conuersion bee speedy True Repentance can neuer be too late yet late repentance is seldome true We read but of one that repented at the last Aug that no man should presume and yet of one that none should despaire O then before the pearle be taken out of our field before the sound of the Gospel bee remooued out of our land before the Arke of God bee taken from vs 1 Sam. 4 11. as it was from the Israelites let vs be moued to awake vp our first loue quickly Gods mercy and iudgements and word the infinitenesse of our sinnes shortnesse of our life small number of those that shall bee saued ioyes of heauen and torments of hell are motiues and if these preuaile not our Church must fall as it is threatened to Ephesus in Gods visitation And wil remoue thy Candlestick out of his place except thou repent The Church of God is compared to many things in holy Scripture secunda secundae to a house 1. Ti. 3. to a Body Ep. 1. to a field Mat. 13. to a net 1. Ti. 3.15 Ep. 1.23 Mat 13.24 v. 47. Mat. 25.1 v. 47. to ten Virgins Mat. 25. and heere to a Candlestick So it is expounded in 20. v. c. 1. The seauen Candlestickes which thou sawest are the seauen Churches God threatning to remoue the Church A fearefull iudgement whether we take it concerning the Minister that hee should bee depriued of his calling as the Lord threateneth vnto Ieremy If thou returne I will bring thee againe and thou shalt stand before me giuing him to vnderstand when hee had been wanting in deliuering the Lords will vnto his people partly through feare and partly through impatience that if hee returned not he should cease to be a Prophet vnto him Or if wee take it for the whole body of a Church that they should procure the remouing of the Gospell from them and the abolishing of the Gospell or if wee take it as it concerneth euery priuate man Commiâ—aâ—iones et promissines diuae sunt hypotheticae 33 mor. c. 15. that he shall lose the knowledge of God and other graces It is condionall Except thou repent Thus as Gregory noteth Vt pius it a iustus est Conditor As our Maker is mercifull so is hee iust Gracious and righteous Good and vpright is the Lord to teach sinners in the way Ps 25.8 Ps 25. Good and gracious in the multitude of his mercies to them that turne vnto him Righteous and vpright in the seuerity of his iudgements to them that cast him from them Heere are loue and wrath pitty and reuenge two Daughters of a great King goe hand in hand If the one cannot draw the other must the Church shall be remoued the light of the Gospell shall bee put out For as the Candlestick holdeth the light so doth the Church the word without this wee walke in darkenes and obscurity so that here I must land and fasten vpon this note Doct. That the taking away of the Ministry and preaching of the word is the greatest plague that can befall any The reasons are well knowne Where there is no vision the people perish Pro. 29.18 2. Ch. 15.3 Ro. 10.17 Pro. 29. Where there is not a teaching Priest and law there is no God 2. Ch. 15. Faith commeth by hearing Rom. 10. so that take away the word and take away faith take away faith take away Christ take away Christ and take away eternall life Therefore vpon Aarons robe there were golden Bells signifying the preaching of the Gospell and Pomegranates signifying the sweete sauour of Christs death Exo 28.34 Ex. 28. The miseries which follow this are vnspeakeable To be blind and haue no guide and yet to walke there where treading awry is the tumbling into hell to be hungry and to famish to suck but on dry brests to be pined and not perceiue it which is an euill of euills Therefore was Ierusalem threatned that their prophets tongue should cleaue to the roofe of his mouth he should be dumbe and not be vnto them a reprouer Ez. 3. Ez. 3.26 and this fearful sentence was vrged from the mouth of Christ himselfe I say vnto you the Kingdome of God shall be taken from you and giuen to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof Mat. 21. Mat. 21.43 And if this kingdome be once gone their ioy goeth with it All the Empires and dominions in the world subdued all Scepters and Crownes heaped together cannot blesse them A greater iudgment then any inuasion of enemies then firing of townes ruinating of houses rauishing of wiues and daughters dashing of Infants against the stones in the streetes pulling out the eyes from the heads and bowels from the bodyes of a people Therefore the best haue euer dearly respected Gods Ambassadours the Pastours of the Church and the Ministers of the word Thus did they in the old law Iehoiada a Priest marrying Iehoshabeath the daughter of King Iehoram the sister of King Ahaziah 2. Ch. 22. 