through his pouertie might bee rich Shall the onely deare innocent Sonne of the All-powerfull and euer-blessed Lord and King of heauen and earth dis inrich as it were and disrobe his heauenly Highnesse of that Royaltie and Maiestie aboue and become so poore that whereas the Foxes haue holes and the birds of the ayre haue nests yet Hee not where to lay his head that through his pouerty and powring out his hearts blood hee might crowne vs with the inestimable riches of heauenly glory with ioyes and pleasures more then the starres of the firmament euen for euer and euer and shall not we Wormes and wretches most vnworthy the least bit of bread we put into our mouthes part with our superfluities sometimes both in respect of the necessity of nature and exigencie of estate as the Schoolemen speake to relieue the fainting soule of him for whom Christ died and which he would take as done vnto himselfe Matth. 25. 40. were it but a cup of cold water onely Mar. 9. 41. Monstrous vnthankfull cruelty mercilesnesse meriting without Gods singular mercy and turning mercifull our selues the fiercest flame in the dungeon of fire and brimstone 4. The last and euerlasting doome at that great and dreadfull Day must passe vpon vs according to our carriage in this kinde Then shall there be a seuere and sincere search and enquirie made after workes as the signes euidences and outward demonstrations of faith and the roote of grace in the heart or of vnbeliefe and rottennesse at the heart-roote and consequently as arguments of a righteous doome passed vpon the Sheepe and Goates That glorious sentence of absolution Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world which sounds out nothing but pleasures ioyes delights glories beauties felicities crownes kingdomes Angelicall entertainments beatificall-visions spirituall rauishments highest perfections vnutterable exultations of spirit sweetest varieties eternities shall be pronounced vpon the godly according to the effects and fruits of their faith to teach vs in the meane time what faith to trust vnto and rest vpon for iustification euen that which works by loue and at that day to let all the world see Angels men and deuils that the kingdome of Heauen is giuen onely to true-hearted Nathaneels honest Professours working beleeuers Now in the text for this purpose there is singled out with special choice an eminent Synechdochicall instance in one of the worthiest effects of faith and noblest fruit of grace euen the point I now presse and labour to perswade an open-hearted reall fruitfull bounty and loue to Gods people and distressed members of Christ Iesus for Christs and their goodnesse sake But that other doome of damnation Depart from me you cursed into euerlasting fire prepared for the deuill and his angels which breathes out nothing but fire and brimstone stings and horrours woe and alasse flames of wrath and the Worme that neuer dyeth trembling and gnashing of teeth seas of vengeance torments without end and past imagination shall passe vpon the reprobates for omission and neglect of this noble dutie For mercilesnesse to the poore members of Christ vnkindnesse to Christians hard-heartednesse towards the houshold of faith is one of the ranckest bitterest weeds which growes out of a gracelesse heart a cleare pregnant euidence that all was naught and a notable remembrancer as it were to that high and euerlasting Iudge that his blessed Spirit neuer dwelt there How deeply then doth it concerne euery Christian to practise and ply vpon all opportunities that most gainefull art of almes-giuing which shall be so highly honoured at that great Day before that glorious vniuersall presence when euery mercilesse man shall cry to that Rocke this mountaine to fall vpon him and hide him from the wrath of that iust God which will flame vnquenchably and euerlastingly against all those who in this life haue shut vp their bowels of pitty against His poore and been dogged towards the dearely beloued of his Soule I know Bellarmine labours to empoyson this last passage with his false glosse and Popish sophistry The causall coniunction For Matth. 25. 35. as hee there cauils intimates and implyes workes meritoriousnesse I say no. For is there a Note of consequence and order not of the cause or any meritorious causality The causall coniunction in Grammar doth indeed serue to shew the reason of a former sentence but it doth not necessarily shew a reason from the cause of a thing but many times also from the effect and other kind of arguments And Logick also reacheth that there be diuers kinds of causes principall and lesse principall c. Bellarmine replyes Doth not Christ there speake in the same manner of the rewards of the godly and of the punishments of the wicked But no man can say that in these words Goe ye cursed c. that the cause is not rendred but onely the order and consequence implyed For the wages of sinne is death Rom. 6. 