an harlot drop as an honie-combe the roofe of her mouth is fofter then oile yet her latter end is bitter as worm-wood and as sharpe as a two edged sword All these prudent speeches of the holy Ghost doe most euidently shew vnto vs what a feareful thing it is to commit whoredome and so to fall into the hands of whores and harlots Therefore Iob saith of the wicked Their soule dieth in youth and their life among the whore-mongers Phila. You haue very well shewed out of Gods booke the great danger of whoredome and adultery And it is greatly to be lamented that men in this age make so light of it as they doe and that it is so common a vice nay that some alas with griefe I speake it doe professe it liue by it and prostitute themselues wholly vnto it Theol. Such men and women may iustlie feare the plaguing hand of God for the Lord saith by his Prophet Though I fed them to the full yet they commited adultery and assembled themselues by companies in harlots houses They rose vp in the morning like fed horses euery man neigheth after his neighbours wife Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Shall not my soule be auenged on such a nation as this Phila. Me thinketh if men were not altogether hardned in this sinne and euen past feeling and past grace this threatning and thundring of God himselfe from heauen should terrifie them Theol. A man would thinke so indéede but now we may take vp the old complaint of the Prophet I hearkened and heard and loe no man spake aright no man repented him of his euill saying What haue I done Euery one turned to their race as the horse rusheth into the battell Antile Tush whoredome is but a tricke of youth and wee see all men haue their imperfections Theol. You speake prophanely and wickedly For shall wee count that but a trick of youth for the which the Lord smote thrée and twenty thousand of his owne people in one day Shall we count that but a trick of youth for the which the Lord threatned Dauid his owne seruant that the sword should neuer depart from his house Shall we count that but a trick of youth for the which Hamor and Shechem the father and the sonne and many other both men women and children were cruelly murdred by Simeon and Leui the sonnes of Iacob Shall we count that but a trieke of youth for the which the Lord slew Hophni and Phineas the two sonnes of Eli the Priest in the battell of the Philistines Shall we thus set all at six and seuen and make light of such horrible villanies Doth not the seueritie of the punishments shew the greatnesse of the sinne Doth not the Apostle say These things came vpon them for our ensamples vpon whom the ends of the world are come and yet you passe it ouer with a tush and a tricke of youth as if God were to be dallied with No no be not deceiued God is not mocked They which will not be mooued now in hearing shall one day be crushed in pieces in féeling And they which now call whordome a tricke of youth shall one day howle and crie yell and yelpe for such trickes with woe and alas that euer they were borne Antil Oh sir you must beare with youth youth you know is fraile and youth will be youthfull when you haue said all that you can Theol. Yes but God doth allow no more libertie vnto youth then vnto age but bindeth all vpon paine of death to the obedience of his commandements The Apostle saith Let yoong men be sober minded Dauid saith Wherewith shall a yoong man cleanse his way In taking heede thereto according to thy worde The wise man saith Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth And further addeth that if they will needes follow their lusts their pleasures and their owne swinge yet in the end he will bring them to iudgement arraigne them condemne them and tame them in hell fire well enough Phila. Yet we see men are so violently carried after their lust and so desperately bent that they will haue the present sweet and pleasure of sin come of it what will Come sicknesse come death come hell come damnation they are at a point they will pay the highest price for their lustes They will purchase their pleasures with the losse of their soules Oh wofull purchase O damnable pleasures Theol. Swéet meat will haue sower sawce and a dramme of pleasure a pound of a sorrow Such cursed catifes shal at last pay a deare shot for their pleasures Such desperate wretches shall one day know to their euerlasting woe what it is to prouoke God to sin with so high an hand against him They shall well know in spight of their hearts that vengeance is prepared for the wicked and that there is a God that iudgeth the earth Let al men therfore take héed in time For whoremongers and Adulterers God will iudge And the Apostle saith flatly That whoremongers and Adulterers shall not inherit the kingdome of God Let therefore no fornicator or vncleane person bee found amongst vs as was Esau But let vs abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule And let euery one know how to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour and nor in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles which know not God 1. Thess 4. 