of the resurrection as the addition sheweth For thou shalt not leaue my soule in graue neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption Wherefore the resurrection is stiled by Peter Act. 3.19 Ma. 5.4.6 Reu. 17.1 Reuel 21 the time of refreshing for the hungrie shall bee satisfyed which is their refreshing the mourners comforted which is their refreshing all teares wiped away from our eyes which is our refreshing death shall bee no more nor sorrowe nor crying nor any more paine which is our gratious generall refreshing The resurrection as Augustine saith August Psal 10. Est formidenda malis propter paenam amanda bonis propter coronam It is fearefull to the wicked for the stroke of Iustice it is welcome to the Godlye for the crowne of righteousnes As two that are cast into the Gaole the one for a Capital the other for a common offence entertaine the time of the assises and comming of the Iudge with contrarie affection as being this mans absolution the other mans condemnation and therefore the one is incouraged and the other is cast downe when this time commeth so the good in the resurection holde vp their heads for their gaole deliuerie and redemption is at hand the bad hang downe their heads and are out of soule for their swift damnation commeth This calleth vpon vs for our speedie repentance least that day as a snare vnawares come vpon vs For such as this time leaue vs such shall that time finde vs Qualis quisque in isto die moritur Iug. hesych pist 8 talis in die illo iudicabitur as a man dyeth in this day so shall he bee iudged in that day 2. The certaine expectation of the resurrection and the due and duetiful meditation of it serueth to rouse vs vp from our beddes of security to take vs by the elbowes and set vs on our feete and much fruite groweth vpon the stalke It powreth water vpon the Furnace of our furious affections and cooleth them it is the watch and the dyall by which we are directed to spend our time and it is the fanne that fifteth and winnoweth the pelfe from the corne the staffe of our iourney towards heauen more fortunate then Iacobs was with which he passed ouer Iordan the starre that leadeth the Godly wise to the heauenly Bethlehem where Christ is as the Commet led the wisemen of the east to Bethlehem where Christ was He that hath a yerely great inheritance may spend somewhat liberally but he that oweth more then he is worth must not spend an idle penny as being to stand to the curtesie of his creditor that will call him to a reckoning It so fareth with vs we are already much cast behinde hand as hauing spent too much time already vpon our pleasures and our sinnes it remaineth now that we apply our selues to the Appostles counsell to redeeme the time because the daies are euill and to ioyne in petition to God with Dauid O let me liue and recouer my selfe before I goe hence and be no more seene The serious thought of this draue Ierom to his dumpes and pricked him in the quickest vaine whatsoeuer he went about hearing the voice of the iudgement sounding in his eares of which he saith thus siue vigilo siue dormio siue aliquidaliud ago videor mihi audire vocem hanc in aure mea surgite mortui venite ad iudicium whether I awake or sleepe or whatsoeuer else I doe I seeme to heare this voice ringing in mine eares Awake ye dead and come to iudgement The sound of this trumpet awaketh vs all and it is a Spur to the Godly to prick them vnto vertue and a bridle to the wicked to holde them in frō vice While the Apostle fed vpō this as vpon a restoratiue That the resurrection of the dead should be of the iust and vniust how it wrought he telleth vs. In this respect I endeauour my selfe to haue alwaies a cleare conscience towards God and man Act. 24.15.16 3. The faith in the resurrection serueth to scatter our inordinate passions which naturally strangle vs for our deceased friends and to keepe them within the limits and boundes of orderly moderation While we consider how death that slayeth vs all is slaine in the electe by the generall resurrection that non obijt sed abijt non amisimus sed premisin us He is not lost Gen. 15.15 Num. 27.13 but left for a while he is but gone with Abraham to his fathers as heere liuing but among strangers he is but gathered to his people with Moses as being heere but scattered his flesh sleeping and resting in hope with Dauids Psal 16.9 easing himselfe after such wearysome labours of this life which being finished hee ariseth there fully to his endlesse felicitye his soule all the while being in Gods custodye and his spirit in the hands of the Lord of the spirits of all flesh as Dauid teacheth vs in his last wil and testament leauing his kingdome to his Son his carkas to the soyle and to God his