But some men there bee peraduenture that wil not be ashamed of these abuses but alwaies vphold maintain the same such if there be any they are like them whom Ieremie prophesied of saying Thou hast taken an harlots countenance thou hast gotten thee a whores forehead and canst not be ashamed they are like them also whom Esay the Prophet speaketh of saith Malice hath made you blind you barke against the truth This is the sin that neuer will bée forgiuen this is so great an offence that it wil neuer be pardoned Therefore let vs to whom God hath giuen eyes to sée eares to heare harts of vnderstanding let vs I say consider that it is no shame to confesse our errors to acknowledge our blindnesse but shame it is to continue in error too much shame it is to remaine stil in blindnesse And such as will not be ashamed of their euill but laugh at and scorne others that are sory and ashamed may well bée likened vnto them whom saint Paul writing to the Ephesians speaketh of They being past repentance haue giuen themselues ouer vnto wantonnesse to worke al maner of vncleannesse euen with greedines And such are giuen ouer in reprobum sensum into a lewd mind Such Dauid the Prophet speaketh of saying They cast their eies downe to the ground For such as wilfully offend and wittingly cast away themselues there is no saluation Paul saith Finis illorum mors est their end is death their end is onely destruction This is the same that Saint Iohn speaketh of which neither shall be forgiuen in this world nor in the world to come Wherefore were they cast into hel that now lye therein for what cause continue they in those endlesse tormentes because they would not acknowledge their errors because they would not be ashamed of their owne folly Wherefore is there in hell fire vnquenchable torments such as cannot be thought vtter darkenesse and eternall death but onely to punish such as wilfully liue in wickednes to plague them that wil not be ashamed of their sins offences They shall be cast into vtter darkenesse where shal be weeping gnashing of teeth into fire that neuer shall be quenched where the worme of the conscience neuer dieth If we delight in couetousnesse in adultery in fornication and filthy liuing the end let vs say is death the end thereof is none other than eternall death Quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo said Dauid the Prophet O Lord who shall dwel in thy Tabernacle saith he or who shall rest vpon thy holy hil Euen he that leadeth an vncorrupt life that doth the thing which is right and speaketh the truth from his heart Hee that hath not sworne and deceiued his neighbor But O mercifull God who walketh now innocently who leadeth an vncorrupt life who doth the thing that is right who speaketh truth from his heart what man is there that hath not sworne and deceiued his neighbour Ieremie speaking of the people in his time saith Confusi sunt imo non sunt confusi They are ashamed nay they are not ashamed saith Ieremie And euen so may we of our daies well say the people are not ashamed they are nothing sory nor ashamed of their euill liuing These S. Paul speaketh of writing vnto the Philippians I speake with teares saith hée they are the enemies of Christs crosse their end is damnation their glorie shall be turned into shame And shall we then liue thus shal we thus dye shall we thus end our liues shall we thus appeare at the later day and not be ashamed shall adulterers fornicators whooremongers couetous persons come stand before the iudgement seat of God before the throne of his maiestie and not bée ashamed Is this the marriage garment that wée should be clad with are we those that are called to the feast by the Bridegroome are we Christs brethren and heires of the kingdome of God No. Non resurgent impij in indicio the wicked shall not arise in iudgement saith the Prophet Dauid the vngodly shal not be able to stand in the iudgement neither the sinners in the congregation of the righteous Wo bee vnto them that run from God with a desperat mind wo bee vnto them that wilfully forsake and fly from him S. Gregorie saith One sinne linketh in another as one linke of a chaine holdeth the other It is an horrible thing to turne from God it is a terrible thing to flye from him for if we turne from God whither shall wée goe if wée flye from him whither shall we run Conscientia mille testes our owne conscience though wee hide our selues neuer so close shall be as a thousand witnesses against vs our owne conscience shall vtter and bewray vs. Saint Augustine saith If we do not indeed repent we faine that wee doe repent wee onely faine saith he that we do repent and so we mocke with God But God will not be mocked of vs he will not bée deluded by vs. But we shal be ashamed and confounded when we appeare before God when wee appeare I say before the iudgement seat of God But then what profit shall we haue of that we are ashamed what commoditie shall wée then haue of that whereof wee are ashamed Let vs consider that we are flesh of Gods flesh bones of his bones and members of his members And therefore let vs giue ouer our whole bodies let vs giue ouer all our members let vs giue ouer our eyes our eares our tongues our hearts vnto the homage and seruice of God So shall wee haue profit of Christ our Sauiour so shall we haue profit of his death and passion and so shall Christ say vnto vs Come yee blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world Amen THE FOVRTH Sermon Psalme 7. vers 11. 