23. I answer By the like fallacy also doe the Popish Impostors pleade for Iustification by Workes Euill workes damne therefore good workes saue Most falsely as appeares by that rule in the Topicks The consequence is of no validitie where there is not a perfect contrarietie Now betweene good and euill workes there is no perfect contrarietie for euill workes are perfectly euill against the Law of God but good workes are not perfectly good according to the Law of God By the same reason neither doth it follow Eternall death is the wages of sinne therefore eternall life is the wages of good workes 5. If thou lay out to the poore cheerefully seasonably liberally and yet but according to thy abilitie thou shalt become which besides the onely course of growing comfortably rich is also a Crowne of infinite honour Creditor euen to thy Creator Hee that hath pitie vpon the poore lendeth vnto the Lord and that which he hath giuen will he pay him againe Prou. 19. 17. And in the meane time for repayment in due time thou hast securitie infinitely aboue all exception a Bill vnder his owne hand euen his owne blessed Booke wherein to faile were to forfeit his Deity if I may so speake which is prodigious blasphemie to imagine Now what a keene spurre and inflaming motiue is this to bee mercifull that wee shall make God himselfe our Debter the euer springing Fountaine of Blisse and Lord of all goodnesse who doth all things like himselfe omnipotently bountifully aboue all expectation as becomes the mighty Soueraigne of Heauen and Earth If he worke he makes a world If he be angry he drownes the whole face of the Earth If he loue the hearts-blood of his dearest Sonne is not too deare If he stand vpon his peoples fide he makes the Sunne to stand still and the Starres to fight If he repay hee giues his owne All-sufficient Selfe with the ouerflowing torrents
and rare felicitie in pitching iust vpon the golden meane as they conceiue betweene prophanenesse and precisenesse infamous notoriousnesse and persecuted strictnesse But that Prouerbe in the meane time falls pat vpon their pates There is a generation that are pure in their owne eyes and yet is not washed from their filthinesse And at length most certainely the iust execution of that terrible commination Reuel 3. 16. will crush their hearts with euerlasting horrour confusion and woe But I should be endlesse in the discouery of this hidden and hellish gulph of hypocrisie wherein thousands are swallowed vp euen in this glorious Mid-day of the Gospell For a man may assoone find out the way of an Eagle in the Ayre the way of a Serpent vpon a Rocke the way of a Ship in the midst of the Sea and the way of a man with a maid as to tracke the cunning and crooked footsteps of this foule fiend in the false hearts of Satans followers Only take notice that thou canst neuer possibly delight in God or euer comfortably come neere him if thou giue any entertainment vnto it in what forme soeuer it represent it selfe or whatsoeuer vizor it offers vnto thee though neuer so fairely varnished and guilded ouer with the Deuils angelicall glory III. Build and erect all thy resolutions and conclusions for Heauen and Gods seruice vpon that strong and purest pillar that maine and most precious Principle of Christianitie Selfe-deniall No walking with God no sweete communion and sound peace at his Mercy-Seate except for his sake and keeping a good conscience thou be content to denie thy selfe thy worldly wisdome naturall wit carnall reason acceptation with the world excellencie of learning fauour of great Ones credit and applause with the most thy passions profit pleasures preferment neerest friends ease libertie life euery thing any thing And feare no losse for all things else are nothing to the least comfortable glimpse of Gods pleased face From this Principle sprung all those noble resolutions and replies of Gods worthiest Saints and Souldiers That of Hester for the preseruation of the people of God Well saith she I wil goe in vnto the King which is not according to the law and if I perish I perish That of Micaiah sollicited strongly by the messenger to temporize in managing his Ministery with sutablenesse and conformity to the Kings pleasure and plausiblenesse of the false prophets As the Lord liueth what the Lord saith vnto mee that will I speake That of Nehemiah Should such a man as I flee As if he should haue said Tell not mee of fleeing my resolution was pitcht long agoe if need require to lay downe my life and lose my blood in the Lords battels That of Paul when his friends were weeping and wailing about him What meane you to weepe said hee and to breake mine heart For I am ready not to be bound onely but also to die at Hierusalem for the name of the Lord Iesus