soule Psal 31.5 saying Into thy hands I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth which the second Dauid of the seede of Dauid sampleth committing his soule to no other keeper then to the Creator as being there moste sure as the Apostle saith Luk 23 46 I know whome I haue beleeued and I am perswaded 2. Tim. 1 12 that hee is able to keepe that which I haue committed to him against that day 4. While wee assertaine our selues of the resurrection and rest our selues in that as Doues in the cleftes of the rockes we are armed and prepared against the terror of death for wee consider howe God hath turned it into our benefit and made it our entrance into a better life our passage from a prison to a pallace from a tabernacle to an abiding Cittie from a region of death to the land of the liuing from the life of men to the life of Angelles from a bodie of humillitie to a bodie of glorye from the vale of teares to that mount of Sion where the Lambe is gathering the Saints about him to the copartnershippe of those ioyes which hee himselfe enioyeth according to that which the Apostle saith 2 Cor 5 1 VVee knowe that when our earthlie house of this tabernacle shall bee dissolued wee haue a building giuen of God which is an house not made with handes but eternall in the heauens What man hath beene thrown into a deepe dungion without light of Sun or Mooneful of Serpents and all vile creatures would not bee glad to bee set at libertie our death resurrection is this great mutation the bodie being the prison of the soule and the graue the prison of the bodie the bodie being as ful of sinnes as any prison is of Serpents in this life and heauen being the pallace of our endlesse pleasures What man maketh not hast for his life
which is of our selues there is nothing more certaine then that wee may loose it being so sinfull as wee are and death and not glorye being the stipend of iniquitye But second in respect of God that hath chosen vs of Christ in whom we are chosen this crown can neuer be taken from our heades being set on by him that can neuer repent himselfe of any thing that he dooth Whereas they obiect to vs the churches of the Ephesians Thessalonians 2. Obiect Ephes 1.4 1. Thes 14 1. Pet 1.1 and scattered Iewes who were called Elect by the Apostles and yet manie of them afterward were relapsed wee answere that there are two sortes of judgements 1. There is a judgement of certainty 2. There is a judgement of charitie 1. That which is of certaintye is in God onely it is in men but in part so farre foorth as they haue certificat from God of any mans estate 2. But that which is of charitye is belonging to vs all it being our parte to leaue the Lordes sacred secrets to himselfe and to iudge the best of euerie one that giueth his name to Christ maketh a good profession and sheweth the fruites thereof in outward conuersation God hauing reuealed to vs nothing to the cōtrary 2. Also the elect are so called of the chiefe part as an heape of corne is called corne though it standeth moste vppon chaffe But they thinke they hold vp Alax his shield vnto vs when they tell vs of that which Moses saith 3. Obiection Exod. 32. Blot me out of the Booke of life 1. I wil not answere them that that is ment of the Booke of the Lawe which hee had penned as some men doe because it is a base exposition and vnworthye a man of such a spirit as if hee had throwne out these wordes in his hastinesse and heate of his blood 2. Neyther will I vnderstand them of the Booke of this present life as if hee chose rather to bee strangled then to liue in his bones albeit manye Captaines are content to dye for the common good and therefore some would charge vs with this sence But because it seemeth as golde that is too light we wil not receiue it 3 Neyther shall I giue them reference to the book of the couenant to the Catalogue of communion of Saints of the church as if Moses would be out of the Rubrick in the Kalender of the church because we take it that Moses had a further prospect and a higher reach then this 4. Wherefore wee will willingly receiue the meaning they doe like of that is of depriuation of eternall life as if hee should haue said put mee out of thy predestination booke implying this condition if it be possible But he knewe it to be impossible If anie shall thinke it an absurditye in him to come in with an impossible conditiō I choake them with the like of our Sauiour Christ who not being ignorant that he could not possible auoide the deadly cuppe of the red wine of Gods wrath that was giuen him to drinke yet put vp this forme of petition to his father Father if it bee possible let this Cup passe from me The like prayer hath Dauid against his enemies 4. Obiect Psal 69.29 Let