our conscience will be so torne and crazed that it will eyther not at all or very hardly bee brought into the hauen Let vs therfore as we respect the voyce of the cryer as wee regard the fauour of God as wee either tender our welfare or feare the shipwracke of consciences yea the euerlasting losse of our soules and bodies let vs in the feare of God make conscience of this duty There is no dallying with edged tooles there is no iesting with God Be not deceiued God is not mocked neither will hee be abused And so much for this first lesson a second followeth It is not sufficient for vs to search our waies but wee must search them narrowly For the word Search signifieth to search by vncouering and making things naked that are secret hidden as if a man should search for golde in the mine being in the bowells of the earth where there is much earth but little golde oare Thereby shewing that sinne is crept into corners and lieth close in the marow and lurketh like a serpent in the bones and that our waies being many are not easily discerned like the way of a bird in the aire of a fish in the water or a moule in the earth This made Dauid cry out in the 19. Psalme Who can vnderstand his faults clense mee from my secret sinnes And Salomon saith that God made man righteous but they haue found out Many Inuentions euen so many deuises so many waies as exceed in number the haires of their heads and the starres of the heauen Therfore hee that would know and try his waies aright and repent as hee ought must very diligently search and view them prying into all the corners of his heart and obseruing all the courses of his life There be foure strong reasons which should moue vs to performe this duty First mans heart is a mine of deceit and a sea of subtilty and therefore vnlesse he dig deepe into it and diue low or sound it to the bottome he is very like to beguile himselfe thinking all is wel when nothing is wel Many mens heartes are like many Quag-mires which are rotten ground within and yet seeme solid earth aboue and like the painted sepulchres which our Sauiour speakes of faire without but foule within therefore if we looke but on the outside of our hearts we may be deceiued Secondly the times are so corrupt and vicious and sinne is growne so shamelesse like a strumpet and yet so subtill like a serpent or sophister as that if we search not very circumspectly and iudiciously we shall passe by many vices which lie close couered vnder the names of vertues like some young hunters that bauke the hare thinking they saw nothing but a clot Couetousnesse is counted good husbandrie drunkennesse goes for good fellowship pride is counted cleanlinesse Machiauilianisme is reputed policie vsury of many is thought but thrift painting of faces is pleaded for Plaies though lasciuious are defended swaggering and swearing are made the markes of noble spirits yea what sin is so vile which is not eyther made of or minsed yea there be many works that men doe which are good as concerning their outward substance and glorious in appearance and yet euill in the doer being done without faith and for sinister respects and therefore abhominable in the eies of God something like the fruite which groweth neare to the Dead Sea which being ripe maketh a faire shew but within is full of cinders or ashes as some do write Wherefore if wee search but superficially and not throughly we shall take and embrace euill for good as Ixion did the cloud for Iuno And because sinne is become so wily as that it presents it selfe vnto vs in the habit of the harmlesse sheepe beeing in heart a wolfe we must desire God to open our eyes and take away the web of ignorance For if we want the eye of the mind which is knowledge as Izhak wanted the eyes of his body surely as he bestowed his blessing vpon the younger in stead of the elder vppon Iacob in stead of Esau so wee shall set our heart amisse and bestow our blessing wrong taking vice for vertue because it comes disguised Thirdly we had need search our waies very surely because the seede of all sinnes is sowen in our hearts there hath taken roote and shall not till wee die be altogether consumed Now if our hearts be polluted our waies cannot bee pure For if the fountaine be bitter the brooke cannot be very sweete and if the roote be corrupted the branches fare the worse When men call to minde the murther of Caine the churlishnes of Nabal the vnnaturall ambition of Absolon the wickednesse of Haman the cruelty of Herod the malice of the Iewes the treason of Iudas the blasphemies of Iulian the barbaritie of those sauage Romanists that would haue blowne vp the Parliament house they do condemne and accuse them to the pit of hell from whence they came Beloued there is in vs by nature an inclination vnto all these sinnes and a thousand other therefore we must obserue our waies very narrowly least wee should be ouertaken or if we finde pollution