12. 13. 11. God is a righteous Iudge and God is euer threatning 12. If men will not trune he hath whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready 13. He hath prepared him the weapons of death and ordained his arrows to destroy ALmightie God our heauenly Father like as hée is both good also mercifull like as he is patient and of long sufferance So he vseth two maner of wayes to allure and call vs vnto him when we of our owne heads follow our owne deuises and lewdly run whither our lusts leadeth vs Sometimes of his great mercie hee vseth promises sometimes of his iustice he vseth threatning He promiseth to vs for our well doing his fauour and grace for kéeping his commandements eternall blisse He threatneth vs for euill liuing with plagues and punishments and for breaking of his Law eternall death Thus hee of his mercie somtimes vseth promises and threatneth againe of his rigor and iustice He promiseth to comfort aid and succour vs if we come vnto him and hée threatneth to strike the terrour of death into
his gospel If thou say thou knowest God if thou say thou knowest his gospell if thou liue not as God commaundeth thée if thou liue not as it becommeth a professor of Gods gospell thou blasphemest Gods name and dishonorest his gospel Ore suo appropinquant ad me saith God by his prophet Esay corda autem illorū longe absunt à me this people draweth nigh vnto mee with their mouthes but their hearts are farre from me They honor me with their mouthes but with their hearts they deny mée And in another place God by his Prophet Dauid saith O thou man why doest thou preach my lawes and takest my couenant in thy mouth for with the sinfull thou art sinfull with the théefe thou art a théefe with the adulterer thou art an adulterer Therefore if wee haue the word of God as a song to delight our eares if we turne the truth of Gods gospel into riot and wantonnesse if we confesse God with our lips deny him in our déeds if we say we know Gods law we know his commaundements and yet liue not thereafter we do not prayse God and confesse his name but we shame God and dishonor his holy name we cause the people to thinke euil of Gods word and slaunder his gospell And this is the cause why the common sort of people iudge that not to be the gospel which is this day preached taught vnto them because such as professe the gospell liue not after the gospell because such as say they know Gods way walke not in Gods way And thus through our own folly through our owne euill and corrupt liuing we offend our brethren we offend our selues and so in them offend Iesus Christ and their bloud shall bée required at our hands Let vs remember what God by the Prophet Esay saith Haec est vera via ambulate in ea This is the true way walke in the same Chrysostome saith if yee heare Gods word preached vnto you and yee follow it not yee learne saith he but your owne damnation yee learne nought els but your owne destruction The words that you heare preached vnto you shall accuse and condemne you God sayth Thou shalt not steale thou shalt not commit adulterie thou shalt beare no false witnesse c. these words this law of God written vnto vs shall accuse yea and condemne vs I say if wee to our powers follow not the same if wée walke not and continue in them accordingly Alas the verie age of the world the profession that wee haue taken vpon vs is or should bee ynough to put vs in remembrance of another life of another world to come Let vs not take the name of God in vaine let vs all prayse and extoll God let our mouthes our hands our hearts and all other our members praise and confesse his name for euer Laetentur exultent populs c. O let the people reioyce and bee glad that thou iudgest the folke righteously gouernest the nations vpon the earth Thy way O Lord is knowne said Dauid thy way is knowne vpon the earth therefore let all people all nations yea all the whole world reioyce and be glad thereat Diuers people set their minds on diuers things some in conquest some in great power and force of men some in heapes of money and treasures of this world some others that they are able to make other men feare and they feare nothing themselues But all these things are vaine both conquest power and heapes of great treasure are transitorie and fade away but the man of God that dreadeth God and hath a delight in his Law setteth his ioy and delight in those things which haue no end but continue for euer And therefore Dauid here saith Let all the people reioice and be glad in this thing alone because thou iudgest the folke righteously and gouernest the nations vpon the earth Let vs consider if there were a whole Christian nation brought in captiuitie vnder the Turke in thraldom and subiection vnto him in such sort that they should neuer heare the Scriptures neuer receiue the Sacraments neuer come to the church to pray but alwaies be where God should be despised and his name dishonored cōsider I say with your selues in what miserie in what wretchednesse in what great thraldome should they be With what conscience should they be able to abide this But if it would then please God to deliuer them standing in this state if it would please God to restore vnto them his Scriptrues if