And yet one That no man should despaire but to know God is able to call at the last houre And by this he did declare the riches of his mercy to al such as haue grace to turne vnto him Where contrarie we see many thousands of those who hauing deferred their repentance haue bin taken away in their sinnes and died impenitent To thee then that are priuie thou hast had many calles many offers of grace yea the hast seene vs spend our wits our strength yea ouerspent our selues for thy good What diuell hath bewitched thee to post off all and willingly cast away thy selfe What a shame is it that the children of this world are wiser in their kind then the children of light The traueller will take his time in his iourny and will hasten when he sees night approach lest darknesse ouertake him The smith wil smite while the iron is hot lest it coole vpon him and so hee lose his labour The mariner will not let the tide passe him The lawyer will take the Terme because hee knoweth it being ended his clients will be gone so wee ought to make euerie day the day of our terme Thy verie tongue will condemne thee in thy trade If thou trust a man with thy wares thou dost require a bill or bond saying all men be mortall but let the preacher exhort thee to accept of the gracions time of the Lord and tell thee thou art mortall and at an houres warning for death yet thou wilt not beleeue him but so leade thy life as if thou hadst it in fee farme And to thee that callest thy neighbours friends and companions to the cardes tables bowles saying Oh come let vs goe passe the time away Is time so slow that it must bee driuen I tell thee there are at this day many a thousand in hel if they had a kingdome would gladlie giue it all for one houre of that time whereof thou hast manie not to passe it away or to driue it from them but in hope to recouer that which thou graceleslie dost contemne Vse 3 A third vse hence is seeing there is a time in which after refusing of grace the Lord will be gone it serues to exhort vs all to accept of this mercifull time of the Lords fauour Esay 55.6 and to seeke the Lord whilest hee may be found For so long as we doe enioy the preaching of the Gospell amongst vs so long the Lord offers his mercie vnto vs and great hope the time is not past els if we abuse this time to feare that either he will remoue the Gospell from vs else blind our eies and harden our hearts so as nothing wee doe either heare or see shall preuaile with vs to saluation I will grow to an end lest I wearie you and ouerspend my selfe with that saying of our Sauiour to his Disciples Iohn 9 4. I must worke the works of him that sent me whilest it is day the night commeth when no man can worke In which he sets vs all an example by himselfe how to redeeme the time wee liue in here and to labour in the duties belonging to our calling and take euery opportunitie of doing good lest the night come that is death fetch them away and then they shal not stay or returne againe to worke any thing they haue left vndone here Remember the often warning of our Sauiour with this watchword Watch. In which he warnes vs to accept of the time of mercy and to prepare for the day of account that so with ioy wee may yeeld vp our reckonings And how must this be euen by making our benefit of the time of grace and spending it faithfullie in that place calling God hath called vs vnto For euerie one hath his place publike or priuate to God to his Church one to another And I pronoūce to euery one be he Magistrate Minister Father Child Seruant Husband or Wife that hath neglected his time being in place and so louingly offered thee time by the Lord to performe it the if thou be carelesse and negligent in this time a time will come that thou shalt be hurried away and shalt not stay one day one houre or one minute to performe any of that work in thy place thou hast left vndone To conclude let vs cal to remembrance these foure motiues to moue vs to accept of this time of grace this acceptable day of saluation 2. Cor. 6.2 First how mercifull the Lord hath been to vs who might haue cut off our time in our youth in which it may be we were vnthriftie or in the midst of some grieuous sinne we haue committed heretofore or of late daies and so haue sent vs to hell Secondlie consider how many good motions of his Spirit wee haue let slippe and made light account of and sent him away from vs with griefe which it may be we shall neuer enioy againe Thirdly call to thy mind how he hath this day and by mee his vnworthie Minister offered thee his Maiesties gracious pardon vpon willing accepting of it which for ought either thou or I know hee will neuer offer it thee againe either by me or by any other Fourthly consider that as the Lord hath giuen thee a time so hee hath giuen thee thy senses thy wits thy memorie which he hath depriued others of and may doe thee too for ought thou knowest because thou hast made no better vse of them for his glorie or for thine owne saluation Let vs pray for a blessing vpon this we haue heard FINIS