in them that wee may in time redresse them If a king knew certainly that there were traytours in all the quarters of his kingdome which plotted his death and the destruction of his Kingdome hee would bee very wary how or where he walked and he would be as industrious in searching out his enemies If a man knew theâ—e were some in his house that would if they could cut his throate and robbe him he would be very circumspect If a Cittie had certaine intelligence that there were some in the towne that would either fire it ouer theyr heads or betray it if it were possible to their enemies surely they would not be secure but would vse all meanes possible to finde them out Verily beloued we are pestered with enemies Our waies are many our workes are many and not one of all these no not the best but it is polluted with some sinne or other So many sinnes as a man hath so many enemies he hath to the saluation of his soule for the waies of sinne is death But our hearts our heads our hands yea all the powers of our soules are tainted with sinnes all which conspire against vs with Sathan to worke the eternall destruction of our soules bodies Therfore it stands vs vpoÌ„ to vse all diligence to find theÌ„ out Fourthly wee are by God commaunded to keepe our hearts With all diligence which wee can neuer doe vnlesse we view them throughly and search our waies with exceeding care How can a Gouernor of a Cittie keepe and defend it in the time of warre when the enemies do begirt it vnles he haue a narrow eye vnto all the in-rodes and out-rodes of his souldiers and to the behauiour of the townes-men So we shal neuer defende the
concupiscence is in seruitide vnder the diuels bastard yea and strumpet also and in thraldome vnder his owne mortall and vnplacable enemie Thirdly the wicked are the slaues of the world For their profession is pinned vpon her sleeue As Dorus in the Comedie denied the truth which before hee did professe when Phaedreae bad him so the wicked man at the worlds commaund is ready to say and vnsay to professe or deny any thing how grosse or euill soeuer he makes the world his God Furthermore they are very traitours and rebells vnto God They are enemies to his crowne and dignitie they robbe him of his honour they rebell against his lawes they trample vpon his commaundements they breake downe the pale of his precepts they teare his titles with their tongues and they practise against his loyall and obedient subiects Doth it therefore beseeme any honest liberall minded man to walke in their waies and to runne in their races They cannot suredly do it without great blemishing of their owne loyalty and iniury to the glory of God Furthermore The way of the wicked is as Salomon saith an abhomination to the Lord. If his sacrifice be an abhomination vnto him and if his verie praier bee vnacceptable to him his waies which are simply euill must needs be very offensiue in his sight Now then were it not horrible impietie for a man either to set his feete in his waies or not to remoue them and depart away with speede if they be already in them Paul forbiddeth vs to bee partakers of other mens sinnes But he that walketh in the waies of the wicked cannot but transgresse this commaundement He that runneth their courses is a scandall vnto them an occasion to harden their hearts and to hinder their conuersion sheweth plainly that they were all cast in one mould and are all euen he as well as they seruants to one Lord. But hee which turneth from them sheweth his hatred of them and is a furtherance to help forward their conuersion also For as when one sheepe breakes away from the drouer shee is an occasion to mooue many other to followe her so when one man breaketh away from the diuell who driues men to their slaughter he giueth an occasion to many that see him to depart in like sort One bird perceiuing the fowlers wiles by flying away is a motiue to her fellowes being in the same danger to doe the like so one man by leauing the waies of the wicked and so escaping the danger prepared for him occasioneth the wicked also that behold him to take their flight from sinne and to flie from the wiles of the diuell To conclude this third point God commandeth vs to aske for the old way and to walke therein Now if wee must walke in the olde way which is the good way and we shall find rest for our soules then we must leaue all new waies which are euill waies or else wee shall finde paines for our soules God commandeth vs to Walke in tho way of good men and to keep the waies of the righteous it followeth therefore that we must turne from the waies of the wicked For their waies are contrary â—he one shineth as the light the other is as darknesse the one is of God the other of Satan the one is of the way of loue and leadeth vnto life the other is the way of lust and leadeth vnto death the one is the way of Gods children the other of the diuells In the one we must goe