That of Ierome If my father stood weeping on his knees before mee and my mother hanging on my necke behind me and all my brethren sisters children kinsfolke howling on euery side to retaine me in sinfull life with them I would fling my mother to the ground despise all my kinred run ouer my father and tread him vnder my feet thereby to run to Christ when hee calleth me That of Luther dealt with earnestly and eagerly not to venture himselfe amongst a number of perfidious and blood-thirstie Papists As touching me saith he since I am sent for I am resolued and certainely determined to enter Wormes in the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ yea although I knew there were so many Deuils to resist me as there are tiles to couer the houses in Wormes That of a most renowned Italian Marquesse Galeacius Carracciolus tempted by a Iesuite with a great sum of money to returne from Gods Blessing at Geneua to the warme Sunne in Italy Let their money perish with them who esteeme all the Gold in the world worth one dayes societie with Iesus Christ and his holy Spirit That of George Carpenter Martyr My wife and my children are so dearely beloued vnto me that they cannot bee bought from mee for all the riches and possessions of the Duke of Bauaria but for the loue of my Lord God I will willingly forsake them That of Kilian a Dutch Schoole-master to such as asked him if he loued not his wife and children Yes said he If the world were Gold and were mine to dispose of I would giue it to liue with them though it were but in prison yet my soule and Christ are dearer to me then all IV. Exercise thy selfe continually and bee excellent in that onely Heauen vpon Earth and sweetest Sanctuarie to an hunted soule the Life of faith Which to liue in some good measure is the duty and property of euery liuing member of Christ Iesus Loue therefore and labour to liue by the power of faith the life of saluation sanctification preseruation 1. Of saluation thus Let thy truely-humbled soule grieued and groaning vnder the burden of sinne throw it self into the meritorious and merciful armes of Iesus Christ wounded broken and bleeding vpon the Crosse and there let it hold and hide it selfe for euer in full assurance of eternall life by vertue of that promise Ioh. 3. 36. Hee that beleeueth on the Son hath euerlasting life For hauing thus laid hold vpon him He by his Spirit doth communicate first himselfe vnto thee then both the merit of his death for remission of thy sinnes and of his actiue obedience for thy right to saluation and happinesse and withall the power of his Spirit to quicken thee to the life of grace in this World and to raise vp thy body to the life of glory at the last day 2. Of sanctification If thou keepe thy faith the fountaine roote and heart as it were from which all thine other graces spring in life and vigour thou shalt pray more comfortably bee more couragiously patient heare the Word more fruitfully receiue the Sacraments more ioyfully passe the Sabbaths more delightfully conferre more cheerefully meditate more heauenly walke in all the wayes of new obedience with more strength and conquest ouer corruptions For ordinarily euery Christian shall finde the exercise of other graces to bee comfortable or cold according to the liuelinesse or languishing of his faith 3. Of preseruation both temporall and spirituall In crosses afflictions and all Gods outward angry visitations by the power of such promises as those Psal. 89. 33. and 50. 15. Heb. 12. 7 8 11. 1. Thes. 3. 3. Act. 14. 22. Luke 9. 23. Isai. 63. 9. In the course and carriage of thy particular Calling the duties and workes whereof if thou discharge with conscience diligence and prayer thou mayest goe on with comfort contentment and freedome from that torturing and racking thoughtfulnesse from those restlesse and cursed carkings of carnal worldlings
her selfe and cheerefull walking If hee to whose company and conditions shee is now so neerely and necessarily confined and as it were enchained proue dogged shee holds her selfe vtterly vndone for any outward contentment 2. Let him dwell with her according to knowledge 1. Pet. 3. 7. 