it would please God that they might receiue againe his holy Sacraments and might come and pray together if God would thus much doe for them O what ioy what tryumph what mirth would they make Let vs therfore here consider the estate of Gods Church before the time of the Prophet Dauid as it was in his time Before the Raigne of Dauid the Tabernacle of God was broken the Arke lost the Scriptures taken from them the Priests slaine God made them no answere by Prophet Angell nor by dreame euery man ran whither himselfe best liked without any feare of God or dread of his Law so had Saul that wicked King miserably tossed and turmoyled the same But it pleased God by the hands of King Dauid his Prophet to restore againe his Church so ouerthrowne to her former estate and condition it pleased God by him to make vp the Tabernacle againe to find out the Arke that before was lost to set vp all other things in good stay and order and this was as much as if he had called them from death vnto life from bondage to fréedome from Hell to Heauen Therefore when all these things were thus restored againe by the might and power of God this prophet Dauid comforted his heart and said Haec est dies quā fecit Dominus laetemur exultemus in ea This is a ioyfull day which the Lord hath made let vs reioyce be glad therin And so likewise in another place Dominus regnauit moueatur terra The Lord beareth the rule the Lord is king be the people neuer so vnpacient Let the whole world conspire saith he let it be moued do what it can against God for God ruleth and raigneth ouer al. Zacharie when he saw the comfortable time that should ensue the birth of Christ he fel downe cried out saying Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel quia visit auit fecit redemptionē plebis suae Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited redeemed his people So Simeon that old and holy father so soone as he beheld Christ had receiued his redéemer into his armes by and by his heart brake out for ioy said Nunc dimittis seruū tuū Domine secundū verbū tuū in pace c. Now lettest thou thy seruant O Lord depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes haue beholden thy saluation mine eyes haue seene thy
sithence the first foundation of the world but was in subiection and vnder obedience either of the the one or of the other And as God is the father of light the God of all good men so is the Deuill the father Prince of this world the Lord of darknesse the king of this age as saith S. Paul and ruler of the wicked And like as all good men fight vnder the banner of God their Lord so all vngodly fight vnder the standard of the Deuill their Prince And euen as the iust man hath his reward of God so hath the wicked man his stipend of the Deuill And thus be Infidels Turkes Iewes and all Heathen people vnder the power and dominion of the Deuill vnder the standard of Sathan and therefore are they not able to thinke any good to conceiue one good thought because they fight vnder his Banner because they haue giuen ouer all their members to be ordered of the Deuill without any féeling of good without any feare of God And thus as I said do the Turkes thus do the Infidels thus do all Heathen people at this day and so did the Iewes in the time of Paul In vmbra mortis ambulauerunt saith he They walked in the shadow of death But after that it pleased God the Father by the comming of his déere Sonne Iesus Christ to reueale himselfe vnto them to open and declare his Gospell among them then began the people to renounce the Deuill to forsake his Law and seruice and to betake themselues wholy to the gouernance of God And therefore S. Paul the further to incourage them thereunto willeth them in this Epistle of his That like as before time they gaue ouer their members to the seruice of vncleannesse from one wickednesse to another so should they now giue ouer the same their members to the seruice of righteousnesse For to this end was Christ borne into this world to this end liued he here among vs to this end preached he and taught the people Gods holie word that we by his example and the doctrine of his Gospell should liue an vpright and holie life And therfore Zacharie that holie prophet being filled with the holie Ghost prophesied and said before Christs birth that Christ should for this cause appeare in this world That we being by him deliuered from the feare of our enimies might serue him in purenesse and holinesse all the daies of our life And S. Paul likewise saith Ye were darkenesse but now ye are light walke therefore as becommeth the children of light Therefore are we deliuered from the power of darkenesse saith S. Paul that we should walke in the light and haue no fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse And so in like Vocauit nos Deus non ad immunditiem sed ad sanctitatem God hath not called vs to vncleannesse but to holynesse and sanctitie of life Thus hath he called vs that we not only in Body but in Soule should be pure vnspotted And therefore S. Paul vnto the Romanes Know you not saith he that all we which are baptized into Iesus Christ are baptized into his death Therefore are we buried with him by Baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead euen so also should we walke in a new life And for this cause this same Paul likewise saith Exhibete vos tanquam viua