as Israel requested Sihon to let them passe thorow his country saying Let mee goe through thy Land wee will 〈◊〉 turne aside unto the fielâ—s nor into the vineyards neither drinke of the waters of the wells we will goe by the kings way vntill we be past thy Country The way of the godly is the Kings hie way to heauen we must goe along in it till we haue passed through this vale of miserie without declining from it on any side We must not breake into the fields of couetousnesse nor into the vineyards of vaine delights neither must wee drinke of the waters of sinfull pleasures or pleasing sinnes But as the Israelite promised to goe by the hie way and to turne neither vnto the right hand nor to the left so wee must keepe our way without wandring out therefore it followeth that wee must abandon and turne from the waies of the wicked For how glorious and faire soeuer they seeme in shew they shall vanish and come to nought like the painted face of Iezabel the colors of the Rainbow Fourthly we must turne from our owne sinnes originall and actuall of what name or nature soeuer in what place at what time and vpon what occasion so euer done whether by commission of euill or omission of good For first our sinnes are the workes of the diuell as our goodnesse is the gift of God Our originall corruption which as a reprosie hath polluted all our parts and poores is the fâ—end of sinne and the very spawne of the diuell whereof he doth beget children according to his owne Image From it all our actuall transgressions how barbarous and exorbitant soeuer they be do proceed and issue as the riuers doe from the sea and as light doth from the sunne or as wormes doe from a loathsome carrion Secondly our sinnes doe pollute and deforme vs. As a Ringworme doth disfigure the face so sinne doth deforme the soule As a Canker doth consume the flesh as rust doth eate the yron as dust and chaffe doe corrupt the corne and as firre vessels do corrupt good wine so sinne doth defile our soules and corrupt our consciences and mis-shape our affections Thirdly sinne is very bitter and pernitious The life of any sin affected is the death of the sinner infected It is of a viperous disposition the birth of sin is the death of the sinner It is like the worme Midas which eates the Beane wherein it is bred and the Moath that consumes the cloth in which she receiued her life Sinne is not much vnlike vnto the louers of Aholilah who when they had bruised the breasts of her virginitie and powred their whordomes vpon her dealt cruelly with her and slew her with the sword so sinne shall breed the sorrowe of all such as dote vpon it and delight to commit adulterie with it And as the Lord threatned Aholilah that her louers with whom she wilfully defiled her selfe should cut off her nose and eares so sinne without speciall mercie shall not onely deforme our selues but strippe vs and leaue vs naked for the iudgements of God to seaze vpon Therefore as Paul shooke the viper from his hand so let vs cast away sinne from our hearts As hee was carefull to preserue his life from those bloudie votaries who had vowed his death so let vs bee carefull to defend our selues from sinne which worketh the destruction of our soules
for his sinnes For the bookes wherein all mens actions are as it were recorded shal be opened and euery man shall be iudged of those things whicâ— are registred in the bookes of Gods knowledge and mans conscience according to their works And euery man without exception shall receiue the things which are done in his body according to that hee hath done whether it bee good or euill The riches of Laban the wealth of Nabal the wisedome of Achitophel the beauty of Absolon the crown of Saul the strength of Lamech the kingdomes of Nebuchadnezar the eloquence of Tertullus the miter of Caiaphas will than stand them in no stead at all For the Lord is no accepter of persons he hath prepared Tophet of olde for wicked princes and hee will rebuke the vngodly of all their wicked deedes Now as death dooth leaue them so the last iudgement shall find them If therefore wee would either fit our selues for death or frame our selues to the last iudgement let vs abandon our sinnes and iudge our selues If wee will accuse and condemne our sins and execute them as Iosiah did the priests of the high places wee shall not neede to feare the terrour of death which is appointed for all nor the sentence of the iudge which shall onely be pronounced against the wicked Lastly I say wee must turne from all our sinnes and not from some onely For so is the will of God Cast away from you all your transgression for why will yee dis O house of Israel Euery sinne displeaseth God and deserueth death euery sin doth staine the soule and wound the conscience It is not possible for a man to carry fire in his bosome and his clothes not bee burnt and impossible for him to goe vppon coales and his feete not be scorched