of their first loue and with Demas haue embraced the world and yet are no whit dismaied at al Look vpon her all you that are priuie to your selues and guiltie of blacksliding in your zeale and loue to the Gospell She was turned into a pillar of salt and remaineth a spectacle of Gods vengeance for al such as thou art She was turned into a durate substance without speedie repentance hee will turne thee into a heauie iudgement and that is hardnes of heart which is harder then salt for it is the plague of all plagues You then that of religious seruants are become irreligious masters you that are priuie to your hearts that 10.20.30 yeeres agone you were more forward and zealous in Gods worship and now are decaied and cold looking backe to the pleasures and profits of this world looke one Lots wife shee as it were hangs in chaines for a wofull spectacle to behold Let her moue you to labour to recouer that you haue lost lest the Lord make you spectacles to others as she is made a spectacle to you And for this citie and others is Ierusalem in the Scripture to bee a perpetuall example her special sinnes were pride contempt of Gods word and abuse of Gods Prophets Her doome is recorded for England and for thee London whose pride is as great if not greater then euer hers was And for whose contempt and abuse of Gods Ministers it is a wonder the Lord smites not the land Let vs all then hereafter in reading stories of the Lords iudgements on others make them examples and warnings for vs else to make account the same God that was reuenged on them will not let vs escape The second sort that this doctrine reprooueth 2. Sort. are such as in setting their children to read in the Lords booke they heare the storie of Lots drunkennesse of Dauids adultery of Peters deniall and thereby they doe blesse themselues and strengthen and comfort their hearts yea they haue learned to alleage them as examples to extenuate their sinnes Am I a drunkard so was that good man Lot Am I an adulterer saies another so was that man after Gods owne heart Dauid Shall I despaire of my saluation saies the wicked persister in sinne and I reade the theefe repented on the crosse and found mercie at the last houre O vile wretches who hath bewitched you to peruert Gods word to your destruction It is as much as to poison thy soule Looke on their repentance Lot fell of infirmitie and no doubt repented with much griefe yet looke vpon Gods iudgement vpon that incestuous seed Looke vpon Dauid reade the 38. Psalme it made him goe crooked his sinnes were as fire in his bones he had not a good day to his death but the griefe of his sinnes made him to roare out Thou wouldest be loth to buy thy sinne as he did And as for the example of the theefe First the Lord knocked but once by one sermon and he repented but thou hast had many sermons and hast had many callings and cryings to thee yet repented not Secondly this is an extraordinary example and there is not the like in all the Scripture againe And the end is that thereby wee should neither despaire nor presume one that wee should not despaire and but one that we shuld not presume This example is for all penitent sinners who vpon their repentance may assure themselues the Lord will receiue them to mercy Now if thou canst promise to thy selfe the same repentance and faith in Christ that hee had then maiest thou promise thy selfe the same felicitie hee now enioyes But looke thou on his fellow who had no grace to repent and who hangs as an example to all impenitent wretches to looke vpon that they despise not the mercie of God nor reiect his call by vs lest it come to passe that when thou wouldest repent thou canst not To thee that doest strengthen thy selfe in thy sinne vpon presumption of mercie to other Deut. 29.19.20 I referre thee to the words that the Lord himselfe speakes Deut. 29.19.20 He that when he heareth the words of the curse blesseth himselfe in his heart saying I shall haue peace though I do walke according to the stubbornenesse of mine owne heart thus adding drunkennesse to thirst the Lord will not be mercifull vnto him but the wrath of the Lord and his ielousie shall smoake against that man and euery curse that is written in this Booke shall light vpon him c. Looke thou on this and the like threatnings of God against such as strengthen their hearts in their sinne Thus much at this time being loth to be ouertroublesome referring the rest till euening Prayer Let vs pray for a blessing vpon that wee haue been taught FINIS THE SECOND SERMON HEBREVVES 12.16.17 Let there bee no fornicator or prophane person as Esau which for one portion c. YOu haue heard in the forenoone beloued in Christ the summe and drift the holy Ghost aimes at which is a certaine dehortation therein disswading euerie good Christian from two great vices which hee calles by the names of the rootes of bitternesse which are Fornication and prophanenesse Of the one we haue spoken it now resteth we speak of the other vice hee disswades them from And because I suppose the most of you were present in the forenoone I will not stand to make any large repetition of that which was then handled but onely of so much as may make a better preparation to that which shall be now deliuered You must note that the holy Ghost in his dehortation from this sinne of Prophanenesse propounds Esau the elder sonne of