the nigher they were the promised land so euery mortall man the longer he liueth the nigher he is his iourneys end death for Time and Tide stay for no man yong haires do soone turne gray and actiue youth is soone metamorphosed into crooked age Cito pede labitur aetas i. the dayes of man do swiftly passe away Tempora labuntur tacitisque senescimus annis fugiunt fraeno non remorante dies i. Time swiftly passeth and old age soone commeth on no bridle so strong as can kéepe in our galloping dayes He that runneth in a race neuer stayeth till hee commeth at the ende thereof so euery mortall wight volens nolens willing nilling neuer stayeth till death the ende of his race stayeth him The picture of patience Iob by name considering the swift passage of the dayes of man compareth them to the swift race of a post saying Dies mei velociores sunt cursore i. My dayes are swifter than a post yea swifter are they then a weauers shuttle they are as the motion of the swiftest ship in the sea and as the Eagle that flieth fast to her pray Our yeares are spent saith the Psalmist as a tale that is told yea our life is quickly cut off and we are soone gone Therefore fitly is our life compared here of S. Paul in regard of the velocity thereof to a race or running From hence euery Christian is to learne this lesson that séeing our life is nothing else but a running to death he redéeme the time make much of it whiles he hath it for the houre spent cannot be recouered time passed cannot be recalled Ecce nunc tempus acceptum saith the Apostle i. Behold now the accepted time behold now the day of saluation This life is the time wherein our election must be made sure and sealed vp vnto our spirits by the vnfallible testimony of the good spirit of God This life is the time wherein euery man in his calling must worke out his saluation with feare and trembling This life is the time wherein we must be admitted into y e kingdom of grace if euer we will looke to be admitted into the kingdome of glory In this life must we be matriculated into the mysticall body of the Church if euer we will looke to fit at the bride-groomes table in heauen In this life must we haue heauen in inchoation if after this life we will haue it in perfection The husbandman will in no wise slacke his opportunity and omit his time in tilling sowing his ground that in sommer he may haue the better croppe The tradesman will not misse his faires and markets that he may increase his stocke the more in those his painefull affaires The Storke in the aire the Turtle the Crane and the Swallow obserue their times as saith the Prophet the little silly creature the Ant by name gathereth in sommer whereby she may liue in winter Euen so should euery Christian take his time and treasure vp with the painefull Bée the hony of good workes in the hiue of his heart in this life that he may with the faithfull seruant be welcomed into his masters ioy in the life to come But alas alas men are so assotted with blindnesse ignorance that they may be sent to y e very senseles creatures for wisdome in this point Aske the beasts and they shall teach thee and the foules of heauen and they shall tell thee saith the iust man Iob or speake to the earth and it shall shew thee or the fishes of the sea and they shall declare vnto thee Esays oxe knoweth his maisters stall and his Asse his maisters cribbe but miserable man hath not knowne his maker O let vs not be worse than horse Asse and Mule that haue no vnderstanding but let vs in the feare of God know our times and seasons let vs seeke the Lord while he may be found and call vpon him while he is neere Let vs in no wise post off our amendment from day to day Let vs liue no longer in carelesse security like sensuall brutish and hellish Epicures that neither beléeue nor yet respect the iudgement to come that sing that cursed Epitaphe of Sardanapalus Ede bibe lude charum praesentibus exple delitijs animumi post mortem nulla voluptaâ— i. Eate drinke play and be merry liue in all kind of pleasure for after death there is no pleasure that say with the old man in the Poet Because my dayes are short which I haue here to liue to women wine and pleasant sport I meane my selfe to giue Let vs not be like those foolish virgins that knocked at the gates of heauen too late when the doores were shut against them for after this life there shall be no place for pardon nor time for repentance therefore in time looke to the welfare of thy déere soule that thy soule may fare well not for a time but for euer One depth saith the Psalmist calleth for another The depth of our misery cryeth for the depth of Gods mercy let vs therefore be as swift in running in the race of Christianity as our liues are swift to leaue vs let vs be as swift to kill sinne in vs as sinne is to kill vs O beloued let vs be as swift to pull out the sting of the Scorpion which is sinne as he is with his sting swift and ready to stabbe vs at the heart and wound our soules incureably that when death the end of our race shall come which is most certaine and yet his time most vncertaine it may be vnto vs as it is to all the