1. By a wise discouery at the first and timely acquainting himselfe with her disposition affections infirmities passions imperfections and thereupon with all holy discretion apply and addresse himselfe in a faire and louing manner to rectifie and reforme all hee can and to beare the rest with patience passing by it without passion and impatiency still waiting vpon God by Prayer in his good time for a further and more full redresse and conformity One of the rankest rootes of distastes and discontentment in the Marriage-state is the neglect of a punctuall obseruation of each others properties of taking the right measure of each others manners vpon purpose that with mutuall patience and forbearance they may support each other in loue and louingly beare one anothers burthens Memorable is that speech and may bee a fit medicine against marriage-iarres which a reuerend man receiued from an husband being asked how such a cholericke couple could so consort together Thus saith he when her fit is vpon her I yeeld to her as Abraham did to Sara and when my fit is vpon me she yeelds to me and so we neuer striue together but asunder 2. By a prouident discreet and patient ordering guiding and managing businesses abroad and family affaires without that carking impatiencie preuention and distrust of Gods prouidence without that clamour boysterousnesse and confusion with which worldlings are woont to trouble their owne houses It is incredible to consider the vast and vnualuable difference between the comforts calmenesse and many sweet contentments of an houshold gouerned by the patient wisedome of an heauenly-minded man and the endlesse brawlings bitter contestations about trifles disorders domesticall hurlyburlies c. which haunt that family where a cholericke couetous and hairebrained husband doth domineere This latter is like the middle region of the ayre continually torne and rent with fresh commotions thunders and many tumultuous stirres which rise at first from a thing of nothing a thinne inuisible fume drawne out of the earth So earthly things vainer then the most vanishing vapour doe ordinarily raise in such Nourceries of disquietnesse and noise a world of needlesse troubles passionate distempers and selfe-vexations But the former is like the highest part of the aire full of calmenesse tranquillitie and constant light the Sunne of righteousnesse shining still vpon it with the blessed beames of patience contentment and spirituall noblenesse of minde doth from time to time dissolue and driue away all mists of worldly mourning stormes of bitternesse and brawling matter of such sencelesse and brainelesse molesting one another and doth with a sweete and kindly heate refresh and support the heart against all chollericke encounters and crosse accidents by vertue of such heauenly and healing cordials as these which were wont to calme and repell the most tempestuous assaults vpon the afflicted Saints Iob 1. 21. 1. Sam. 3. 18. 3. But aboue all by leading his wife in the way of life and path that is called Holy This is the flower and crowne of all his skill to be a blessed and manly guide vnto her towards euerlasting happinesse For want of this wisedome and wil many a poore soule lies bleeding vnto eternal death vnder the bloody and mercilesse hand of an ignorant prophane or Pharisaicall husband which perhaps may haue knowledge enough and too much to thriue in the world to prosper in his outward state to prouide for posterity nay to oppresse ouer-reach and defraud his brother But no wit no vnderstanding no braines at all to teach and tell his wife one foote of the right way to heauen wise to do euill as the Prophet speakes Ier. 4. 22. But to doe good no knowledge at all No holy habit or heart to pray with her to instruct and incourage her in the great mystery and practise of godlinesse to keepe the Sabbath holy and daies of humiliation to reade Scriptures repeate Sermons and conferre of good things with her c. from which he is so farre that although it be the strongest barre to keepe her from grace and the bloody cut-throate of both their soules he will needes perswade her that all this is too much precisenesse And yet heare Chrysostome Let them both goe to the Church and afterward at home let the husband require of the wife and the wife of the husband those things which were there spoken and read or at least some of them And in the same Sermon Teach her saith he the feare of God and all things will flow in abundantly as out of a fountaine and thine house will be replenished with innumerable good things 4 By a conscionable and constant care also for the conuersion and saluation of their children and seruants Euery husband and head of Family is as it were a Priest and Pastour in his owne house and therefore if he take not a course to catechize them pray with them prepare them for the Sacrament and to bring them vp in the nurture and admonition of the Lord as the Apostle counsels Ephe. 6. 