Isaac for an example and hauing set downe the vse and end euery one should make in the reading of such examples of Gods seuerity in scripture and not to take the name of God in vaine by either lightly passing by them as making no vse at all or else abusing them to strengthen themselues in their sinnes by the example of the Lords mercie on others wee proceeded no further in the morning Now I come to that which followeth which is the person that is set foorth as an example to all prophane men It is Esau as you haue heard the eldest sonne of Isaac And this may seeme very strange that Esau should be a man hated of God before he was borne and that he should bee hung vp as an example to all prophane men to take warning by First he was honourablie descended for Abraham was his grandfather and Isaac was his father Secondly hee was a man whom God had blessed with great riches and one of the wealthiest in all the countrie Thirdly we doe read of great blessings to his posteritie Gen. 36.41 for of him came fourteene Dukes and were in great account Yea further if yee read in the booke of Genesis of his cariage and behauiour you shall find hee had diuers good morall vertues and kind partes in him and such as I
labour to be religious and bring vp their children in holy exercises Prou. 22.6 Therefore Salomon cries out so often to parents teach thy sonne instruct thy sonne Now how can they doe this which cannot teach themselues You cannot do greater iniurie to your children or be greater enemies to them thē to liue prophane liues Better is the sonne of the veriest begger in your City being both religious then the son of the wealthiest man in your Citie being both prophane for if thou bee irreligious thou hast done as much as lieth in thee to beget an helhound and it must be a supernaturall worke of God to alter the nature of the same To you godly parents that loue religion and hate prophanenes Art a rich man and trainest vp thy son in religion Bee of comfort whilest thou liuest thou shalt haue ioy and when thou diest thou shalt leaue them to one that is like long to enioy them Art a poore man art religious fearing God and walking sincerely and vprightly in thy calling hast many children and nothing to leaue them Be of good comfort thou shalt leaue them the blessing of God I know it is hard for many to beleeue this Psalm 12◠3.4 but the holy Ghost hath spoken it and left it for vs to beleeue Againe to thee that hast gotten great store of gold goods lands liuings Art a prophane man thou maist liue with sorrow enough and die thou shalt with a wofull heart Doest thinke those goods and riches thou hast scraped together with vexing the bodie and venturing the soule to the diuell shall long bee enioyed When was there euer any rich man or where is any that can come out and say he euer saw the fourth generation of a prophane man prosper No no the Lord will curse them and blow vpon them they shall not prosper It is religion must bring the blessing of God vpon them and their posteritie Againe you that are children pray pray daily to the Lord to work religious hearts in your Parents and reioyce and be glad to see your fathers giue thanks before meales and downe vpon their knees to prayer before they goe to their beds for this will turne to blessings vpon you if you bee carefull to follow their steppes and though thy father die a begger yet assure thy selfe he shall leaue thee the blessing of the Lord. Psalm 37.25 I haue been young saith Dauid and now am old yet saw I neuer the righteous forsaken nor his seede begging their bread not meaning that it was impossible that a righteous mans child should goe a begging but that it is a thing that is verie rare and that hee was now forescore yeeres of age yet hee did neuer in all his life see it And so haue many men liued till they haue been of great yeeres yet haue they seldome or not at all seene any such thing come to passe Lastlie to such others as know they shall haue great possessions left them by prophane parents and such as preferre their treasure their pleasure and earthlie things before any spirituall duties to God as experience in many you shall neuer see them carefull to giue thanks at their meales neuer are vpon their knees in prayer in their families but are swearers prophaners of the Lords Sabbath vsurers drunkards and let them tremble to be heires to such wretches For if it please not God to worke supernaturallie on thee thou maist not onely curse the day that euer thou wast begotten of them but God shortlie will sweepe either thee or thine away with the besome of his wrath And once againe I exhort all you that be parents labour to bee religious and to bring vp your children in godly education else you may feare that your bones shall not be so soone rotten as the Lord will rot and roote out your posteritie and name from vnder heauen Text. v. 17. For ye know how that afterward also when he would haue inherited the blessing he was reiected And now come wee to the third point which is to the punishment which as you heard is threefold The first is a certaine griefe and shame that he had left and sold his birthright away Secondlie how he would faine haue had it againe shewing