5. Héerein let vs consider the wise spéech of an ancient Father Sinne while it is in dooing ministreth some pleasure but when it is committed the short pleasure thereof vanisheth awaie and long sorrow commeth in stead of it Neither let vs héere reiect the saying of a wise Heathen Shunne pleasure for feare of smart Sowre things follow sweet and ioy heauinesse Antile Yet for all this you shall not make me beleeue that whoredome is so hainous a mattter You make more of it then it is Theol. True indéed For you and such as you are will beléeue nothing against your lusts and fleshly delights and that is the cause why you are deafe on this eare I will therfore adde a word or two more out of the oracles of God to that which hath vin spoken The wise king saith He that committeth Adulterie with women destroieth his owne soule and so is accessarie to his owne death which is no small matter For wée vse to say if a man hang himselfe drowne himselfe or any manner of way make away himselfe that he was cursed of God that Gods hand was heauie against him that the diuell ought him a shame and now he hath paid it him And all the countrey rings of such a strange accident when and where it falleth out and the Crowner of the Countrey doth sit vpon it How much more may all the world wonder at this that a man should destroy his owne soule and wittingly and willingly cast
you sée how the stones and timber of your houses shall descant vpon you And howseeuer you put on your brazen brows harden your hearts against these threatnings of the most terrible God and Lord of hosts yet one day you shall spite of your hearts will ye nill ye be brought forth vnto iudgement you shall once come to your reckoning you shall at last be apprehended conuented and arraigned at the bar of Gods tribunall seat before the great Judge of all the world Then sentence shall passe against you euen that most dreadfull sentence Goe ye cursed into hell-fire there to bee tormented with the Diuell and his Angels for euer O then woe woe vnto you For what shall it profit a man to winne the whole world and lose his owne soule saith our Lord Jesus Surely euen as much as if one should winne a farthing and lose an hundered thousand pound For if hée shall be cast into Hell-fire which hath not giuen of his owne goods righteously gotten as our Sauiour auoucheth where then shall hée be cast that hath stollen other mens goods And if he shal be damned that hath not clothed the naked what shall become of him that hath made naked them that were clothed Oh therefore repent in time O ye cruell oppressors séeke the Lord whilest he may be found call vpon him while he is néere lay aside your sauage cruelty visit the fatherlesse and widow in their distresse deale your bread to the hungry helpe them to their right which suffer wrong deale mercifully with your tenants racke not your rents any more pinch not the poore soules for whom Christ died pittie them I say but pinch them not deale kindly friendly with them remember your great accounts consider the shortnesse of your daies and the vanitie of your life rent your hearts and not your clothes Turne vnto the Lord with all your heart with wéeping fasting and mourning preuent Gods wrath with a sacrifice of téeres pacifie his anger with the calues of your lips and with a contrite spirit be gréeued for that which is past and amend that which is to come stand it out no more at the swords point against God For it will not boot you to striue he is too strong for you Your only wisdom is to come in Come in therfore come in ye rebellious generation submit your selues to the great King humble your selues vnder his mighty hand cast downe your swords and targets yéeld vnto your God So shall you escape the vengeance to come so shall God accept you haue mercy vpon you receiue you to fauor grant you a generall pardon for all your rebellions and admit you into the number of his faithfull and loyall subiects Phila. I doe conceiue by diuers speeches which you haue alledged that goods gotten by oppression and cruelty will neuer prosper long For oppressors coine their mony vpon their neighbours skins How then can it be blessed Theol. You haue spoken a truth For as it hath béen shewed before that those goods which are gotten by swearing and lying are cursed so all these that are gotten by oppression and violence are more cursed Therefore the Lord saith by his Prophet Ieremie as the Partrich gathereth the yong which shee hath not brought foorth so he that gathereth riches and not by right shall leaue them in the midst of his daies and at his end shall bee a foole