them be blotted out of the book of life wee reply thus to that that their names were neuer in the booke of life but in the charitable opinion of men whom their hypocrisie beguiled This Doctrine is much vseful but the chiefest grace it hath is the cōfort it giueth vs in the greatest tēptatiōs that besiedge vs while we haue in liuely louelye remembrance the loue of God towards vs wherby wee are grauen with an iron penne in leade or stone for euer in the Booke of Gods minde and so can neuer bee expugned or forsaken VVhy then should wee bee afraide in the daies of euill when the iniquities compasse vs to the beeles It is Dauids sweete aphorisme with the double spirit of Elias to haue a plause and aclamation giuen vnto it I know nothing more detestable to God and dangerous to our selues then to dispaire of Gods mercie which is to turne his truth into a lye and set Sathans suggestions before his gracious promises Wherfore we are of Hieroms minde that Iudas his treason was not so great as Iudas his desperation The reason whereof is giuen by Isidore because his transgression was but the death of the soule but his desperation the introduction into the verie hell of damnation Wherfore put but off the helmet of this hope which couereth the braine panne and the Target of faith which hideth the heart and we perish vnquestionably Wherfore be we not worser then Lyons to rise vp against our selues but behold the Lambe of God whose blood let it bee sprinckled on the dore postes of your hearts One deep swalloweth vp another the depth of his mercies the depth of our sinnes Desperation is a disease incurable For the Phiscitian would put to his helping hand and recouer vs and wee with our nailes vndoe all againe Nil miserius misero non miserante seip sum Nothing is more miserable then a miserable man that commiserateth not himselfe Though it was the saying of an heathen a Christian well may vse it Qui nihil potest sperare desperit nihil He that can hope for nothing let him dispaire of nothing Christ hath sowed in teares that wee might reape in ioy He hath troden the wine-presse of Gods wrath that wee might drink the wine of his loue be drunken with it He hath borne the heate and burden of the day that the wages might be ours He hath giuen vs a cup of saluation that we drincking it down might driue away all dread and desperation wherefore we hold vp our heads stand fast against all the assaults of our enemies in this life after which we shal enioy the place to which we haue of old by the Father been written and prepared and which by Christ of late hath bene purchased to which by the spirit vnto the day of redemption we are sealed Now to these three persons one eternall and euerliuing God bee all honor praise power thankes-giuing ascribed in the congreation of Christ Iesu now and for euer Amen FINIS
priuat walles according to humane shape to shadow him And Numa the secoÌ„d King of the Romains as Plutarch relateth held it verie heynous that any should comprehend the inuisible God vnder the similitude of a visible creature 3. The third precept against blasphemie and prophane vse of this great name was as duely practised among them Theophrastus noteth Pericles with his inckhorne for an absurd fellow as shewing to a frieÌ„d of his in his sicknes certaine charmes which old Beldams had tyed about his neck vnder which the name of God was inuocated and prophaned Tullus Hostilius was stricken out of life by a thunder bolte and was depriued of solemnitie of funeralles because it was in his minde to haue called out Iupiter and so to haue cast abuse vpon his name 4. The fourth of the Sabaoth was by them solemly obserued which their Lawes in that behalfe prouided aboundantly doe testifie but heerein wee are to giue them the blame that they pestred and cloyed the Religion of the Sabaoth with such a crew of jdle and nastie ceremonies Now this common sentence of theirs then in euerie ones mouth That which thou wouldest not haue done to thee doe not to another is the somme Epitomie of the cannons of the second Table but yet let vs in a word particularize vpon them 5. How they esteemed of Parents and of the aged and gray headed that goe also in Diuinity vnder the name of parents bee their owne Authors judges It is Menanders saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The great Gods are to wisemen their Parents The same Poet also saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will that thou haue thy Parents in all honor Valerius giueth vs a memorable example of a Daughter who being charged vpon paine of death not to bring any succour to her Mother being adiudged to die by famishment in prison hauing accesse to her releeued her nothwithstanding with the milke of her