so is it impossible to fauour any sin and not to be infected As euery enemie is dangerous and as the least drop of poison is hurtfull and the least plague-sore infectious so the smallest sinne wil smart the least offence is pernicious pestilent infectious Secondly we vowed to God in our baptisme that we would turn from all our sinnes and from all the workes of the diuell Hee that will not keep touch with God must neuer looke that God will keep touch with him For his promise of pardon belongs onely vnto penitent persons And therefore he saith If the wicked will returne from all his sins hee shall surely liue and shall not die Thirâ—ly the Lorde in expresse tearmes forbiddeth not onely greater but aâ—so smaller sinnes He doth not onely condemne drunkennes but hee doth also pronounce a woe vnto them that are mighty to drinke wine and are strong to powre in strong drinke Saint Peter doth not onely râ—quire vs to forbeare drunkennesse but also drinkings Saint Paul doth not onâ—ly forbid vs filthines but foolish talking The Lord commandeth the wicked to forsake their very imaginations Christ telleth vs that we must giue account of euery idle word Peter warneth vs to lay aside all malitiousnesse and all guile and all euill speaking Dauid saith I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes A froward heart shall depart from me I will know none euill And according to this his resolution hee saith againe I haue refrained my feete from euery euill way and do hate all false waies And desireth God to let none iniquitie to haue dominion ouer him The Lord hateth all our sins Christ hath suffered for all our sins therefore let vs abandon them all If we entertaine but one we open a casemenâ— for another and animate the diuell to sally a fresh vppon vs who like a Crocodile flieth if hee be resisted but if we yeeld vnto him in the least sinne hee will very falsely assault vs and seeke to swallow vs vp Must wee abstaine from all appearance of euill Must wee hate the very garment which is spottâ—d by the flesh Then good reason haue wee to abstaine from all things that are meerely euill in themselues and to detest the flesh which defiles the man and lusteth against the Spirit Shall kings fight against their quarrellous despitâ—ful enemies which onely seeke to depriue them of their earthly kingdomes and shall not we contend and war against our fleshly lusts which fight against our soules and seek to defeat vs of our heauenly kingdome Will euery man by the vertue of his nature like Chariâ—us in the Comedie proue euery way before they will perish or lose their liues in this world and shall not wee take any paines to escape eternall paines and to saue our soules in the world to come Shall Christ lament yea and die for our sinnes and shall we make our selues mery with them as many doe Or rather shall we not mourne for them and seeke to bee deliuered from them Shall Dauids eyes gush out with riuers of water because other men kept not Gods law and doth it beseeme vs to be drie cheeked and not lament for our owne sinnes whereby wee haue broken his law and battered the castles of our owne consciences Shall Ieremy wish that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountaine of teares that he might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of his people and shall wee neuer lament weepe for our sinnes which displease our friend and please our foe which did once slay our soules and doe daily wring them would consume them vâ—terly if the Lord who hath restored them to life in Christ did not guard them by his grace Doe we not see what an antipathy there is amongst the creatures One of them by a secret instinct of nature doth hate and persecute another Nay doe wee not see that many men are as wolues each to other Wherefore then should we not persecute and hate our sinnes seeing that they be our mortall enemies and will neueâ— become our friends The fish called Lepus is as some write poisoâ— to a man and man to him Sinne is poison vnto vs so let vs be as poison vnto it Shall tâ—e wicked lay wait for blood and swallow the innocent vppe like a graue and shal not we seeke to mortifie our siâ—nes which are noxious vnto vs and offensiue vnto God Mortifie therefore your members which are on earth fornication vncleannesse the inordinate affection euill concupiscence and couetousnesse which is idolatry If wee will not mortifie them they will mortifie vs If we will not part from them God will part from vs. Surely saith Dauia God will wound the head of his enemies and the hairie pate of him that walketh in his sinnes Shall Dauid hate the desperate enemies of God and earnestly contend with those that rise vp against him and shall not wee hate sinne which makes men hatefull vnto God and haters of God Shall not we earnestly contend against our sins which do both