saints of God Ianua vitae finis miseriarum initium refrigerij scala ascensionis in coelum i. The gate to life the end of miseries the beginning of euerlasting refreshing and the ladder of ascension to the highest and happiest heauens So runne that ye may obtaine Secondly Qualiter currendum i. How must we runne to obtaine So runne If we will run to obteine we must runne these thrée wayes First Directè recta via the right way Secondly Celeritèr sâ—u festinanter Swiftly or spéedily Thirdly Perseuerantèr Perseuerantly holding out to the end First therefore that we may obteine we must runne directly the right way that leadeth to life Those that runne in a race will not make the furthest way about y e nighest way home as we say but they will take the shortest cut that may be and runne the directest way that can be that they may the rather obteine So should we runne in the right way that leadeth to life if we will obteine life euerlasting Lactantius speaking of mans creation saith that Homo incedit erectus in coelum i. Man goeth right vp lifting his eyes towards heauen Os homini sublime dedit coelâ—mqueâ—ueri â—ussit i. God gaue man a lofty face a face to behold the heauens whereas other creatures fasten their
eyes vpon the centre of the world from whence they came hanging downe their heades to the earth like bulrushes As man therfore was created pure and vpright in soule and streight and right in body carying his head toward heauen so must he runne if euer he will obteine heauen in the streight way and right path that leadeth to heauen Many there are that séeke the Lord and find him not because they séeke amisse so many there are that runne yea all men liuing are runners yet are they farre from obteining because they runne amisse There are foure sorts of ground yet but one fructiferous there are foure wayes in the world yet but one and that a narrow one that leadeth to life Generally there are but these two the way of Godlinesse and the way of iniquity whereof the one in the Gospell of Matthew is called the broad way and the other the straite and narrow gate yet S. Iohn considering the multiplicity of this dangerous Labyrinth doth cut out this broad way into thrée maine heads into Luxury Couetousnesse and Pride saying Whatsoeuer is in the world is either the concupiscence of the flesh the concupiscence of the eye or the pride of life Haec tria pro trino numine mundus habet i. This is the Trinity which the world doth worship These wayes are wide and large and whole multitudes walke in the same Magna plenitudo hominum sed magna solitudo bonorum i. There is a great plenty of men but there is as great a scarcity of good men These wayes séeme pleasant to be walked in yet Nouissima illaerum mors est The end of these wayes is death for the diuell like a subtile fisher sheweth the baite but hideth the hooke sheweth the vnprofitable profit the vnpleasant pleasure of sinne but hideth the hooke from mens eyes which is death according to that of S. Paul Stipendium peccati mors est the wages of sin is death here hel damnation hereafter Sinne séemeth at the first to fawne vpon a man but yet in the end it will with Cains dogge plucke out the very throats of our soules In these maine roades the more is the pity doth the greatest part of mankind runne headlong to perdition without any checke of conscience remorse for their sinnes or any reclamation in the world Sinne neuer more than in these our dayes of the Gospell abounded the Diuell hath more followers than Christ the whole multitude cried Crucifie him Crucifie him But there was but one and that a silly woman that laboured to set him frée The saying of Paul to the Romanes is verified in these our dayes of sinne There is none righteous no not one There is none that vnderstandeth there is none that seeketh God all haue gone out of the way all are altogether vnprofitable there is none that doth good no not one Pride whoredome adultery fornication vncleannes wantonnes idolatry witchcraft hatred debate emulation wrath contention sedition heresie couetousnes drunkennes swearing forswearing blasphemie prophanenes contempt of the word despising of Gods messengers and the like abhominations are reigning in euery angle of this our Iland yea our land is become a sinke of sinne a pit of pollution and a place of abhomination defiled with iniquity A vertice capitis vsque ad plantam pedes 1. From top to toe hauing no sound part throughout it yea our whole land is out of course and it is the great mercy of God that we are not consumed Yea these last dayes of the world are like to the dayes of Israels prouocation of the Lord in the wildernesse wherein we preferre the slauery of Egypt aboue the swéete Manna of heauenly blisse Yea that saying of the Prophet is verified of the most part of mankind That the children gather stickes the fathers made the fire and the women bake cakes for the queene of heauen That is they offered sacrifice to the Sunne and Moone and planets which they called the Quéene of heauen So the Beast of Rome with his Antichristian crue doth sacrifice to Mary making her an Idol and calling her as in