deale of righteousnesse Whosoeuer shall keepe the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all Hee hath broken Tâ—…tam Legem though not Totum Legis I speake not heere of the absolutely dissolutely wicked whose life is like Elreds raign Praua in principio peior in medio pessima in vltimo bad in the beginning worse in the midst worst of all in the end But of those that haue some good measure of grace and stand in the state of adoption yet may admitte of Pauls prayer to be sanctified throughout And vpon good reason for there is an vniuersall corruption therfore should be an vniuersall sanctification That young man that professeth himselfe to haue kept the Commandements and Christ began to loue him yet there was a little leuen spoyled all Couetousnesse Vnum restat one thing was vvanting Sell that thou hast and giue to the poore No he was costiue and could not abide such a purge Herod though he heard many Sermons of Iohns preaching gladly and it is some good thing to heare Sermons with ioy yet the leuen of Herodias marred all Let him that is taught in the word communicate vnto him that teacheth him in all his goods This was the Apostles Canon an ordinance that will kill where it lights yet a world of arguments hath beene inuented to stoppe it vp We will giue of charity but any thing of duty yes of duty Well we will giue somewhat of duty but part of all yes part of all Put out this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and wee will compound with you though we take away a talent of your duties wee will returne a mite of beneuolence I will tell you a tale a Seignior came with his seruant to one of our Ladies Images no matter which for they doe not scant her of number hee threw in an angell of gold the humble picture in gratitude made a curtsie to him The seruant obseruing and wondring at her Ladiships plausible carriage purposed with himselfe to giue somewhat too that he might haue a curtsie So hee puts into the basen sixe pence and withall takes out his masters angell the Image makes curtsie and seemes to thanke him still It is common with this City to take away the Cleargies angell and to lay downe sixe pence in the stead yet looke they for curtsie too but I thinke no honest man will giue them thankes This little leauen vndoes all goodnesse You shall walke in all the wayes which the Lord your God commands you All put out in omnibus in All and wee vvill say something to it But as Deus remittit omnia peccata aut nulla God forgiues all sinnes or none so we must faithfully resolue against all sinnes or we repent of none As is Gods remission such must be our contrition Euery man is an Adam a good conscience his Paradise lust the forbidden fruit one lust is able to turne him out of all his comforts Hast thou kept thy hands from iniury yet if thy tongue haue offended thou shalt bee iudged of thy idle words Suppose thou hast preserued Castitatem linguae sobriety of speech yet if any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man but thy thoughts haue welcommed a pleasing lust those thoughts haue leuend thy soule For God will not onely bring euery worke into iudgement but euery secret thought whether it be good or euill Men haue brought that opinion into a prouerbe Thought is free no thy Thought is Gods bond-slaue As thou canst not thinke a good thought but by his suggestion so nor an euill thought but by his permission If but thy thought harbour this leuen the whole lumpe is sowred Actions men see thy thoughts onely God and thy selfe Ille liber inter accusatores quem propria non accusat conscientia That man needes feare no accusers that is freed from the condemnation of his owne conscience There are sixe motiues that inferre and inforce a caution of little sinnes Little sinnes are dangerous because they are Mortalia they are deadly Plurima they are numerous Insensibilia not easily felt Materialia maximoruÌ„ they are the materials or seeds of grosse sins Maximas inficiunt virtutes they leuen the best vertues Facilius perdunt they more cunningly destroy the soule 1. Minima mortalia euen the least offence is mortall in it owne nature culpable of transgression and liable to malediction The wages of sinne is death It was a strange glosse of Haymo vpon that Text Hoc non de omnibus peccatis intelligendum est sed de criminalibus This is not meant of all sinnes but onely of such as are criminall such saith he as S. Iohn speakes of There is a sinne vnto death I say not that thou shouldst pray for it So S. Pauls indefinite speech of all sinnes he restraines to S. Iohns particular sense of one sinne that sinne which shall neuer be forgiuen against the Holy Ghost For otherwise if St. Iohn should intend it of all criminall sins