greatly care whither hee trauells or how hee trauells whether right or wrong whether in dirt or drie waies by light or night so that he do trauell Yea many are so farre from searching their waies themselues as that they wâ—l not willingly suffer others like the foolish and vnpatienâ— Paâ—â—ent which will not lette the Sâ—rgeon searche his woundes or to the man that hath stolen goods about him who cannot abide to heare of searching If the Minister shal set opeÌ„ their gates of craft and cunning carriage and shall cut downe or breake open these thiâ—k and â—igh hedges of their deepe hypocrisie whereby they hide their waies as much as may be from the eyes of men and shall by that meanes or any other discouer their waies and make them see the filthines of their steps then they stamp they storm they strike priuily with their teeth like Bores and they bite like serpents and if their counsell serued and the times permitted they would openly shewe their maâ—ice and vnchaine their hatred All which conuinceth them of griâ—uâ—us impenâ—tencie and carnall securitie Is it not strange that men should search censure other men and forget themselues Is it not strange that all men naturally shuld affect delight in searching some for riches some for renowne one for profites an other for pleasures a third sort for promotion and yet few or almost none in comparison should search after their waies that if right they might mend their pace and haste an ende if wrong they might in time retire fetch a straiter compasse vnto newe Ierusalem where there is renowne without enuie promotioÌ„ without pride wealth and no woe pleasures but no paines yea all the good that either thought can thinke or will can wish Moreouer is it not strange that men should bee blowne euery way with the blast of an earthly Prince as to turne Turke at his command or to buckle and bende the kneee to his pleasure in any thing like the bird called Cepphos which is carried euery way with the winde and yet to stand like stockes at Gods command to mooue nothing at all or at the least not to remoue Is it not strange that many which dare no more withstand the word of a king then the shippe that Paul was in could antophthalmein outlooke or withstand the stormie winde Euroclydon yet are nothing afraid with browes of brasse to outface and resist yea to rush against the Spirit of GOD in the ministery of his Prophets as Saint Steuen said the rebellious Iewes did A King saith to his subiect search or thou diest for it he searcheth The King of Kings saith to all his subiects search or yee die yea the death of soule and body verie few regard what he saith as if either he iested with them or as thogh the mouth of his mercie were so wide that it both could and would swallow vp his iustice for a little of their lip-labour in a fit of sicknesse or when they are to shake handes with the worlde which argueth a fearefull distemper in their soules euen a spirituall Apoplexy which hath depriued them of all true sense and motion as if they were possessed with the spirits of those whom Isaiah saith had made a couenant with Death and an agreement with hell or at the least cast in the same mould with many desolute and vngracious youths who hauing exceeding kinde and affectionate parents or friendes doe play vpon them in hope of pardon abusing their leuitie to the satisfaction of their owne Iust presuming vpon their milde gentle disposition But we beloued being redeemed out of the world must not fashion our selues vnto the world Wouldst thou know thy selfe then search thy selfe Wouldst thou try thy waies then search thy waies The Iustice cannot examine a fellon till hee be found A man cannot weigh a thing in the ballance except he haue the thing Wouldst thou repent of thy sinnes and turne from them then labour to know them striue to finde them out Shall the Centurion in the Gospell being a man vnder the authoritie of an other and hauing souldiers vnder himselfe command one to goe and he goeth an other to come and he commeth an other to doe this or that and he doeth it And shal the Lord who is ouer all and vnder none commaund vs to doe this or that and shall we refuse Shall he bid vs search or shall hee say by his Embassadour Let vs search and shall wee not search Know ye not that he which doeth the wil of God is the brother the sister yea and the mother of Christ Iesus Christ himselfe did speake it But as the Apostle saith this is the will of God euen your sanstification so say I this is the wil of God euen the searching of your waies God doth will it then let not vs nill it God doth affect it therefore let vs effect it Shall the wicked hunt after the godlye as a Partrich vpon the mountaines Shall wicked Saul seeke for Dauid to kill kim so soone as he had intelligence wheâ—e he had hid himselfe notwithstanding the Lord had forbidden murther Shall cruel Herod bid the wise men search diligently for our Lorde with a secret intention to mâ—rther him and shâ—ll not wee seeke and search