brestes which was so admired as it effected the womans pardon But how could this haue bene saith Valerius had not the verie instinct of nature weitten this law of loue within her heart hence it is that Solon thought it superfluous to giue a decree against Parricides as not imagining that any could so put off nature as to bereaue them of their life of whome they had their life And how they rogarded those that were in yeares Parents for their age this custome of theirs sheweth Credebant hoc grande nefas et morte piandum Si Iuuenis vetulo non assurrexerit They did account it a prodigious impiety and capital for the young men not to rise vp and to doe reuerence to the aged 6. Murther was of that execrable nature vnto them as Romulus confoundeth these two words together homicidium and parricidium adiudging homicide Paricide al one yea the punishment therof was so exquisite as there was not a man slaine by priuate haÌ„d within the walles of Rome for the space of sixe hundred and twentie yeares after that Citye was founded as Dion Halicarnasseus doth report 7. How by nature the heathens abhorred whoredome and were therin a law vnto themselues before the law of God was giuen the examples of Pharao Abimilech shewes who assaulted Sara in ignorance that she was anothers wife 8. Theft by the Athenian Law-giuer Draco was punished by death by Solon by double daÌ„mage and by the Romaines according to the proportion of the fellony yea Vsurie which is thefts Daughter is consorted by Cato the elder to murder 9. They made such prouision against false testimony as it was enacted among theÌ„ that none shold be a witnes in his own cause though the matter were neuer so meane as Cicero saith Cic. 2. Osi And their saw also excepted against such who were knowne to be enemies to that person against whome they should giue witnes as the same Orator telleth vs giuing vs this reason for it Ementiuntur enim sape in eos quos oderunt Men will easily lye against such whome they hate among the Indians euery lyar was verie sharply censured 10. The last was verie requisite to curbe our affections Sophocles calleth this affection of coueting that is an others a furious commaunder It was the answere of Leonides to Xerxes egging him to defection and promising him the Grecian monarchie vppon that condition If thou knewest what thinges were honest in this life thou wouldest forbeare to couet that which is anothers as for mee I had rather die then doe it But heere the natural mans conscience is as a book clasped and shut vp euery maÌ„ being willingly ignorant of that which the Lord with an iron pen hath thus written in his heart eyther not acknowledging his misdoings with Giezi who could say to his Maister 2. King 5. Thy seruant was no where or else pleading a good intention in defence of a bad actioÌ„ 1. Sam. 15. as Saul did to Samuel that vnder colour of sacrifice would protect 〈◊〉 disobedience If there bee but a bush in the thicket of Paradice Gen. 3. thither will Adam conuay himselfe to shrowde his nakednesse and if there bee any shift in the worlde though it bee neuer so balde and miserable the Sonnes of Adam will be boulde with it Dauid would neuer haue knowne the man that was Nathans declamation and the principall of the Parable if the Preacher had not pluckt him by the sleeue and roundlye made him the applycation of it saying Thou art the man The accusers of the woman taken in adultery drewe a formall Bil of inditement against her 2. Sam. 12. Iohn 8. and followed it to the full But when Christ wylled them to lay their handes vppon their owne hartes they put vp their papers and shrunke away suddenly If an othe would haue gone for payment Peter had a lustie one at commaundent in the deniall of his Maister to put of a daunger I know not the man So long as there were eleuen els vpon whom Christes prediction of a traytor to come out of the company of the twelue Math. 26. might be cast Iudas would make a question of it though hee knew it to be questionles Maister is it I But in the iudgement Adam shal be put besides his apron of figge leaues Sara besides her Tent Thamer besides her maske and euerie mans conscience shal say vnto him as Achab to Elias Hast thou found me O my enemy Quando Deus iudex erit alius testis quam conscientia tua non erit 〈◊〉 iudicem iusâ—um et conscientiam tuam August 〈◊〉 Psalme 36 noliâ—â—mere nisi causam tuam Si causam malam non habueris nullum accusatorem pertimnesces nullam falsum testem refelles nullum veruÌ„ requires WheÌ„ God saith Augustin shal be thy iudge there shal bee no other witnes then thy conscience Betweene this iust judge thy conscience doubt nothing but thy cause if thy cause bee not bad thou shalt feare no promooter thou shalt not challendge any