membra Shew your selues as quicke and liuely members And in an other place Exhibete corpora vestra sacrificium sanctum acceptatum Deo Giue ouer your bodies for a sacrifice holie and acceptable before God And also Nescities corpora vestra esse templa Dei Know you not that ye are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you These and such other many lessons hath S. Paul giuen vs to call vs vnto purenesse and holynesse of life Let vs therefore good Bretheren liue holy consider that God hath not called you to vncleannesse but to puritie of life consider if yée be baptized with Christ into death you must also walke with him in a new life let your bodies be a sacrifice holie acceptable vnto God shew your selues liuely members of Christ and the Temple of the holie Ghost Vocauit nos Deus saith S. Paul Vt viueremus sobriè God hath called vs God hath appointed vs to liue in sobernesse to liue in purenesse to liue in holynesse and this not in one part of our Bodies not in one part of our Soules but in our whole bodies in our whole soules For Christ our Sauior suffred not his bodie to be crucified in one part Sed à planta pedis vsque ad summum capitis But euen from the sole of the foote to the crowne of his head was he beaten rent and torne and miserably tormented in his whole Bodie His Bodie was scourged with whips his head prickt with thornes his hands and féete nayled to the Crosse his side pierced with a sharp speare For Christ speaking of himselfe saith Foderunt manus meas pedes meos They haue digged my hands and my feete they haue made holes thorough them And thus sithence Christ suffred all his whole Body to be tormented for vs sithence he suffred all his members to be crucified for our sakes let vs applie our selues and all our member to serue and please him in holynesse and vpright lyuing all the dayes of our liues And therefore saith s Paul here Ye haue now betaken your selues vnto Christ therefore let your conuersation be according liue as becommeth the seruants of Christ For euen as before this time ye gaue ouer your members to vncleannesse from one wickednesse to an other so now giue ouer your members to the seruice of righteousnesse And such good Bretheren was the life of all Christian men in the beginning of Gods Church such was I say their life lyuing They subdued their flesh they mortified their members and gaue them ouer wholy vnto Christ and so made them members vnto righteousnesse When Christ walked here on this earth was conuersant in our flesh and this nature of ours at what time he entered into the house of Zacheus which was a Ruler of the Publicans desired to sée Iesus by and by Zacheus was turned into a new man and by and by he stoode forth and said vnto the Lord Behold Lord the halfe of my goods I giue vnto the poore and if I haue defrauded any man I restore him foure fold Thus was he only by the presence of Christ turned into a new man thus he of an vncircumcised Publican was made the child of Abraham and of a sinfull and wretched creature he became forthwith a Christian And so in like when Christ had but once called vnto Mathew and bad him follow him immediatly he left the Toll-gathering he left the receipt of the custome he left his owne proper game and profit and ran after Christ
murthering of his brother What profit wan the prodigall Son by mispending of his fathers goods What profit had the people in the time of Daniel for their misliuing What profit had Dauid by killing of Vrie What profit had the rich glutton that liued in such pleasure What profit I say had all these of their owne wickednesse No profit no commoditie no pleasure a◠al but shame nothing els but shame and confusion Euen so here S. Paul What profit said he had yee then of all those things of which yee are now ashamed It appeareth well yée haue gotten nothing but displesure nothing but shame and confusion For the end of such things is death And this that is well spoken of honestie of life this that is well applyed to honest conuersation may wel be spoken and applied to Religion For it behooueth a man so to worship God that hee haue no shame no confusion therefore But alas from the beginning euen from the first creation of man there haue bin good there haue bin bad some there hath bin that forsaking the liuing God haue worshiped their own deuises some in stéed of God haue worshipped stocks and stones some haue sacrificed to the Sun and Moone and made them their Gods and this hath béene from the beginning And therefore Ieremie writeth that the people in his time said Ibimus sacrificabimus Lunae Reginae caeli We wil do sacrifice offer oblations vnto the Queen of heauen for so said they our Fathers did and did prosper in their doings Some said vnto the Stone Pater noster es and to a Stocke Deus noster es exuerge adiuua nos And this hath béene euen from the beginning The Babilonians worshipped Bell their God which was but a blocke they worshipped also a Dragon which they called their liuing God and this did they in good sooth The Iewes made a golden Calfe and fell downe before the same and worshipped it and said Isti sunt Dij tui These are thy Gods O Israell these are they that brought thée out of the land of Egypt and deliuered thée Wée read also that they worshipped a Brasen Serpent and burnt Incense and sacrifice vnto it And as they had these vaine Idols for