under their lips whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness Their feet are swift to shed blood Destruction and misery are in their wayes And the way of peace have they not known There is no feare of God before their eyes joyned together give a most exact description of such persons as these are It is as true of our time as true in the time Multis annis jam transactis Nulla fides est in pactis Mel in ore verba lactis Fel in corde fraus in factis I may partly English it in our Singing Psalms Help Lord for good and godly men Doe perish and decay And faith and truth from worldly men Is parted clean away Who so doth with his neighbour talk His talk is all but vaine For every man bethinketh how To flatter lye and faine Luk. 13. 24. Strive to enter into the strait gate most are so far from striving to get into heaven that they strive to get into hell they ride post to get thither first for feare there should be no roome for them in hell the only place of honour and happiness in their opinion Alas whose faces blush not eyes weep not hearts bleed not if any sparks of good in them to see the most of poor people like the country about Eugubium Quo magis aliena divitijs eò magis exuberat vitijs the more poore the more profane the more barren the more base If they John 7. 49. did condemne the rabble to be accursed because they did not know the Law then may we safely mistrust them that neither know the Law nor believe or obey the Gospel Inform. 3. The reason why godly men and Ministers are so much discontented yea * 2 Cor. 5. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insanimus Beza mad when they see any injury or indignity offered to the person offices government of the Lord Jesus Christ Oh how say they shall we be able to look the Lord Jesus Christ in the face when he comes as a Judge if we suffer or endure it For Christ to have just occasion to say to any of them as Absolom to Hushai about 2 Sam. 16. 17. David Is this thy kindness to thy Friend would be a torment as bad as hell and therefore they cannot beare the least wrong to Christ Servetus condemned Zwinglius for
happiness so to live as you may be judgement-proofe what a glory will it be for you in such wicked and wretched times as these are to be Noahs Lots Joshuahs Calebs I dare boldly say that Religion was never more owned and honoured in England by the publique Magistrate both in precept and practice and yet I must say never was there more prophaneness vileness wickedness then now is in the Land not only swarmes as ever with drunkards swearers slanderers murtherers whoremongers c. but also with such unheard of sinners who have taken the highest degrees and have commenced Ranters Hectors Trappans and words of Art that all the Logicke I have cannot helpe me to understand so farre as I can conceive they are such as challenge God defie Christ deny Scripture scoffe heaven deride hell Now what an honour will this be for you to be heavenly tapers burning in the damps of sin starres shining in the dark night of prophanness to be like the river Arithusa to run through the brackish Ocean and yet to retaine your sweetness and freshness Laus tribuenda Muraenae and if Cicero commended Muraena that he had lived chastly in incontinent Asia how much more will Christ commend you for living purely and piously in a prophane world Inter malos bonum esse est immensae bonitatis Greg. in Job 1. 1. To be bad in any times is a sin to be bad in good times is a shame to be good in good times is no praise to be good in bad times is a glory Vse 5. To direct you to some means whereby you may be able to stand before this Judge in judgement 1. Repent for all your sins Acts 3. 19. Repent you therefore and be converted that your sins may he blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Those mens sins shall never be sealed up in Gods bag whose repenting teares have been put up into his bottle If one teare of Alexanders Mother would wipe away all her faults then much more will penitent tears all the failings of Christs Saints 2. Get you garments made of the wooll and dyed with blood of the Lamb of God be sure to appeare in your Pontificalibus on that day you are then to be Judges bring your scarlet robes along with you Matth. 22. 11. 3. Daily arraigne your soules at the barre of your own conscience passe sentence of death and damnation on your selves 1 Cor. 11. 31. If we judge our selves we shall not be judged Those that judge themselves in their own private Sessions shall not be judged by Christ in his publique Assizes Amat deus seipsos judicantes non judicare Aug. Christ loves to judge them that judge others rashly but not those that judge themselves religiously The Patriarch of Alexandria asked the Hermite how he spent his life who answered Indesinenter culpando judicando meipsum who replyed This is the only way to life and salvation 4. Make Blastus the Kings Chamberlaine your friend keep good correspondency with your own consciences do you what God said to Abraham about Sarah Listen to it whatsoever it sayes to thee Maxima est vis conscientiae in utramque partem Cicero 1 John 3. 20 21. If our heart condemne us God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things if our heart condemne us not then have we confidence towards God Conscience is Custos Rotulorum who shall produce and preferre all the bils of indictment against sinners and read all the pardons signed and sealed by the blood of Christ to Saints 5. Get bowels of mercy to the afflicted members of Jesus Christ Matth 25. 31. I was an hungry and you gave me meate c. Christ releived in his members Come you blessed of my Father inherite the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world Non habebit guttam qui non dedit micam Aug. As he shall not have a drop that gave not a crumb so he shall have an Ocean that gave a drop 6. Live in print keep the copy of your lives free from blots and blurs that the characters thereof may be read by all Tit. 2. 11 12 13. The grace of God that hath appeared to us teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ Let righteousness and religion holiness and honesty which God hath united together in his Word appeare together in your workes live and lead Evangelicall yea Angelicall lives 1 John 3. 3. As having hope causes us to purifie our selves for that day so purifying our selves causes us to have hope in that day 7. Let the meditation of this rigid and righteous Judge be fixed in your hearts before every action this will wonderfully perswade you to be prepared for this Judge and Nihil est quod magis proficiat ad vitam bonestam quà m ut credamus eum judicem futurum quem occulta non sallunt indecora offendunt honesta delectant Amb. lib. de Offic. Judgement It makes the young man to rejoyce moderately in his youth Eccles 11. 9. It makes the Minister serious and sedulous in his ministry 2 Cor. 5. 11 13 14. It makes the Magistrate diligent in his place as it did the Emperour Constantine Euseb lib. 4. cap. 29. Yea it hath an influence on all M. Perkins reports of a gratious Gentlewoman much sollicited to be a strumpet by an importunate suitor who promised her to do any thing for her sake she desired him to put his hand into the fire and hold it there a quarter of an houre to whom he replyed oh that is an unreasonable request to whom she retorted how much more unreasonable is your request that would have me to satisfie your lust to burne in hell fire to all eternity Holcot reports of two Souldiers coming to the valley of Jehosaphat in Judaea that said one to the other this is the place where the geuerall judgement shall be therefore I will take up said one of them my place before hand and so taking up a stone sate downe upon it but before he arose such trembling seazed upon him that he remembred the day of Judgement unto his dying day So that we see thoughts of judgement have been advantageous to all sorts of persons and I am sure they would be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to heale all diseases distempers If we Ministers would read every morning a Chapter in this booke of Judgement and write it downe in the common place booke of our consciences with the pen and inke of meditation and prayer it would keepe us from laziness in our places and lewdness in our practises If you Souldiers would anoint your swords with the sword-salve of judgement it would heale all the wounds in your consciences and keepe you from wounds for ever If you Ladies would dress your selves every