and his name shall be written in the earth Phila. Would to God our Magistrates and Gouernours would take speedy order for the remedying of these things and for the redressing of such grieuous enormities as are amongst vs or that they themselues woulde step in and deliuer the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor Theol. Iob was an excellent man for such matters For it is said of him That he brake the iawes of the vnrighteous man and pluckt the prey out of his teeth Where we sée how Iob was a meanes to deliuer the innocent and to pull the Lambe out of the Lions clawes Moreeuer it is written of him in the same chapter that the blessing of him that was ready to perish came vpon him and that hée caused the widowes heart to reioyce that he was the eie to the blind the féet to the lame and the father to the poore and when he knew not the cause hée sought it out diligently Oh what a notable man was this Oh that we had many Iobs in these daies Wise Salomon doth most grauely aduise vs all to follow Iobs example in this behalfe Deliuer saith he them that are oppressed and drawne to death For shouldest thou withdraw thy self from them which go downe to the slaughter would to God that this holy counsell were well weighed and practised amongst vs Phila. I maruell much with what face these cruell oppressors can come before God in his holy Temple to pray and offer vp their sacrifices vnto him For we see many of them though they haue such foule hands and foule hearts as wee haue heard yet for all that will most impudently presume to come to the church and pray or at least when they are laide in their beds a nights and halfe asleepe then wil they tumble ouer their praiers or be pattering some Pater nosters Theol. Alas alas poore soules all that they do in matters of Gods worship is but hypocrisie dissimulation For in truth they care not for God they loue him but from the téeth outward their mouths are with him but their heart goeth after couetousnesse and their hands are full of blood And therefore God doth both abhorre them and their prayers For saith he Though they stretch out their hands yet will I hide mine eyes from them and though they make many prayers yet will I not heare them For their hands are full of blood Moreouer the holy Ghost saith He that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law euen his praier is abhominable Dauid saith If I regard wickednes in my heart God will not heare my praier Our Lord Iesus also affirmeth that God heareth not sinners that is stubburne and carelesse sinners So then we may cléerely sée by all these testimonies of holy writ what account God maketh of the praiers of oppressors and all other prophane vngodly men namely that hée doth hate them and abhorre them as most loathsome and odious in his sight Phila. Now in conclusion shew vs the causes of oppression Theol. The causes are these Crueltie Couetousnesse Hard-heartednesse An euill conscience The Diuell Phila. Let vs heare also of the remedies Theol. The remedies are these Pitie Contentation Tender affections A good conscience Much prayer Phila. Now sir as you haue at large vttered your mind concerning these grosse corruptions of the world and haue plainely and euidently proued them to be the deadly poison of the soule so also I pray you satisfie vs in this whether they be not hurtfull also to the body
members must be sutable to the head But Christ our head is holy therfore we his members must be holy also as it is written Be ye holy for I am holy Otherwise if we will ioine prophane vnholy members to our holy head Christ then we make Christ a monster As if a man should ioyne vnto the head of a Lion the necke of a Beare the body of a Wolfe and the legges of a Foxe were it not a monstrous thing would it not make a monstrous creature Euen such a thing doe they goe about which would haue Swearers Drunkards Whoremongers and such like to be the members of Christ and to haue life and saluation by him But sith you doe so much presume of Christ I pray you let mée aske you a question Antil What is that Theol. How doe you know that Christ died for you particularly and by name Antile Christ died for all men and therefore for me Theol. But all men shall not bée saued by Christ How therefore doe you know that you are one of them that haue speciall interest in Christ and shall be saued by his death Antil This I know that we are all sinners and cannot be saued by any other then by Christ Theol. Answer directly to my question How doe you know in your selfe and for your selfe that you are one of the Elect and one of those for whom Christ died Antil I know it by my good faith in God because I put my whole trust in him and in none other Theol. But how know you that you haue faith or how shall a man know his faith Antile I know it by this that I haue alwaies had as good