their Gods so likewise had they a number of Superstitious ceremonies of their owne deuising which here were too long to be spoken of And all this did they of blindnesse thinking they had done well meaning nothing but good therein But afterwards when it pleased God to shew them their owne blindnesse to shew them their folly to shew them the wickednesse they walked in then were they ashamed of their doings then I say they were ashamed confounded And therfore said Ieremy the prophet Verè patres nostri coluerūt mēdatia truly our forefathers followed after lies The Gentiles when they perceiued that the Sun Moon their chief Gods were indéed no gods able to do them no pleasure then they were ashamed When the people of Babilon saw vnderstood their own folly in worshiping their God Bell their Dragon that they were not such as they tooke them to be then were they ashamed And so in like when the Iewes saw before their eyes their golden Calfe molten and their brasen Serpent broken ground into poulder then were they ashamed then were they sorie and ashamed of their former doings Thus saith the Prophet Esaie or rather God by the mouth of his Prophet Why offer yee so many sacrifices vnto me offer me no moe oblations I abhorre your incense I may not away with your new moones and Sabbathes I am troubled with them I am wearie of them Quis ista requirit Who looketh for these things who cōmandeth you so to doe Esaie in another place also Why doe you lay out your money for the thing that feedeth not and spend your labour about the thing that satisfieth not And so likewise in another place the same prophet saith They make my people forget my name for their owne traditions He saith also Taelas aranearum texunt They weaue the Spiders web they doe nothing els but breed the Cockatrice egs and weaue the Spiders webbe saith he And so Ieremie cried out and said Duo mala fecit populus meus me dereliquerūt Dominum Deum suum foderunt sibi cisternas quae aquas non possunt continere my people saith God by his Prophet Ieremie haue forsaken men their Lord and digged themselues pits that can hold no water Esay calleth mans inuention Sordes drosse Ieremie calleth it chaffe Malachie very mans dung Zacharie Gods curse Christ himselfe calleth it Fermentum Pharisaeorum the leuen of the Pharisies Hée calleth it also Tenebras vtter darkenesse Thus it pleased God to describe vnto vs mans inuention to call it cobwebs to call it filth to call it drosse and chaffe mans dung Gods curse the leuen of the Pharisies and vtter darkenesse And this doth he for none other purpose than onely to make his people ashamed of their owne deuises Paul notwithstanding hee was a great learned man skilfull in the lawes and customes amongst the Iewes brought vp at the féet of Gamaliel yet when hée knew Christ when he was filled with the holy Ghost and embraced Gods gospel he was ashamed of all he had learned before he was ashamed of his owne ignorance Saint Thomas who would not beléeue Christ to bée risen from death when he felt Christs side had put his finger into his wound then hee was ashamed then he was sory for his vnveléefe The Iewes when they perceiued their owne folly ignorance said Viri fratres quid faciemus O men brethren what shall we do The Ephesians when S. Paul had preached vnto them they receiued the doctrine of Christ by by such as vsed curious crafts came and brought their bookes of enchauntment their books of witchcraft burnt them cast them into the fire and burnt them so much were they ashamed of their owne folly And so S. Paul Cum essem paruulus sentiebam vt paruulus When I was a child I spake as a child I vnderstood as a child I imagined as a child But as soone as I was a man I left all childishnesse Now I am become a man and therfore I am now ashamed of my childishnesse Thus might the Prophets haue said to the Gentiles what profit had you of your gods the Sun and the Moone what profit had you of them wherof yée are now ashamed So might Moyses haue said to the children of Israel what profit had yée in this golden calfe So Ezechias what profit had yée in this brasen serpent of which now yée are ashamed Euen thus Esay might likewise haue said what profit had yée in your calends new Moones in your holy daies and sacrifices And so other the Prophets might well haue said what profit had ye in your dreames in
vs if wee turne from him And so almightie God most mercifully vsed his promises vnto Abraham Ego sum protector tuus merces tua I am said he thy defender and thy reward Ego benedicam benedicentibus tibi maledicam maledicentibus tibi I wil blesse them that blesse thee and curse them that curse thee So ample so large so great a promise made God vnto him And thus almightie God when he wold deliuer his elect people the children of Israell from their great bondage and captiuitie Inducam te in terram fluentem lacte melle I will bring you into a land that shall flow with milke and hony this will I performe this will I bring to passe for you and this will I doe for my names sake And so likewise to these his people he made this merciful promise against their enemies saying Yee shall chase your enemies and they shall fall into the sword before you fiue of you shal chase an hundred and an hundred of you shall chace ten thousand Thus also God by his Prophets promised his people and said Turne vnto mee and I