outward signes of repentance and labours to recouer it but all in vaine The third is that hauing wilfully lost the time of grace he procured a perpetuall deniall of mercie For the first Esan hauing thought hee had made a good exchange with his brother yet at length comes to see the losse and it shames him and wounds him in his conscience that for so base a price he had parted with his birthright but all too late Doct. 6 Where we may obserue howsoeuer prophane men doe muffle vp their consciences and take it a good exchange to part lightlie away with spirituall blessings for temporall pleasures yet a day will come they shall see their losse and it shall vexe and torment them in their consciences they had no better grace but to part with them at so low a rate Gen. 25.34 As example of this castaway who at the first comming from his hunting and hauing sold his brother his birthright yea partly in contempt it is said hee rose merilie as one that had thought hee had made a good exchange Gen. 27.34 but afterwards when hee perceiued his losse in comming to his father in hope of a blessing and that his father told him he had blessed Iacob and he must bee blessed then hee cries out Oh blesse mee also father blesse mee as if hee should haue said I hope his subtiltie shall not disinherit me Alas I had but a messe of pottage in my neede and must I lose birthright and blessing and all Thus this wofull wretch comes to see his losse which before he made so light account of Now his conscience wounds him Now the curse of God pulles away the scale of his conscience and hee sees his follie The like example we haue of Baalam Numb 23.10 who though hee had liued a couetous wretch and had lightly regarded the way of righteousnes yet in the end he wisheth to die the death of the righteous Euen so many at this day they spend their time in the vanitie of the world contemning the call and offer of the Lord neglecting and despising many holy meetings many sermons many sacraments for to gaine a little pleasure ease and profit accounting such but fooles that run to Sermons But let such know the Lord will vncrust that conscience of theirs and then they shall curse their pleasures their profits their walking in the fields that were meanes to draw them away from our assemblies in the congregation then will they be ready to curse themselues they had no better grace they could not see their follies but to preferre their couetousnesse drunkennesse whordome vsurie pastimes plaies c. before the heauenly way of saluation Matth. 26.15 Iudas thought he had sped wel
Lord of hosts Giuing them to vnderstand that seeing they set so light by the admonitions of the Prophet there should bee left them no time to repent in till hee had destroied them But of all the places of Scripture for this purpose let vs see what the Lord saies to Ierusalem by his Prophet Ezechiel Because saith he I would haue purged thee and thou wast not purged Thou shalt not be purged till I haue caused my wrath to light vpon thee Marke this place well which may terrifie our hearts if we carrie not the hearts of Tigres In which the Lord testifies not onely to them but to vs That when by al kind meanes and louing allurements he offers his fauour and wee obstinatelie refuse let vs bee sure of it when wee would haue mercie and fauour from him though we begge it crie houle he will denie it vs. Oh that the lamentable spectacles of some might bee warnings to vs who in their life time haue heard the Lord by his Ministers call to them and entreated them to leaue their sinnes chidden them threatned them but all in vaine they haue stopped their eares and hardned their hearts But being come to their bed of death and the time come they must depart this life I feare to a worse they haue cried houled yea knocked and beaten their heads to the bedposts my self being witnesse yet could not shew any signe of receiuing one drop of comfort from the Lord. And hauing been exhorted to pray and call on the Lord for mercie could not say so much as The Lord haue mercie vpon me And what know wee what our estate shall bee if wee weare out the time of mercie There is a time set vs in which we may repent but being despised and outrunne there is after no houre to obtaine mercie And the reasons hereof are specially three Reas 1 The first taken from God who because it proceedes from his loue to offer mercie it must needes stand with his iustice to punish the wilfull contempt of it with a perpetuall deniall of mercie Reas 2 The second from Satan who by contemning and neglecting the Lords gracious offer of mercie gets great aduantage of vs and hereby makes a way for such sinnes as hardly in time we can repent vs of Reas 3 The third is from the nature of this sinne which hatcheth three horrible sinnes for delay breeds custome custome breeds securitie and securitie breeds impenitencie A drunkard we see is more easily reclaimed from it at the first then when he hath gotten a custome of it And hence is it the Lord by his Prophet doth note it a thing impossible in respect of humane power to leaue those sinnes which are customablie committed saying Can the Blackmoore change his skinne Ier. 13.23 or the Leopard his spots