2 Ch. 22 11. Thus Ioash the King of Israell came downe in person to visit sick Elisha and wept ouer his face saying O my father my father the Chariot of Israell 2 Ki. 13.14 and the horsmer thereof 2 Ki. 13. In the new Testament wee find many Possessors of lands and houses selling them and laying downe the prices of them at the Apostles feete Act. 4. Act. 4.34.35 The honorable Treasurer of Ethiopia Act. 8.31 Act. 10.25 Act. 17.4 Gal. 4.14 taking Philip vp into his Chariot Ac. 8. Cornetius a deuout liberall Martialist falling downe at the feet of Peter Aect. 10. The chiefe women in Thessalonica consorting with Paul and Barnabas Ac. 17. The Galathians receiuing S. Paul as an Angell of God euen as Christ Iesus Gal. 4.14 Ecclesiasticall stories abound in examples of Valentinian Ambr in obitu Valentin so reuerencing Ambrose that seeing him in his sicknes come vnto him salutem sibi quandam venturam arbitrabatur he thought he saw health it self comming vnto him of Alexander lighting from his horse and bowing to Iaddus of good Theodosius sending for Meletius to kisse his lippes and embrace him Theod. l. 5. c. 7. of Constantine kissing that eye of Paphnutius Râ—ff 1.4 a Bishop of Thebes which had loft light by the violence of the Arrians of that noble Earle Terentius who hauing obtained a great victory and being bidden of the Emperour Constantius to aske what he would Templum petiit pro orthodoxis Theod. l. 4. c 3â— he asked to haue the Church restored to the orthodoxall teachers I omit how much others haue beene honoured Hilarius at Arles Paulinus at Nola Cyrill at Alexandria Chrysostom at Constantinople Plut. in Demo. Augustine at Happo Ambrose at Millan Cyprian at Carthage For if the Oratours are once yeelded Athens must soone to wracke Zac. 13.7 if the Shepheard be smitten the Sheepe will be scattered if preaching and the Candlesticke of
conclusion Ion. 2.4 a horrible sinne crossing Gods loue which many waters cannot quench neither can the flouds drowne it Cap 8. It crosseth his truth which proclaimeth that if the wicked will turne from all his sins that Cap. 88. hee hath committed and keepe all his statutes and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely liue and not dye Ez. 18.21 Ez. 18. His power which is able to subdue our iniquities cast all our sins into the depthes of the sea Mic. 7.19 Mic. 7. His iustice who hath layd vpon Christ the iniquity of vs all Is 53. His mercy Is 53.6 which vpon our returne will abundantly pardon Is 55. A sinne which beeing yeelded vnto in a Melancholique nature Is 55.7 the Diuels forge putteth many bloudy instruments into the hands of a man to destroy himselfe Quid nunc diuitiae quid fului vasta metalli Congeries Claudian Heapes of gold and siluer wife Children friends and pleasures seeme then miserable comforters but the elect yeeld not God forbid they should Here were leaping from the panne into the fire Qui nihil potest sperare desperet nihil Sen. Misericordiae Domini nec mensuras possumus conere nec tempora definire Leo It is an vnlawfull murtherous damnable riot whether it be to preuent bondage as Cato Vticensis because he would not be in subiection to Caesar killed himselfe or Nero being censured of the Senate or when any thing falleth out contrary to expectation as many hoorders vp of corne in dearths seeing plenty or to preuent sinne and shame as Lucretia rauished by Tarquinius or preposterously desiring to tast of happines as Cleombrotus reading Platoes booke of the immortality of the soule or vpon horror of Conscience as Saul and Iudas For death is an enemie and therefore not to be procured The Beasts hurt not themselues and shall men Euery man should be nearest vnto himselfe 1. Co. 15.26 Our life is the guift of God hee onely must resume it It is an iniury to the common wealth the glory whereof is in the multitude of Subiects Patriarks Prophets Apostles Martyrs haue walked another path Ber. de vita solit patiently wayting for a dissolution Ionas was in a dangerous pang yet at last ouercame There is a veruntamen a yet or notwithstanding Tantam absur ditatē in dicando refutasse arbitror Jer. Ep. 54. which as the rudder in the sentence turneth it another way I will looke againe towards thy holy Temple Gods child cannot fall finally or vtterly Gods fauour not depending vpon mans free will but his owne free election whose decrees are vnalterable and guifts without repentance I might shew you here Sathan against Sathan the Iesuits against the Rhemists Viegas words crossing the former glosse Non amisit charitatem sed de charitatis feruore nonnihil remisit Ephesus fell not from charity but was not so hot as before The mention of the Rhemists opinion confuteth it so of their other errours The time would faile me to remember Rome of her great fall in many other particulars Au. l. de vnit Eccl. c. 16. Her miracles being like the wonders of the Donatists in S Augustines times Aut figmenta mendacium hominum aut portenta fallacium spirituum Either fictions of lying men or fantasies of dreaming Deuils Claudius Espencaeus 2. Tim. 4. dig 2◠their owne writer confesseth No stable is so full of dung as the Legends full of fables yea fictions are contained