4. to restraine them all hee can from lewde courses ill company the corruptions of the time but suffer them to haue their swinge in their youthfull rebellions vnhallowing the Lords Day Alehouse-hauntings stubbornnesse against the Ministery c. vntill many times they swing in an halter as they say Let them then know that all those sinnes they so runne into by such grosse neglect and default are set vpon his score and he must be exactly countable and full dearely answer for them at that great and last Day Nay let mee further tell him that which will make his eares to tingle and heart to tremble if it bee not of Adamant and his heartstrings turned into Iron sinnewes Those his children and seruants which by his impenitent omissions and vnconscionablenesse in this kinde haue perished in their sinnes will curse him for euer hereafter amongst the fiends in hell They will follow thee vp and downe in that euer-burning Lake with direfull bannings and hideous outcries crying out continually Woe vnto vt that euer we serued such a wicked and wretched master that had no care of the saluation of our soules tooke no course to saue vs out of these fiery torments Euen thine owne deare children in this case will yell in thine eares world without end Woe and alasse that euer wee were borne of such accursed parents who had not the grace to teach vs betime the waies of God to keepe vs from our youthfull vanities and to traine vs vp in the paths of Godlinesse Had they done so wee might haue liued in the endlesse ioyes of Heauen whereas now damned soules we must lie irrecouerably in these euerlasting flames Oh will they say it
of al pleasures and glory through all eternitie 6. Nay the way to thriue and fare well in the World if our most wise God thinke it fiâ—… is to bee compassionate this way If thou draw out thy soule to the hungry saith the Prophet and satisfie the afflicted soule then shall thy light rise in obscuritie and breake forth as the morning and thy darknesse bee as the noone-day and thy health shall spring forth speedily the Lord shal guide thee continually and satisfie thy soule in drought and make fat thy bones and thou shalt be like a watered Garden and like a spring of water whose waters faile not Thine horne shall be exalted with honour and thou shalt not want It will be then a profitable Inquisition amongst others when a man findes himselfe to goe backward in his estate Gods secret displeasure to blow vpon his wealth or afflict his body with painefull diseases c. to examine well whether he was not ordinarily woont rather to shut vp his bowels of compassion then to powre out his soule to the poore In a third place take notice of the order of those obiects vpon which thy Christian loue is regularly and seasonably to be directed and thy workes of mercy discharged The Catalogue of them runneth thus as I conceiue The publike State wherein thou liuest and whereof thou art a member challengeth the first place and precedencie If it liued a naturall life as thou doest and thou haddest but one morsell of bread which would onely sustaine the life of one of you thou wert to perish that it might flourish for it is euer better that one member should bee cut off then the whole body consumed In the next place stands thy selfe then thy wife then thy parents then thy children and family then the household of faith then thy naturall kinred sprung lately from the same progenitors then thy neerest neighbours and common friends then thy countrymen then strangers then thine enemies For as thou wouldest be holden a child of the Highest Luk. 6. 35. thou must loue thine enemies and relieue them too Prou. 25. 21. Rom. 12. 20. And because our naughty hearts doe naturally rise and swell against them with much enraged anger disdaine and contempt ponder seriously vpon these points as counterpoysons to keepe out these foule fiends and preserue thine affections euer calme and vnstained this way and in an holy charitable temper and disposition to doe them good 1. First he that becomes a bloody goad in thy side for thy blessed profession and because thou followest goodnesse is starke mad and vtterly besides himselfe in matter of saluation Hee is as a dead man without all sense of spirituall selfe-murder now it is extreme weakenesse to euen thy wit as they say with a Bedlam and barbarous inhumanitie to wreake thy spite vpon the dead and basely to vexe a liuelesse carcase with brauing insultations 2. Thou shouldest most wilfully forsake thine owne mercie and iudge thy selfe more then infinitely vnworthy of euerlasting life of any part or portion in the rich glorious eternall purchases of His meritorious death if thou couldest not frankely forgiue the greatest wrong of thy greatest enemy vpon this ground onely because Iesus Christ hath freely powred out the dearest and warmest blood in his heart to purchase for thee a worme and wretch and while thou wast yet his desperate enemy pardon and saluation from the endlesse woes and damnations of Hell 3. Thirdly the mercifull patience of God himselfe in forbearing and bearing with infinite wrongs and dishonours done vnto his great Maiestie euery day may be a matchlesse patterne and precedent to vs wofull sinners and worse then nothing easily to pardon and patiently to passe by all the prouocations of our fellow creatures How many blasphemous mouthes are continually open against the Maiestie of Heauen With