diligently for our sinnes that we might sacâ—ifice slaughter them as Iohn did the Priests of Baal They had no commaunâ—emenâ— we are â—ommaâ—nded Tâ—ey were forbidden I speake not oâ— Iehu wee are bidden and exhorted He which defireth to haue eiâ—her good Bees or good by his Bâ—es must search their Hiues for spiders waspes drones and mise So if we would haue the graces of God to florish and swarm within vs we must search the Hiue of our hearts for sinnes which are as waspes and spiders Brush down the spinner-webs of couetousnesse kill the drones of lazinesse driue away infidelitie inordinate cares which robbe God of his honour which should be performed in the temple of our spirits and troubleth the spirit of God which as a Bee worketh within vs building breeding refining If the king should not view and search his Ports neither by himselfe nor by his Ministers they might come to be as well harbours for Pyrates as hauens for honest Merchants so if we wil not search and suruey our hearts they wil be rather hog-sties for sinne Sathan then houses for the holy Ghost If the chanell of the hauen bee not sometimes searcht and if straight passages amoÌ„gst Syres and Sands be not sounded and well obserued there will bee many shipwrackes and losses which with wisdome and labour might haue bene preuented euen so if wee doe not search our hearts and sound them with the line of Gods lawe and the plummet of his word with a faithfull heart a painefull hand and a diligent care and if we doe not obserue and note our course and compasse all our rodes all our waies the shippe of
the wicked forsake his waies and returne vnto the Lord and he will haue mercie vpon him Now God is constant in his word and faithfull in his promises and will performe the wordes of his Prophets The Lord saith Dauid is great in truth Verbum eius ab intentione non dissentit quia veritas est nec factum à verbo quia virius est his word dissenteth not from his intention because he is Veritie Nor his workes from his word because he is Vertue Thou wilâ— beleeue thy faithful friend and wilt thou not beleeue the God of Faith he condemneth breaking of promise in men therefore surely he will not breake his promise made with man Sixtly wee are commaunded to turne vnto God Let the wicked returne vnto the Lord. Turne you vnto me saith the Lord. The commandements of God are not to bee neglected Disobedience to them is death but Hee that keepeth the commaundement keepeth his owne soule But this is one commaundement of God that we turne vnto him Lastly wee haue the example of the Saints to direct vs. Dauid Iosiah the Niniuites Paul The exaâ—ple of the Saints in good things should be vnto vs as the cloude and pillar of fire was vnto the Israelites to goe before vs and to direct vs into celestiall Canaan Imitation is the disease of the English Nation therefore if wee will needes imitate and follow let vs follow the best Wee are forbidden to followe the fashions of the world but not to follow the foote-steps of the Saints Thus much concerning this third point The third Sermon THe fourth is In what and wherein we must turne Which because it hath affinitie with the second I will the more speedily dispatch We must turne to the Lord in our hearts mindes wills workes and waies As the Priests clensed all the house of the Lord and the altar of burnt offerings with all the vessells thereof and the shew-bread table with all the vessells thereof so we must clense our hearts hands and all our waies from the filthines of our sinnes As they went into the inner parts of Gods house to clense it and brought out all the vncleannesse that they found so wee must enter into the bottome of our hearts and seeke into all the winding corners of our waies to dresse them wee must sweepe out all the dust of sinne and shouell away all the dirt of wickednesse And as the Leuites hurled that vncleannesse into the riuer Kidron so ought we to cast and condemne all our sinnes into the pit of hell frâ—m whence they came God requireth an alteration in the whole man O thou my sonne saith the Lord heare and hee wise guide thine heart in the way Againe Let not thine heart be enuious against sinners O Ierusalem saith the Prophet wash thine heart from wickednesse Here wee see that God requireth a turning in the heart and with good reason For the heart commaundeth both the hand and the tongue Of the aboundance of the heart the tongue speaketh Hee that will haue a cleane streame must purge the fountaine Hee that will haue good hearbes must weede his garden Secondly we must turne to God in our heads Wee must â—e wise but the throne of wisedome is the head God will haue a change in our heads for a man of wicked imaginations he wil condemne saith Salomon Thirdly hee will haue an alteration in our words We must be full of blessing and beware of cursing our speech must be seasoned with the words of grace Fourthly wee must turne to God