then it would follow that we should not pray for heretikes adulterers homicides which were directly crosse to the rule of charitie Certainly Paul in that generall rule admitted of no exception it is an Aphorisme wherein no sober iudgement can find distinction The Apostle thought of no veniall when he called all mortall The wages of sinne not of this or that sinne as sacriledge robbery blasphemy c. but of sinne any sinne euery sinne though men deeme it triuiall they shall find it mortall is death I know there is a iust distinction of sinnes of greater lesse Puritie and equality of all transgressions is an idle dreame It was a worse murder to kill Zachariah at the Altar then Uriah in the field To steale Sacra de Sacro holy things out of a holy place is worse theft then to steale profana de profano common things out of a profane place The difference of the punishments manifests a difference of the sinnes As in heauen one starre excells another starre in glory so in hell one firebrand exceeds another in burning though all feele the fire hote enough Christ tells the Pharises that they make their Proselite two-fold more the child of hell then themselues Tolerabilius erit Sodomae It shall be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of Iudgement then for Capernaum and yet the Sodomites were then in hell They that deuoure widowes houses vnder the colour of long prayers shall receiue greater damnation As they haue been more wicked they shall be more wretched This distinction of sinnes vvee take vp and iustifie yea we dare goe further and say there are some sinnes mortall and some veniall but not in their owne nature The difference is not ratione Peccatorum sed Peccantium not in respect of the sinnes but of the Sinners To the faithfull and penitent all sinnes are veniall to the vnbeleeuers and impenitent all sinnes are mortall It is misericordia
mouth of Christ. Let mee conclude with that sigh from his soule Could ye not watch with me one houre It will not bee long ere the glasse be runne the houre out Iudas is at hand iudgement is not farre off then may you sleepe and take your rest This day is neerer you now then when you first entred the Church Twice haue the blasted eares eat vp the full corne twice haue the leane kine deuoured the fatte Pharaohs dreame is doubled for the certainty and expedition Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry If wee shall haue comfort in this day when it is come wee must long for it before it doe come What comfort shall the Vsurer haue hee desires not this day for then the Angell sweares there shall bee no more time and his profession is to sell time He sels it deare very costly to anothers purse but most costly to his owne soule Such as bribe for Offices farme Monopolies contract an vsurious rent for life doe they desire it Woe vnto you that desire the day of the Lord to what end is it for you the day of the Lord is darkenesse and not light The soule groaning vnder sinne desires it Who shall deliuer me from the body of this death The suffering soule may desire it Come Lord Iesus The faithfull Spouse wedded to Christ desires this comming of her Husband she is now espoused that is the plenary consummation of the marriage Let vs be glad and reioyce and giue honour to him for the marriage of the Lambe is come and the Bride hath made her selfe ready Blessed are they that bee called to this marriage supper To the vngodly it will be a fearefull day Ignis vbique ferox ruptis regnabit habenis there shall follow an vniuersall dissolution Downewards goe Satan his angels and reprobates howling and shriking gnashing of teeth the effect of a most impatient fury to be bound hand and foote with euerlasting chaines of darkenesse Where fire shall torture yet giue no light wormes gnaw the heart yet neuer gnaw in sunder the strings eternall paines punire non finire corpora Small sorrowes grow great with continuance but O misery of miseries to haue torments vniuersall and withall eternall not to be endured yet not to be ended Vpwards goes Christ the blessed Angels and Saints singing with melodie as neuer mortall eare heard The onely song which that Quire sung audible to man was that which the Shepheards heard Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men Yet Christ was then comming to suffer what may we thinke are those Halleluiahs euerlastingly chanted in the Courts of Heauen we know not yet we may know one speciall note which an vniuersall Quire of all nations kinred and tongues Angels Elders All shall sing Blessing and glory and wisedome and thankesgiuing and honour and power and might bee vnto our God for euer and euer Amen To the spirits of iust men made perfect The Citizens of heâ—…uen are of two