what damned oathes doe they teare and recrucifie the precious body of his glorified Sonne that fits at his owne right hand With what monstrous lyes and hatefull slanders doe they disgrace his Ambassadours and vilifie his chosen Nay where shall you find one of those who haue sincerely giuen their names vnto Christ whose neglected innocency is not trampled vpon with the feet of pride and contempt and whose guiltlesse fame lyes not bleeding vnder the mercilesse strokes of intemperate tongues How many sonnes and daughters of Belial doe horribly and with an high hand prophane his Sabbaths pollute his Sacraments and turne their backs vpon his Word How many euery where turne themselues into barrels and beasts euen into sincks nay and sometimes into Sodomites Hab. 2. 15. by their swinish drunkennesse How many inclosing Nimrods and Machiauellian Landlords grind the faces of the poore pluck off their skins teare their flesh breake their bones chop them in pieces as for the pot and eate the flesh of Gods people In a word How many incarnate deuils walke vp and downe the Earth with hearts and hands as full as Hell with all manner of mischiefe lewdnesse and rebellion And yet wee see in the meane time our gracious God beares patiently with these many and prodigious prouocations Though hee be armed with his owne vnresistable omnipotency haue euer in a readines all the Angels of Heauen all the creatures vpon Earth all the Deuils in Hell nay the very hands and consciences of such stubborne Rebels to be the instruments and executioners of his iust wrath vpon their sinne yet doth hee sweetly and fairely temper and moderate his indignation to see if the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long-suffering will leade them to repentance If Almighty God then whose Maiesty blessed and glorious for euer is chiefly wrongged euen by thy wrongs also whose mildnesse and mercy is most shamefully abused with the horrible ingratitude and intolerable contempt of such as hate to be reformed bee so wonderfully patient be not thou peruerse but rather heape coales of fire vpon thine enemies head by kindnes and loue that thou mayest be the charitable child of thy Father which is in Heauen who suffers his raine to fall as well vpon heaths and weeds as vpon flowers and fruit-trees 4. By harbouring heart-burning and angry thoughts in thy brest against those thou art tempted to hate thou wofully hardenest thine own heart which is an vnualuable hurt and depriuest thy selfe all the while thou art so dogged of the blessing benefit and comfort of all the ordinances not onely of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as ignorant people suppose but also of Prayer hearing the Word singing of Psalmes conference c. 1. Tim. 2. 8. Matth. 5. 23 24. Iam. 1. 20. Now what extreme madnesse is it and Bedlam cruelty to thine own soule by cherishing and keeping warme in thy bosome such a base dunghill Viper as reuengefull spite to cast the whole Frame of thy spirituall building into combustion and to make God thine enemy whereby thou hurtest thy selfe incomparably more then thou
no wicked or vnregenerate man hath any true cause or good ground at all to reioyce laugh or bee merry I will make it plaine in a word euen to the scorner Suppose a great man conuicted and condemned for Treason going towards the place of execution a mile off and let there a Table all along be furnished with variety of dainties let him tread vpon Violets and Roles cloth of Arras cloth of Gold or what you will all the way let him bee attended on both sides with most exquisite musicke and honourable entertainments Doe you thinke all this would make him laugh heartily carrying this in his heart that he must loose his head at the miles end I â—…row not As farre lesse true cause hast thou to laugh whosoeuer thou art that walkest on impenitently in any wicked course or liest delightfully in any beloued sinne as a temporall death is lesse then endlesse torments For he is but going to loose his head but thou as an already condemned man also art posting towards hell Hee that beleeueth not saith Iohn is condemned already Ioh. 3. 