in respect of our companions Therâ—fore Paul saith Eate not with any brother that is a fornicatour a railer or couetous And Salomon saith Keepe not company with drunkards nor gluâ—tons Bâ—rds of one feather will flie together If thy companions be vicious it may iustly bee feared that thou art not vertuous The Spider and the Serpent cannot agree the Thoes the Lions doe â—ouly iarre the bird Aeguthus doth so much abhorre another bird called Anchus that as some affiâ—me their blood will not mingle together As Salolomon saith accordingly that A wicked man is an abhomination not abhominable vnto the iust and hee that is vpright in his way is an abhâ—mination to the wicked Therefore he that delighteth himself with a wicked maÌ„s company sheweth himselfe either verie wicked or very weake Hee that will turne vnto GOD must change his companions and hate with Dauid the assembly of the euil he must not company with the wicked and haunt with vaine persons but must bee as Dauid was a companion of aâ—l them that feare God and keepe hiâ— precepts Fiftly wee most turne to God in the workes of our hands and in the waies of our feete Dauid sâ—ith I will wash mine hands in innocency O Lord. The wise man saith Let all thy waies be ordered aright remooue thy foote from euill Lastly wee must turne to the Lord here vpon earth The earth must be the place of our turning He that will come to heauen must beginne his race vpon the earth He that will will not turne to God vppon the earth must neuer looke to be receiued into heauen Hee that will not set open the gates of his heart here vpon earth for the King of glory to come in the King of glory will not set open heauen-gates for him to enter in when hee shall be taken from the earth And thus much for this fourth point The fift is when wee must turne Hee which turneth must turne in something and so hee must turne in some time Wee must turne to the Lord without delay Delay breeds danger So soone as wee haue searched and tried our waies wee must turne vnto the Lord. We must in no wise deferre our conuersion For first the Lord seemeth to bee as it were in trauell till wee relinquish our sinnes and turne vnto him O ye foolish saith Wisedome how long wil ye loue foolishnesse turne ye at my correction How long saith God wiâ—t thou sleepe O sluggard When wilt thou arise out of thy sleepe O Ierusalem saith the Lord how long shall thy wicked thoughtes remaine within thee Woe vnto thee O Ierusalem wilt thou not be made cleane when shall it once bee How long wilt thou goe astray O thou rebellious daughter Therefore to deliuer the Lorde out of his paines let vs turne vnto him and repent with speede Secondly the seruice of the Lord is perfect freedome And as Elihu saith If men will serue him they shall ende their daies in prosperitie and their yeares in pleasures Therefore the sooner we enter into his seruice the sooner wee shall be free from men yea free-denisons of new Ierusalem And this is not till wee repent and turne vnto him and â—hen it is Thirdly it is a very absurd and disorderly course for any man to take a noble mans liuery and to weare his recognisance and yet in
Wherfore was Adam exiled out of Paradise but for his sinne Why was the olde worlde drowned with water but for their sinne Why was Sodom burnt with fire and brimstone but for sinne Pauls sinfull zeale made him a persecutor Sinne made Absolom ambitious Haman malicious Nabal a churle and Iudas a traytour Sinne caused Korah and his company to be swallowed vp of the earth sinne made Pharaoh and his people to be consumed by the water sinne occasioned Nadab and Abihu to be deuoured with fire sinne caused Herâ—d to be eaten with wormes God turneth a fruitefull land into barronnesse for the wickednesse of them that dwell therein And the Spirit of wisedome saith that For the transgression of the Land there are many Princes thereof that is many and no small alterations in the state Our sinnes are the cause of our sorrowes and our wickednesse is the worker of all our wretchednesse It is the cause of all disorder and dissention in Church in Common-wealth and Family Yea it oftentimes is the cause why the sinner is punished by committing of other sinnes therefore Paul saith that God gaue the Heathen for their wickednesse vp to their harts lusts and deliuered them ouer to a reprobate minde to commit very feareful and odious enormities Sinne is like the Serpent Amphisbaena which hath as it were two heads one before an other behinde at the taile as if shee were not hurtfull enough to cast her poyson at one mouth only Sinne woundeth at both endes in the one it wounds the soule by poysoning and infecting it and in the other it wounds both soule and body by destroying them without the Antidote or counter-poyson of the meritorious bloud of that true brazen serpent Christ Iesus Sinne as it were out of two mouthes spitteth forth her venime whereby she both hurteth