then may ye also doe good that are accustomed to doe euill Oh beloued let vs take heed of despising the Lords louing and kind offer of mercie Psalm 2.12 lest he be angrie and so we doe perish in his wrath Now let vs come to the vses of this doctrine Vse 1 You cannot deny but the Lord hath long time offered conditions of peace And that he hath sent vs his seruants earelie and late to call vs to entreate vs to be reconciled to him hee hath stood long at the doore knocking to be let in But what of all this hath not custome of sin bred securitie and securitie impenitencie so that it is to be feared the date of Gods mercy is neere at an end How shall wee trie this Looke in the course of the Scriptures and you shall find it so when the Lord hath long continued the meanes of saluation and the people little or nothing profit by it And how may this terrifie vs who haue enioyed his word in peace at hand now of 50. yeeres and who sees not the little or no profit is come thereof And that this is so wil appeare if we examine it by these two things that will follow where the people doe profit by the meanes that is knowledge and reformation of life And first as touching knowledge Come to many in this Citie who haue liued some 20. some 30. some these 40. yeeres yet are very ignorant euen in the principles of religion You can say it may bee God made you Christ redeemed you c. But to what end did God make you or Christ redeeme you you know not but there are many as blind as beetles And as this is too true in your Citie so is it most lamentable in the Country where you shal haue in many places not one of twentie to yeeld a good reason why they shall not be damned yea they know no more the right way to saluation nor how they must be saued if euer they be saued then the veriest idiot that euer was borne And to say the truth how can they when they are content to be led to hell as a man leades a dog in a string according to the saying of our Sauiour Christ If the blind lead the blind they shall both fall into the ditch So for the second point which is reformation of life I pray you rouse vp your hearts and examine your liues what reformation there hath been sithence this last extremitie of frosts the like I thinke was neuer heard of hath any of you left your pride your drunkennesse your whoredome your vsurie your briberie and God be witnesse betweene you and your hearts of this And thinke you the Lord will continue wooing and entreating vs still No no If his word can doe little good amongst vs how can his iudgements profit vs The Lord in minding to ouerthrow a people doth commonly send before him three arrowes of destruction famine plague and the sword of two of them our land hath of late had her part And that wee charge not God foolishly if wee marke it wee shall find our land polluted in a high degree with the same sinnes for which the Lord hath punished both Israel and Iuda with the former punishments And first for famine Famine we find the sinnes that did bring it were speciallie these three The first rash swearing and breaking of their oathes 2. Sam. 21. Now if we take a generall surney of our state we shall find that because of oathes our land shall mourne Ier. 23.10 for the name of God in no age was so blasphemed either in Israel or Iuda as it is in this sinfull land Wee find that many times they would rent their garments in hearing the name of God blasphemed which if wee should do to heare the Lords name so rent and torne in the mouthes of prophane men in shops alehouses tauernes markets faires we should neuer haue whole clothes on our backes The second sinne brought famine Amos. 8.4 5-11 was oppression of the poore And how guiltie we are herein the crie of widowes fatherlesse and poore men do testifie yea if these should hold their peace the
very senselesse creatures witnesse it against whom timber stones lands bands monie doe crie apace for vengeance from God The third sinne is abuse of the good creatures God hath ordained for our nourishment by drunkennesse gluttonie c. Yea how rageth the sinne of drunkennesse in this Citie your owne consciences bee iudge How many wretched men powre the good creatures of God downe their throats into their bellies as a man should powre it into a â—un and that vpon their knees as it were asking Gods curse vpon them for the same And let vs proceed to the next punishment namely the plague Plague which you know in this Citie the Lord hath of late visited you withall and in very short space took away to the number of fortie thousand But what profit hath followed hereof amongst you a man cannot perceiue any sinne reformed Would you know the vsuall sinnes procure this they are speciallie foure The first is whoredome and adulterie of which this Citie is horriblie infected and for which it is no maruell though the Lord continue his striking hand among you The second is secrecie of sinne some defending sin some outfacing sinne some pleading for sinne some buying sinne some selling sinne Oh Lord who sees not our land besotted in this for what small conscience is made of any sinne that may be kept from the eies of men hauing no respect to the eies of God! The third is securitie in sinne And