will turne vnto you And euen thus likewise Christ in the Gospel maketh most cleare and manifest promises of euerlasting life and saluation to all such as for his name shall forsake the pleasures and delights of this word and repose their felicitie onely in him Beati pauperes spiritu beati qui lugeant beati qui esuriunt beati qui persequutionem ferunt Blessed are the poore in spirit blessed are they that mourne blessed are they that hunger thirst blessed are they that suffer persecution And why so For what cause are they blessed that are poore in spirit For what cause are they blessed that mourne Why are they happy that hunger What reward shall they haue that suffer persecution because saith Christ theirs is the Kingdom of Heauen they shall be comforted they shall bee filled they shall obtaine a crowne of glorie When two or three are gathered together in my name saith Christ I will bee in the middest of them Whatsoeuer yee shall aske my father in my name it shall be giuen vnto you These manifold and great promises it pleased almightie God to make vnto his chosen elect people these coÌ„fortable promises Christ himself vouchsafed to pronouÌ„ce to al such as shal cleaue vnto him thus mercifully it pleased God by faire promises to allure and win vs vnto him But oftentimes alas we set little or nothing by these swéet comfortable promises we little estéem or regard them and therfore god then vseth his threatning his rigor and Iustice among vs when no swéet words can win vs then hee striketh his terror into vs. For when god in old time perceiued that no gentlenes no kindnesse no mercy of his could win his people vnto him he caused Esay his prophet to cry out said Impius in beneficijs me noÌ„ aguouit in angustijs auteÌ„ clamauit ad me The wicked and sinfull man saith he in my great goodnesse benefits bestowed vpon him would not acknowledge nor confesse me but in his miserie and trouble in his anguish and woe then he ran vnto me and called on my name And so likewise by the Prophet Ieremie God him selfe sayeth Conuerterunt ad me terga non faciâ—s suas in die autem tribulationis inclamant me They haue turned their backes and not their faces vnto me but in the day of their trouble in the time of necessitie they call and cry vpon me And so in like the same Prophet Ieremie or rather God by this Prophet saith Impinguatus incrassatus est populus meus My people are waxen fat and lustie they haue forsaken mee the well of life and digged themselues pits yea vile and broken pits that can hold no water Such a thing is the felicitie and pleasure of this world that it maketh vs soone to forget God and the felicitie of the world to come And therfore God so often warned his people of Israel that when they were once come into the land of Canaan into that plentifull country which flowed with milke and hony wherein should bee no dearth nor scarcenesse that then they shold not forget the Lord their god that then their hearts should not be deceiued that then they should not goe aside and serue other gods and so his wrath and indignation waxe hote vpon them And therfore when faire promises louing kindnesse cannot win vs to God then vseth he another way then doth he appoint another meane then beginneth hee to threaten and feare vs and that of his rigour and iustice And thus did hée to our first father Adam because he would not he should transgresse his commaundement he threatned him and said In quocunque die comederis ex hoc fructu mortem morieris In what-euer day thou shalt tast of this fruit thou shalt dye the death So likewise God to the whole multitude of his people of Israell said Vnlesse ye giue eare to the voice of the Lord your God to doe all his commandements and ordinances cursed shall you be in the towne and cursed in the field cursed shall thy basket be and thy store cursed shal be the fruit of thy body the fruit of thy land cursed shalt thou bee in thy comming in in thy going out You shall call and I will not heare you shall cry vnto me and I will not giue eare Dabo vobis caelum aeneum terram ferreum The heauen shall be as brasse and the earth as Iron the heauens shall giue you no raine the earth shall bring you forth no fruit your trauell and labour shal be lost your land shal not giue her encrease Thus almightie God threatned his elect chosen people and all to kéep them in awe and feare of him And so in another place he saith I will set my face against you and ye shall bee slaine before your enemies and they that hate you shall haue dominion ouer you ye shal fly when no man chaseth you Thus you see that it pleaseth almightie God oftentimes to vse these and such like words of threatning to vse such rigour to beat a terrour into his people when faire promises and swéet words can doe nothing and this doth hee of his great iustice And therfore Dauid in this place God is indeed saith he a rightfull iudge and God is euer threatning If men will not turne he hath whet his sword and hath bent his bowe and made it readie He hath prepared him the weapons of death and ordained his arrowes to destroy So mightie so omnipotent is God that hee can punish and so righteous a iudge is he that hee will punish when it best pleaseth him But some man would here peraduenture say if God be thus able to punish and will indéed punish when hee is offended why then doth he it not by and by why