our hearts and exposeth vs to the fire of Gods dreadfull indignation Fourthly sinne is very subtil like a serpent all like a witch to work our woe It is like the Hyaena which as Pliny recordeth is said to vomit like a man therby to train dogges to come vnto him and then will deuoure them Sometimes it will weepe with the Crocodile sometimes it will be musicall with the Syren but all to destroy It begins sometimes with a song like a Gnat but it endeth with byting Pliny sayeth that the Hyaena will change his eies into a thousand colours so sinne will make many faces The Beiuers haire is softer then the downe of feathers yet is he dangerous with his teeth For as Pliny writeth he will gnaw trees with his teeth is if they were cut with axes and if he catch hold of any ioynt in a man he will not leaue till he haue knapped the bone asunder So sin doth oftentimes very much delight the sinner as being very soft to the touch and pleasant to the taste and yet it is but a painted Iezabel a disguised harlot and a sweetned poyson it gnawnes the conscience and bites the soule to the bone It is greene like the boxe tree but the seed is poyson The hurtfull serpents are ordinarily of the colour of the harmles earth so sinne sometimes doth seeme a vertue and is so esteemed of some that are bad-sighted or grown to desperate impietie Which speake good of euill and euill of good which put darknesse for light and light for darknesse that put bitter for sweete and sweete for sowre Sinne hath so distempered their tastes and bewitched their eyes If sinne were not exceeding subtill and the sinner made by sinne exceeding simple Salomon would not say There is a way that seemeth right vnto man but the issue thereof are the waies of death Neither would any hypocrites bee so impudent as to say without blushing if at all with those in Isaih Stand apart come not neare vnto me for I am more holy thâ—n thou If sinne had not bene very deceitfull would the Valentinian heretiques haue condemned all others as grosse and earthly and haue called themselues onely Ghostly Would the Arrians haue called the true Christians that profesâ—ed the faith of the holy Trinitie sometime Ambrosians sometimes Iohannites and sometimes Homousians allowing themselues onely something like our Papists to be called Catholiques Would the Brownists which are sprung out of the ashes of the Donatists condemne our Ministrie our Churches and assemblies as Antichristian Could widowes houses be deuoured through the pretext of long praiers Could vice wander in the habit of vertue or would any but a dogge returne like a dogge to his vomit if sinne were not very deceitfull but did appeare vnto all men as it is in it selfe Considering therefore beloued the malicious subtiltie and the subtill malice of sinne vnto mankinde let vs not onely bewise to discerne it but carefull also to flie from it and eschew it Hee that fostereth sin fauoureth a false and perfidious enemie and doth as Ioash did who entertained seruants which slew him Let no man therefore I say bee the seruant of sinne Giue not your members as weapons of vnrighteousnesse vnto sin Listen not vnto it least by listning vnto it as Eue did vnto the serpent ye make your selues as shee did her selfe a pray to the diuell Fiftly vnlesse a man do purpose and with a constant determination of minde and resolution of spirit doe labour to leaue his sinnes and to stand against the streame of his sinfull affections he doth shew himselfe destitute of the feare of God which is to hate euill and altogether vnlike to God who is holy yea euen holinesse it selfe and he doth moreouer make himselfe vnmeete to aske forgiuenesse of his sins For with what face dare hee desire of God to forgiue him his sinne that makes no conscience of committing sinne How dare he desire God to turne his iudgements from him seeing he doth not seriously himselfe purpose and accordingly study to turne from his sinnes which doe not onely deserue the iudgments of God but are also a match to giue fire vnto his wrath or as bellowes to blow it vp Yea it is a very manifest argument that hee which will not turne from his sinne doth not sincerely with an honest heart desire the pardon of sinne For no man will thinke that he doth hartily desire the peace and pardon of his neighbour who commeth creeping to him for it and yet in the meane time dooth either secretly practise against him or at the least dooth not purpose to forbeare the practise of those things which makes the â—arre betwixt them Hee doth only dally with him and abuse him Sixâ—ly let vs remember that there is a day of death and a day of iudgment in which euery man must anâ—were for his facts Caine for his murther Ismael for his mocking Nahal for his drunkennesse Absolon for his ambition Achitophel for his wicked counsell Haman for his hautinesse Herod for his pride Iudw for his treason Iulian for his blasphemies and euery sinner