a meaning and as good a faith to Godward as any man of my calling and that is not booke-learned I haue alwaies feared God with all my heart and serued him with my praiers Theol. Tush now you goe about the bush and houer in the aire Answer me to the point How doe you know certainely and assuredly that Christ died for you particularly by name Antil You would make a man mad You put me out of my faith you driue mee from Christ But if you go about to driue mee from Christ I will neuer beleeue you For I know wee must be saued onely by him Theo. I go not about to driue you frō Christ but to driue you to Christ For how can I driue you from Christ seeing you neuer came néere him How can I driue you out of Christ séeing you were neuer in him But this is it that deceiueth you many others that you think you beléeue in Christ because you say you beléeue in Christ As though faith consisted in words or as though a man had faith because he saith so If euery one that saith he hath faith therefore hath faith euery one that saith he beléeueth in Christ doth therefore beléeue then who wil not haue faith who will not beléeue But in very déed your faith and the faith of many others is nothing else but a méere imagination But all this while you haue not answered my questiō touching your particular knowledge of Christ Antile I can answer you no otherwise then I haue answered you And I thinke I haue answered you sufficiently Theol. No no you faulter in your spéech your answer is not worth a button you speake you wot not what you are altogether befogd and benighted in this question But if there were in your heart the true knowledge liuely féeling of God then I am sure you would haue yéelded another and a better answer Then you would haue spoken something from the sense and féeling of your owne heart from the worke of Gods grace within you but because you can yéeld no sound reason that Christ died for you particularly and by name therefore I suspect you are none of them which haue proper interest in him and in whom his death taketh effect indéed Phila. I thinke this question would grauell a great number and few there be that can answer it aright Theol. It is most certaine I doe know it by lamentable experience that not one of an hundred can soundly and sufficiently answer this question none indéed but only those in whom the new worke is wrought do by the inward worke of the spirit féele Christ to be theirs I haue talked with some which are both witty sensible and learned who notwithstanding when they haue been broght to this very point and issue haue stucke sore at it staggred very much And howsoeuer they might by wit and learning shuffle it ouer and in a plundred sort speake reason yet had they no feeling of that which they said and therfore no assurance and consequently as good neuer a whit as neuer the better It is the sanctifying spirit that giueth féeling in this point And therefore without the féeling of the operation of the same spirit it can neuer be soundly answered Thus then I doe close vp this whole matter As the vinebrauch cannot liue and bring forth fruit except it abide in the Ume no more can wée except we abide in Christ and be truely grafted into him by a liuely faith None can haue any benefit by him but they only which dwel in him None can liue by Christ but they which are changed into Christ None are partakers of his body but they which are in his body None can be saued by Christ crucified but they which are crucified with Christ None can liue with him béeing dead but those which die with him béeing aliue Therefore let vs root down-ward in mortification that we may shoot vpward in sanctification Let vs die to sinne that we may liue to righteousnesse Let vs die while we are aliue that we may liue when we are dead Asune If none can be saued by Christ but onely those which are so qualified as you speake of then Lord haue mercy vpon vs then the way to heauen is very straight indeed and few at all shall be saued For there be few such in the world Theo. You are no whit therein deceiued For when all comes to all it is most certaine that few shal be saued Which thing I wil shew vnto you both by scripture reason and examples Asune First then let vs heare it proued by the scriptures Theo. Our Lord Jesus saith Enter in at the straight gate For it is the wide gate and broad way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which goe in thereat because the gate is strait and the way narrow that leadeth vnto life few there be that find it Againe he saith Many are called but few are chosen In another place we read of a certaine man which came to our sauiour Christ asked him of purpose whether few should be saued To whō our Lord Jesus answered thus Striue to enter in at the straight gate For many I say vnto you will seeke to enter in and shall not be able In which answer