their Salue regina and Regina coel◠laetare doth appeare the Quéene of heauen They make ignorance the mother of their deuotion Sir Iohn Lack-latine and Sir Anthony Ignorance are their chiefest clarkes and best Massemongers Yea the world is growne to this height of reprobation that that which is written in Iob is verified of many They say to God Depart from vs for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes who is the Almightie that we should serue him Full little thinking that the Lord shall answer them with the like Discedite Depart from me ye workers of iniquity Thus we sée how the worldlings runne in the race of iniquity the broad way to the lake vnquenchable some in the race of Atheisme some in Papisme some in Mahumetisme some in Paganisme but few there are y t run in y e race Christianisme But thou that wouldst be saued thou that wouldst so runne that thou mayst obteine run not in any of these wayes but flie from sinne as from a stinging serpent and a a biting Cocatrice For they that doe such things shall not inherite the kingdome of God The right way therefore wherein we must runne is the way of godlinesse the way of Christianity the way of the word of God framing all our thoughts words and operations according to the precise and strict rule of the same for Factores legis iustificabuntur i. the doers of the law shall be iustified saued and glorified This way of godlinesse is a blessed way to walke in It is sweeter than hony or the hony combe Iugum Christi suaue est onus suum leue i. The yoke of Christ is easie and his burthen light Mandata eius grauia non sunt i. His Commaundements are not grieuous and his commandements are exceeding large her wayes are wayes of pleasure and all her paths prosperity It is a lanterne to our feete and a light vnto our paths It is a pillar of fire to cary vs through the wildernesse of this world to the Celestiall Chanaan it is the power of God to saluation to euery beleeuer both Iew and Grecian it is able to saue our soules it is able to make vs wise to saluation it is profitable to teach to improue to correct to instruct in righteousnesse and to make vs perfect in all good workes It is comfortable in all cases and parts of our life both in prosperity and aduersity both in life and death If we fight it is a sword if we hunger it is meate if we thirst it is drinke if we be naked it is a garment if we be in darknesse it is a light yea in a word the word of God is the high way to heauen Enter therfore in at the streight gate of amendment and runne in the same
head and ouercomming his chiefest power fulfilled the law in euery point and tittle satisfied Gods iustice for vs appeased his wrath against vs purchased celestiall mansions to vs by offering himselfe in sacrifice to the Lord of hosts vpon the crosse at Golgotha for the sins of the whole world by his death and passion by vanquishing hell by conquering death by his glorious resurrection and ascension and by sending of the holy Ghost He went from the father and came into the world And in short time yea in the space of 33. yeares wrought the redemption of all beléeuers And left this world and went againe to his father The spouse of Christ considering her husbands great velocity celerity and swiftnesse saith Behold he commeth leaping by the mountaines and skipping by the hils my welbeloued is like a Roe or a yong Hart c. Venit vidit vicit He came from heauen he sawe the earth and ouercame the dragon Thus after Christs example should we that professe our selues Christians runne swiftly in the race of godlinesse holinesse purity and obedience to the commandements of our heauenly father thus should we run Investigijs Iesu In the footesteps of Christ Iesus who is Via veritas vita i. The way the truth and the life and the true way to life euerlasting To the performance of which duty the Lord graunt to vs his grace for of our selues we are not able to set one foote forward to heauen that so we may be able to his glory and our soules euerlasting good to do his will in earth as willingly swiftly and as spéedily as the Angels do it in heauen Now déere brethren that we may runne thus swiftly in the race of godlinesse and in the course of Christianity two things are necessary First Vt simus intus vacus That we be empty within Secondly Vt simus extra exonerati i. That we be vnladen without First we must be empty within Now what is that which cloggeth vs so sore within and hindreth vs from running in this godly race Surely that is sinne So weighty a thing is sinne As it sunke downe Sathan from heauen So weighty a thing is sinne as it caused the earth to open her mouth and swallow vp cursed Core diuellish Dathan and that abiect Abiram with all their trecherous crue The Prophet in respect of the weight thereof compareth it to Lead and that worthily for as lead in the clocke causeth by the weight thereof the cogs whéeles and gimmers successiuely to moue one after the other euen so the weight of sinne doth draw the cogs of our carnall concupiscence the whéeles of our leud desires and the gimmers of our vntamed affections from one sinne to another according