in their Portesses They haue fallen from the faith in Miracles Sacramental li. 1. c. 7. p. 30 Their Merits is a doctrine of Pelagianisme saith Waldensis neuer allowed saith iudicious Perkins of the sound professors for a thousand yeares after Christ Romes Cusanus maintaineth Dem◠Probl. cir Excit l. 9. that Christs death was onely of abilitie to merit eternall life They haue fallen from the faith in merits So in satisfaction another twig arising from the same roote then which no opinion is more iniurious to the death of Christ wherein it were a shame to speake what Suarez To. 1. disp 4. Durand and other grosser Papists haue discoursed But their Bayus sticketh not to grant that there is but one satisfaction only vnto God euen that of Christ De indulg t. vlt. Let them remember how they haue fallen in satisfaction So in Purgatory worthy of a Satyre which Luther in a frumpe called Stercus humanum Popish Doctors cannot agree among themselues of the fire the torments the subiects the duration the exequutioners the condition of the soules there detained It was vnknowne to the Church 1100. yeares after Christ Their Suarez denieth their greatest argument To. 4. in Th. d. 46. the walking Ghosts of the dead They must remember whence they haue fallen into Purgatorie So in their Inuocation of Saints and number of Mediatours sometime making Christ S. Francis and S. Francis Christ as Turselline I am Franciscus erit qui modo Christus erat A tongue worthy to be cut out of his mouth while he liued as Ierom spake of his Vigilantius Hence came the 7. ceremonies of canonizing to be inscribed in a Calender with redde letters praying erecting Churches Bell. de sanct Beatit l. 1. c. 8 ◠Dices ministring the Eucharist and saying Canonicall howers to them and in their honour dedicating holy daies setting vp Images and worshiping their Reliques yet the Saints canonized may be no Saints and the miracles whereupon their canonization is grounded may be false saith their Caietan Others complain Tract de concept et de indulgent they haue worshipped many for Saints in heauen who may be presumed to be tormented with the Diuells in hell They haue fallen in his So in their Transubstantiation going about to ouerthrow the truth of Christs humanity which maketh vs cry out in much passion as Auerroes iested of old Is it possible that Christians should make themselues a God of bread An errour contayning as many absurdities as there haue bene minuts of time from the first forming of it that is from the Councell of Laterane vntill this hower Anno 1215. They haue fallen in their precepts and practise of eqiuuocation and mentall reseruation worse herein then the Diuell The Reu. B. of Salisbury in his Sermon called The old way for hee equiuocated to hide his ignorance of that which he could not reueale these equiuocate to hide their knowledg of that they an and ought to reueale In their King-killing doctrine In their assertions that Dogs Mice and Swine eating their consecrated Host Aq. p. 3. q. 80. art 3. do eate into their bowels the very body and blood of Christ That it is more lawfull for a Priest to commit fornication Coster enchir c. 15. Rota indecis 1. Nu. 3. in Nouiss then to marry a wife That the Popes power is greater then the Apostles And that the Pope may derogate from the Apostles sayings That the
which held fornication to be no sinne Many professing to be Iewes V. 14. as in Smyrna V. 9. Christians amongst vs but are the Synagogue of Sathan with Ephesus wee haue left our first loue of which I am come to put you in remembrance by this Text. The Lord make it as profitable as it is vsefull Remember The Author of which words is one who appeared vnto Iohn like the Sonne of man c. 1. v. 13. Christ Iesus like vnto a man cloathed with a Garment downe to the foote signifying his Priest-hood and Principality Girt about the paps with a golden girdle signifying his care euer to be ready for his Church his head and hayres white as wool and snow signifying his eternitie his Eyes as a flame of fire signifying his quicke sight peircing to the very thoughts his Feete like vnto fine brasse signifying his ability to encounter against Sinne Sathan and Death His voyce as the sound of many waters signifying the greatnes and power of it The 7. Starres in his right hand are the seauen Pastors of the Churches in Asia called Angels vt dignitatem seruent in nomine quam explent in operatione Greg. in Mat. that they might retaine that dignity in name whereunto by office they are entituled Not some Bishops onely as Alcasar the lesuit in his new painted bul ke would haue it Arcan sens in Apoc. or the people apart are aimed at as Per erius thinketh but more truely according to Saint Ambrose Haimo Bede both are to be ioyned Pastors people S. Iohn was now as our Sauiour at this time led into to the wildernes where being disabled to preach because hee was an exile like Zachary Ambr. cum loqui non