this cannot bee denied amongst vs as appeares by our groping after our sinnes with the Sodomites euen then when Gods hand is vpon vs. The fourth is vnworthie comming to the Lords Table 1. Cor. 11.30 a sinne common amongst vs and no sinne lesse accounted of For come to many on their deathbeds you shall heare them to confesse they haue been drunkards whoremongers vsurers couetous enuious c. but you shall neuer heare them confesse their vnworthie comming to the Lords Table And yet this sinne hath brought Gods hand on them aboue the rest And for the third punishment Sword viz. the sword a punishment long threatned to vs and of which long sithence wee had tasted of had not the Lord in mercie kept vs from it which is strange Deut. 32.41 considering our land swarmes with those sinnes that doe daily whet the Lords glittering sword to strike vs And they are specially three The first is pride in apparrell Esa 3 16-25 which the Prophet Esay told the Iewes would bring the sword vpon them Which sinne who sees not that euen this Citie is so infected withall that were not the Lord patient it could not choose but haue brought the sword long ere this day The heads and backes of women who are as proud as their husbands are couetous crie to the Lord for reuenge The second is hollow-harted repentance Hos 7 14-16 For which sinne the Prophet Hosea tels Israel Because in their shew of repentance they cried not to the Lord in their hearts when they houled on their beds they should fall by the sword And how hollow-hearted our repentance hath been appeares plainely by the want of the reforming of our grosle sinnes that ouerspread the land The third is the contempt of Gods Ministers as appeares in the second booke of the Chronicles where the Lord telles Ierusalem 2. Chron. 36.16.17 Because she did mocke his messengers and despise their admonitions and withall misused them he would bring the sword of the Chaldeans vpon them and would spare neither young man nor virgin ancient nor old God gaue all to the sword And how can we looke God should keepe the sword away when his seruants are thus hardlie entreated Nay I appeale to your harts if at this day many be not at more quiet and find more fauour that commit sinne then those that zealouslie reprooue sinne Yea how are these daies to be lamented when many vile notorious wretches and base drunken companions doe abuse the Lords Ministers I tell you plaine it is a generall complaint of all the faithfull Ministers in the land of their disgrace and discouragement they be offered in their Ministerie If we were many of vs either Lawyers or Physitians you would honour and reuerence vs but in that wee bee the Lords Ministers wee bee hated and abused Yea many account no better of vs but as their drudges to burie the dead to christen their children and to church their wiues as they terme it yea a rare thing to find one sound sincere louer of Gods word and Gods Minister And further who liues so quiet and at ease in the Ministerie as those that lead thousands to hel who liues more merrier then hee that hath gotten two or three benefices and dischargeth none of them Who liues more in the pleasure of the world and bee so fatted vp that their eies are readie to start out of their heads then such as preach by deputies And yet these carrie the honour and applause of the people when the faithfull Minister finds course entertainement And what shall let the Lord to execute vengeance vpon vs and to make his arrowes drunke with our blood Deut. 32.42 Seest not these things shame will follow thee Grieuest thou not at it woe wil ouertake thee The Lord Iesus open our harts to accept of his offered mercy giuevs grace to meete him betimes by repentance lest his wrath break out on vs like fire there be none to quench it Vse 2 A second vse hence we should make is for reproofe of many who post off the time of the Lords offer till age sicknes death of these there are specially two sorts The first sort 1. Sort. are such as plead the sweete promises of the Gospell At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent c. Come to me all yee that trauaile and are heauie laden and I will refresh you To the which I answere It is true and most true But to whom are these promises made and to what sinners They bee made to all repentant sinners that turne to the Lord with all their hearts But thou art an vnrepentant wretch and continuest in thy sinnes therefore these comfortable promises belong not to thee And what sinners doth he bid come to him those that be wearie and heauie laden that is whole sinnes pinch and wound them at the heart and withall desire to be eased of the burden thereof Therefore take no occasion to presume of the promises of the Gospell vnlesse thou turne from thy euill waies and repent of thy sinnes they belong nothing to thee The second sort are such 2. Sort. as doe alleage the example of the theese conuerted at the houre of his death presuming they shall find the like mercie To which I answere this was an extraordinarie example and the Lord hath set out but one and yet one But one that no man must presume by this example For what mad man will spurre his horse till hee speake because Baalam did so