to that of S. Gregory Peccatum quod per poenitentiam non deletur mox suo pondere ad aliud trahit i. If sinne by repentance presently be not done away by the weight thereof it will draw a man to more sinne â—â— we find it exemplified in the Prophet Dauid who fell from idlenesse to concupiscence from concupiscence to adultery from adultery to murther Of the weight of sinne the Prophet Dauid speaketh Mine iniquities are gone ouer mine head and as a weighty burthen they are too heauy for me The Prophet Esay calleth the bands of wickednesse heauy burthens intollerable to be borne The sinnes of the world being layd vpon the shoulders of Iesus vpon the crosse were so weighty and heauy as they forced him hauing the weight of Gods wrath for them also vpon him to cry out on this manner to his God Eli Eli Lamasabacâ—thani My God my God why hast thou forsaken me If the yoke of Christ be easie and his burthen light then of necessity on the contrary must the yoke of Sathan which is sinne be vneasie heauy and intollerable to be borne By which it may appeare that sin is an intollerable burthen and a great impediment to this Christâ—â—â— race Let vs therefore as the chosen vessell doth exhort vs cast away euery thing that presseth vs downe and the sinne that hangeth so fast on Let vs runne with patience the race that is set before vs. Where it is euident that we cannot runne with patience the race that is set before vs vnlesse we do cast away our sinnes from vs which do hang so fast on vs. Moses was not permitted to come nigh the Lord before he did discalciate himselfe Put off thy shoes for the place where thou standest is holy ground So must we put off the durty shoes of iniquity and abandon sin from the castle of our hearts before we can be able to stand in the path-way to ioyes which is an holy ground therefore much lesse are we able to runne in the same and most vnapt to runne swiftly Let vs therefore in the name of God purge our soules and bodies from sinne with the hysope of Gods grace Let vs separate them from vs and our selues from them as farre as the East is from the West and North the South Let vs loath detest and abhorre them because the Lord doth loath detest and abhor vs for them as we haue giuen our members as weapons of vnrighteousnesse to the seruice of Satan in vngodlinesse of this life euen so let vs giue them as weapons of righteousnesse to the seruice of the Lord in godlinesse of life as we haue runne in the race of the first Adam by commission of sinne so let vs runne in the race of the second Adam Iesus Christ the righteous by performance of righteousnesse let vs cease from sinne and do that which is good let vs séeke peace and ensue it Let vs Plangere plangenda bewaile our sinnes that ought to be lamented Grauia peccata grauia desiderant lamenta saith Isodore great sinnes require great lamentation swéet meate must haue sower sauce reioycing in sinne must haue mourning for sinne let vs therefore be Tam proni ad lamenta sicut fuimus ad peccata As prone to lamentation as we haue béene to transgression as ready to lament them as we haue béene to commit them let vs swéepe euery corner of our hearts cleane with the broomes of penance and let vs water them with the salt teares of earnest contrition so that we may be sit receptories for the Lord to dwell in and being annointed with the oyle of grace wee may runne swiftly in the race that is set before vs and obteine the reward prepared for vs. So runne that ye may obteine Secondly if we will runne swiftly in the path way to heauen we must be Extrà exonerati i. vnladen without Those that runne in a race will lay aside their cloakes doublets and such like outward vestiments that they may runne the more spéedily and obteine the more assuredly And so in like maner we must be vnburthened of all outward matters whatsoeuer especially of the excessiue care and affection that naturally we beare to this
from the prison of our bodies thou shalt sooner remoue the rockes and mountaines from their places then make vs recant from the profession of the Gospell of Iesus Such was y e resolution of Sydrach Myshach and Abednego that rather than they would croutch to Nabucadnezzars golden image which was 60. cubits high they would be cast into the hot fiery fornace which was made seuen times more hot then vsually it was for necessary vses Such was the resolution of Blessed Paul that nothing could separate him from his Lord and maister Christ whose couragious vow we may finde in his Epistle to the Romans on this manner Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword No verily for I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shal be able to separate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord neither the loue which we haue to God from vs who are made his sonnes through Christ Iesus And indéed that which Paule promised he performed for he was beheaded at Rome for the Gospels defence although y e sword did separate his head from his shoulders yet it could not separate him frō his head Christ Iesus Such was the resolution of the patterne of patience that though the Lord