potuit scripsit when hee could not speake hee wrote that the pen might make supply of the want of his tongue especially hauing his commission from him who is the first and the last from him who was dead and is aliue and hath the keyes of death and of hell He that runneth by may read his writing bringing backe Ephesus to her principles Remember A Text as necessary for our times Ep. 5.16 as our times are neere vnto Ephesus backsliding wee may complaine as Saint Paul the daies are euill The sound of the word hath gone into all our land the bright beames of the Gospell haue gloriously shined vpon vs the Bels of Aaron haue been long rung amongst vs yet we are like those whom S. Austin taxed calling them Dormitantes Au. l. 3 c. 14. de doct Chr. halfe waking neither altogether asleepe in ignorance nor throughly awaked to see so much of the truth as wee may We haue many Professors in mouth Atheists in life Protestants in appearance Papists in heart zealous in snew nothing in deed Others halt betwixt two opinions and so fall from drowsines to sleepe from slacknes to defection from indifference to senslesnes and so to a loathing of all religion The greatest part haue forsaken their first loue But heere is a scripture aiming at these and all other sinnes be they of neuer so transcendent an eleuation At those Magistrates which like Wolues rauen the prey to shed blood and to destroy soules to get dishonest gaine Ez. 22.27.18 that though a mans cause be neuer so light in the ballance of equity it is not materiall if hee can make it vp in gold At those Prophets which daube with vntempered morter seeing vanity and yet diuining lyes promising peace vnto the wicked and neuer speak of wrath At the idle Lozzel who had rather beg steale then labour with his hands At the edge of priuate reuenge which will haue eye for eye hand for hand satisfaction for any wrong At the soaring Pride of Ambition flying so high out of compasse that it flyeth it selfe out of breath crying still aut Caesar aut nihil as good to bee last as not first Mic. 6.10 11.12 At the treasures of wickednesse in the houses of the wicked At the abhominable scant measure bagge of deceitfull weights and violent tongues Mic. 6. At those who haue erred through Wine and strong drinke whose belly is their God At those Tables which are full of vomit and filthines though they heare precept vpon precept line vpon line they will goe and fall backward and be broken and snared taken making a couenant with death and an agreement with hel Ie. 48.11 At those who like Moab haue been at ease from their youth and are setled vpon the lees of their sinnes their sent neuer changed Ie. 48. That I say to these I say to all who haue forsaken their first loue Remember As a tender-hearted Surgeon comming to his sicke Patient for the cutting off a ioynt seeing him feare and tremble handleth it with much care and compassion and suddenly striketh the stroake so saith Gregory Gr. ho. 11. in Ez. dealeth Christ with his Church his beloued Spouse Ephesus Saluberrimum temperamentum miscens laudationem cum correptione Rupertus calleth it a wholsome mixture where is commendation and reproofe Both are met in this Epistle where the Angell that is the Pastor of Ephesus Timothy as Aureolus would haue it or Onesimus as some or Tychicus as others and vnder him whole Ephesus is taxed for remissnes the matter being thus debated Ephesus thinke not but that I know thy workes Thou maist deceiue the world thou canst not deceiue me Soloculis hominem quibus aspicit omnia cernit Guid. metam This Sunne of righteousnes whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter then the Sun can pierce through the cloud of mens actions if it were darker then hell I know thy labour and it pleaseth me He was worthy of double honour 1. Thes 5.17 I pitty thy patience This Angell was not like Ieremy v. 2. who at the mocking of the people cursed the day wherein he was born and the man who brought tidings to his father that a manchild was born vnto him not slaying him from the womb wishing that his mother might haue been his graue and her wombe alwayes to be great with him Ie 48.14.15.17.18 Ie. 48.18 or like Ionas who though he was schooled in the Whales belly yet when all things went not according to his mind in the destruction of Niniueh Ion. 4.9 he became exceeding discontent and defended his vnlawful anger He possessed his soule in patience Paetientia ipsum anat queÌ„ portat Gr. in Ezech. hâ— 7. because hee loued them whom hee spake vnto I commend thy discipline how thou canst not beare them which are cuill These and the like were the first fruits of thy affection but alas thou hast fallen off froÌ„ these yet I wil not the death of a sinner I rather wish thy conuersion Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen Viegaâ— in text Gen. 3.9 Amâ—â— l. de Paradise c. 14. They are like the words of God vnto Adam when he called and said vnto him