18. If we peruse punctually the happiest estate of the most glorious worldling all his wayes we shall finde no matter at all for true ioy either to breed in or feed vpon Let vâ—… walke into his fooles Paradise and suruey all the fâ—…ding â—…owres of his imaginary felicities It may be we shall finde wealth power pleasures honours pompe and magnificence of state perhaps an Imperiall Crowne the top of all earthly happinesse And what of all these Alas Gold and Pearle aâ—… one sayes are but shining dust or excrements of the earth Power is but a flash of lightning â—…hat feares or strikes another and foorth with it selfe is suddenly extinct Pleasure is but a baite and yet passeth away in the act as the taste of a pleasant drinke dieth in the draught Honour is but a breath and yet binds a man in guilded fetters and blasts his spirit with farre more care and feare then when hee was most meane Euen as highest boughs are most shaken by the windes and the points of steeples beaten most with stormes and lightning All worldly splendor and pompe is but a smoake which vanisheth as it riseth and drawes teares from the eyes Euen a Regâ—…ll Diademe in the sence and censure of an Heathenish King is attended with such a weighty irkesome and painfull charge that saith he He who foreknew the weight of a Scepter should he finde it lying vpon the ground he would not deigne to take iâ—… vp And what is himselfe the owner and Lord of all these A little walking earth a coloured piece of clay a warme piece of dirt a very bag of choler fleame and other filth to day a man to morrow none his breath is in his nostrils stop but his nose and he is dead And what is his abode amongst these painted vanities and things of nought For sudden passage and change it is like a Shepheards tent a Weauers shuttle or a water bubble like a hying Poast or a flying cloud like a ship vnder saile or an Eagle on her wings like a fading flower or a falling leafe like foame that is scattered or dust that is driuen with the winde like a vapour a thought a smoake a winde that passeth and commeth not againe like a flying shadow yea the very dreame of a shadow as one sayes and that a morning dreame which is euen as soone ended as begun But let vs looke into his inside and the state of his soule and see if wee can there finde any more peace comfort or constancie No there you shall behold a liuely resemblance of the very restlesse tumultuations of the raging sea the neuer-dying Worme breeding and growing big in the froth of his filthy lusts and rottennesse of his rebellious heart In a word his poore soule bleeding to eternall death Let vs come vnto his death from the ineuitable stroake whereof all the Gold and Pearle of East and West can no more redeeme him then can an handfull of dust and there he shall find despaire and horrour like two euening Wolues enraged with hellish hunger ready to teare his soule in pieces when there is none to help And what followes He must lay down his cold carkasse among the stones of the pit at the rootes of the rocks his name by reason of his former pride luxury oppression opposition to goodnesse shall rot as fast and stinke as bad aboue ground as his body in the graue And lastly the onely forethought whereof should make him tremble all the dayes of his life his immortall soule sinkes irrecouerably by the weight of sinne into the bottome of the burning Lake where there are torments without end and past imagination exceeding not onely all patience but all resistance where there is no strength to fustaine nor abilitie to beate that which there whilest God is God for euer must be borne And when they haue beene endured millions of yeeres yet are no neerer endâ—… then when they began nor the soule neerer out then when it came in Tell me then I pray you in all this is there any roome for reioycing Is there any matter for true mirth No more then taste in the white of an egge then strength in a broken staffe of reede then sweetnesse in the apples of Sodom Why then it is a shame for the weakest Christian that breathes but the spirituall life euen of holy desires â—… not to be infinitely more merry then the most glorious and magnificent worldling vpon earth Shall a gracelesse wretch going towards hell to whom God himselfe hath proclaimed There is no peace no ioy as the Sepâ—…uagints tender it who is a meere Thiefe Robber and vsurper in respect of all the ioyes vpon which he intrudes and which way soeuer hee casts his eyes if hee weare not false spectacles or bee blindfolded by the Diuell can see nothing but the vgly face of horrour and true cause of trembling If hee looke backward vpon the time past hee may see all the abominable lusts of his youth all the sinnes of his former life registred with an iron pen in the booke of his conscience and lurking there like so many sleeping lions who vpoÌ„ the very first touch of Gods visiting hand will awake arise and rent impieces If he looke vpon his present state thorow the cleare Cristall of Gods righteous Law He may see Diuine vengeance dogging him hard at the heeles ready to strike him downe into hell vpon the next riot and rebellion against 〈◊〉 patient Lord That most horrible fiery tempestuous 〈◊〉 Psalm 11. 6. ready to fall vpon his head euen when he is warmest in his wealth and in the hottest gleame of his worldly prosperity sudden destruction ready to seaze vpon him vnauoydably as trauell vpon a woman with childe when hee is singing the securest Requiem to his soule of safety and peace If hee looke forward to future time hee sees death the