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
take possession of heauen The longer we liue and the nearer that we approch to death the more earnest we ought to be to serue God and the longer that we haue hard the Gospel and beleued in Christ so much the more earnest wée ought to be to obey the Gospell And therefore séeinge that we haue harde the Gospell many yeares in this Realme of England the more deligent we ought to be to serue God and to liue vprightly and to shewe foorth by our lyfe conuersation that we be dooers of the word and not hearers onely deceauinge our owne selues A prentice in seuen yeares wil learne his occupation and be able to doo hys maister good seruice and he will be more shylful the second yeare then the fyrst and so euery yeare better than another The lyttle chyldrne that goe to the Schole goe forwarde in learninge in thrée or foure yeres will not onelye be able to reade but also to write and to speake lattine But alas we haue gonne to schole not seuen yeares but eighttene yeares we haue had many notable Scholemasters and teachers and yet for all this wée be little amended but like very blockheades we tary styll in our ould lessons and will not take forth into good manners and newe conditions Yea we are more slowe to heare Gods worde and to frame our liues thereafter then we were wheÌ„ it was first preached And we go rather backward then forward And what a reproche and shame is it for vs to be more slowe to serue God then we were in the beginning considering we haue tasted of his mercye and grace so longe and so many yeres together and that in such sorte that we may iustly say Non taliter fecit omni nationi He hath not dealt so with any nation as he hath dealt with vs. You knowe that they which runne for a wager that the nearer they draw to the marke the faster they runne and they make the more spéede So the longer that we haue harde the Gospel and the longer that we haue beléeued so much the holier we ought to be in life and conuersation And truely if ther were no other reason to perswade vs yet consideringe as I haue sayd already that our lyfe is shorte and death knocketh at the dores and the daye of Iudgement commeth on so fast that we may looke for it euery houre we ought to be perswaded to liue vprightly and to walk as it be commeth vs. But alas many at the first hearing of the Gospell shewed them selues zelous and ready to folow it But after a while they gaue ouer euen in the middest of their race and waxed weary of well dooing And truely it appereth that ther hath bene many of these slydebackes in all ages but yet I thinke neuer more than at this day Kinge Asa in the beginning of his raigne was zelous in abolishing of Idolatrie in restoring of sound religion but at the length he began to waxe cold in the zeale of the Lorde imprisoned Hananie the Sear for telliÌ„g him of his fault therfore froÌ„ that time forwarde he felt the smart and bitternes of warre was striken by the hand of God with an extreme disease in the féete and at length taken away by death Ioas likewise was a good Kinge in the beginninge of his raigne and hée liued vprightly all the dayes of Iehoida the Priest who was vnto him a faithful counseller gouerned him by the worde of God but when Iehoida was dead he falleth to Idolatrie and forgettinge the kindenes which Iehoida had done vnto him slewe and sâ—oned to death his sonne Zacharia the Prophet of the Lorde For which it came to passe by the iust iudgement of God that he was slyan by the handes of his owne seruaunts The fiâ—e folyshe virgins went forth with their lampes to méete the Bridgroume aswell as the fiâ—e wise but bicause they faynted in the myddest of their race therefore they were shut out from the mariage and euerlasting life Let these horrible examples moue vs to take heede and to beware that we be not weary of well doing least we in the end perish as they dyd But let vs euery day morning euening risinge and goinge to bed consider that our salutation is now nearer then it was in times past and that therefore we ought with a good courage to goe forward to doo our duties throughly to the ende quietly to suffer that little trouble that is behind And euery day more and more to increase in faith to be more holy in lyfe It followeth in the text the night is passed and the daye is at hande Here is an other reason to moue vs to lyue vprightly and it differeth not much from that which he vsed before For the night hée calleth the ignoraunce of God and Christ the time of blindnes vnbelefe By day he meaneth the light of gods truth by which truth Iesus Christ the true sonne of rightuousnes doth appeare vnto vs And therefore in sayinge the night is passed and the day is come on he meaneth that séeinge we are not now ouerwhelmed with the thick mistes cloudes of ignoraunce as the infidels and vnbeléeuinge bée and as we our selues were in times past we ought to behaue our selues as the childrne of the day and light and not to sléepe still in sinne with the wicked and vnbeléeuinge And here by the way wée haue diligently to note and consider that Paule calleth the ignoraunce of Christ and his gospel night and darknes and coÌ„pareth the vnbeléeuers to such as bée fast a sléepe And verie aptly and not without good cause is the ignoraunce of Christ compared to night For as in the night time all thinges are couered with darknes and as we cannot for want of light knowe what is what and discerne black from blewâ— and redde from russet yea sometimes in the night season we thinke a bushe to be a man a dead thing a liuing creature for then as the Poet saith Est color omnibus vnus all things seeme to be of one hue and coulor so when wee were altogether ignoraunt in gods word knewe not Christ we did mistake things through igoraunce we did so erre y we accouÌ„ted superstision to be good deuotioÌ„ thought our selues highly in gods fauour when as wée were fast tied in the diuells setters and almost plunged into the pit of endles damnacioÌ„ For without the knowledge of gods word we are so blind that we cannot discerne betwene iustice and iniurie protection opression religioÌ„ and superstition Christ and Antichrist good euill Paule himselfe beinge ignoraunt of Christ did with great rage crueltie persecute his disciples thirsted after innoceÌ„t blood he himself coÌ„fesseth y he was sometimes vtterly parswaded that he ought to do many thinges against the name of Christ being led thervnto by a rash blind zeal and as yet wantinge the true knowledge of God. The Saduces
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