should kill him yet would he put his trust in him Such was the resolution of Ignatius Bishop of Antioch after Peter that the rauening beasts could not make him flinch from his redéemer yea being commanded by the king of Syria to be torne in péeces of wilde beasts and being led to the place of execution he vttered this golden sentence Nihil moror visibilium nec inuisibilium modo Iesum Christum i. I care neither for things visible nor yet for things inuisible neither for things séene nor yet for things not séene Onely this is my care that I may obtaine Christ Iesus and with him euerlasting saluation and when the beasts were let loose vpon him these were his last words as saith S. Ierome I am Gods corne and the teeth of these wild beasts must grind me in peeces that I may be pure bread and fine manchet for Christ Iesus his table in heauen Such was the constant resolution of that godly old woman Apollonia that she chose rather to haue her téeth dasht out of her head willingly and to be burnt to ashes then to worship any other gods beside the true and euerliuing God Yea this was the constancy of all holy Martyrs that they would rather indure a thousand deaths then shrink backe from the word of life Peter was beheaded for the Gospels defence Iames throwne downe from an high pinnacle and his head cleft in sunder yea almost all of the Apostles were put to grieuous deaths some were stoned some broyled some put to one death some to another Old Simeon that was cosin germaine to Christ sonne to Cleophas and Mary Bishop of Ierusalem after Iames was nailed to the crosse being six score yeares old and more S. Cyprian beheaded at Sexti nigh the city Carthage Polycarpe Bishop of Smyrna disciple to Iohn was most pitifully tortured to death by fire yea for the space of 300. yeares after Christ and more the Lord sent persecution ordinarily to his Church Willingly did these saints suffer and ioyfully did vndergo all these afflictions for the kingdome of heauen sake Hîc vre hîc seca vt in aeternum parcas domine saith Saint Augustine i. Here burne me Lord here slay me to spare me hereafter doe what thou wilt Lord with my body so that thou wilt spare my soule Vtinam saith S. Ierome ob Domini mei nomen atque iustitiam cuncta gentiliam turba me persequatur tribulet vtinam in opprobrium meum stolidus hic mundus exurgat tantum vt ego mercedem Iesu consequar i I would to God that the whole nation of the Gentiles Pagans and Infidels would for the name of my God and for the glory of his Gospell persecute me and trouble me I would to God this mad and foolish world rise vp against me for the profession of Gods blessed truth only that I may obteine Christ Iesus for my reward Ammonarion Mercuria Dyonisia with diuerse other godly women would runne to the fire with their children as to a ioyfull feast or banquet thinking no greater glory on earth then to suffer for the Gospell of Christ And thus should euery man and woman as they tender the welfare of their déere soules resolue to suffer willingly and beare patiently whatsoeuer calamity may befall them in this heauenly race considering the torments of hell which by reuolting they shall vndergo considering the ioyes of heauen which they shall haue by patience and considering what others haue done before them as the Martyrs and what Christ hath suffered for them that so with perseuerance holding out to the end they may obteine euerlasting blisse The merchant will through fire and water suffering no repulse that he may haue his pinnace fraught with plenty of pure gold at the Indian hauen according to that of the Poet Impiger extremos currit mercator ad Indos per mare pauperiem fugiens per saxa per ignes i The painefull merchant aduentureth to the forreine Indians beyond the seas through fire and water fearing nothing that he may eschew pouerty and obteine much treasure Euen so he that will haue the pinnace both of soule and body fraught with the siluer of all earthly prosperity and with the gold of all celestiall felicity must runne the race that is set before him with patience leaping ouer the wall of all obuious afflictions perseuering till he commeth at the happy hauen of heauen that then he being more than conquerour in Christ Iesus may triumph ouer death hel and damnation saying with the Prophet Ero mors tua O mors i. O death I will be thy death O graue I will be thy destruction and with valiant Paul Death where is thy sting hell where is thy victory Of necessity afflictions must méete with vs that runne in the high way to heauen Yea no man liuing can be fréed from them All that will liue godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution we must through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of God Whom the Lord loueth hee chasteneth and he scourgeth euery sonne whom he receiueth we are bastards not sonnes if we be free from afflictions Ego quos amo arguo castigo i. as many as I loue I rebuke and chasten Qui diligitur corripitur i. He that is loued is reproued The oxen that are appointed for the slaughter are let runne in fat pastures but those that are not appointed for so terrible an end