sorts by Creation or Adoption Created and naturall Citizens are the Angels Adopted are Men. Of these be two kindes some Assumed and others Assigned The Assigned such as are decreed in their times to be Citizens said before to bee written in heauen The Assumed such as are already possessed of it here Spirits of iust men made perfect But how then is the Apostles meaning cleared How are the militant on earth said to be come vnto these iust spirits in heauen Yes wee haue a Communion with them participating in Spe what they possesse in Re. Now we are no more strangers and forreiners but fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of GOD. Onely our apprentiship of the flesh is not yet out but they haue their freedome But as wee haue all an vnion with Christ so a Communion vvith Christians the combatant on earth with the triumphant in heauen Spirits this word hath diuerse acceptions It is taken 1. Pro animo for the Mind Luke 10. 21. Iesus reioyced in spirit 1. Chron. 5. 26. God stirred vp the spirit of the King of Assyria 2. Pro sede rationis et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Cor. 2. 11. What man knowes the things of man saue the spirit of man which is within him 3. Pro Affectuvel Afflatu for the motion of the mind whether good or bad Luke 9. 55. Ye know not what maner spirit ye are of So there is called the spirit of lust the spirit of pride c. 4. Pro donis spiritus sancti for the gifts of Gods Spirit Act. 8. 15. Peter and Iohn prayed for the disciples at Samaria that they might receiue the holy Spirit meaning the graces of the holy Spirit Gala. 3. 2. Receiued yee the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of faith 5. Pro efficacia Euangelij for the effectuall working of the Gospel and so it is opposed to the letter 2. Cor. 3. 6. The letter killeth but the Spirit giueth life 6. Pro spiritualibus exercitijs for spirituall exercises Gala. 6. 8. He that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reape euerlasting life Iohn 4. 23. True worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit truth 7. Pro regenerata parte for the regenerate part of a Christian and so it is opposed to the flesh Gala. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit lusteth against the flesh 8. Lastly Pro anima immortalâ—… for the immortall soule Eccl. 12. 7. Dust shall returne to the earth as it was and the spirit shall returne to God who gaue it This spirit did Steuen commend into the hands of Christ. Act. 7. 59. And Christ into the hands of his Father Math. 27. 50. yielding vp the spirit Thus it is taken here Spirits he doth not say bodies they lie in the dust vnder the hope of a better resurrection Spirits Wee find here what becomes of good mens soules when they forsake their bodies they are in the heauenly Citie There are many idle opinions what becomes of mans soule in death Some haue thought that the soules then though they die not yet are still kept within the body as it were asleepe vntill the last day But the Scripture speakes expresly the contrary for Diues his soule was in hell and Lazarus his soule in Abrahams bosome I saw vnder the Altar the soules of them that were slaine for the Word of God Some haue imagined a transmigration of soules forsakeÌ„ of their owne bodies into other bodies Herod seemes to be of this opinion when newes was brought him concerning the fame of Iesus he said to his seruants This is Iohn the Baptist he is risen from the dead He thought that the soule of Iohn was put into the body of Iesus It is alleaged that Nebuchadnezzar liuing and feeding with beasts vntill seuen times were passed ouer him had lost his owne soule and the soule
of a beast was entered in the roome But this is a friuolous conceit indeed God had bereft him of coÌ„mon reason yet he had still the soule of a man Doe not many among vs that haue the soules of men liue like debauched beasts The lustfull like a goate the couetous like a vvolfe the drunkard like a hogge the Politician like a foxe the rayler like a barking curre Others think that the soule neither dieth nor sleepeth nor passeth out of one body into another but wandreth vp and downe here on earth among men and often appeareth to this man ofteÌ„ to that whence came that fabulous opinion that dead men walke For this purpose they alleage the Witch of Endor who made Samuel appeare to Saul and answere him But the truth is that was not Samuel indeed but an apparition the meere counterset of him For not all the Witches in the world nor all the Diuels in hell can disquiet the soules of the faithfull for they are in Gods keeping Dying their soules are immediatly translated to blessednesse there are the spirits of iust men made perfect and there to abide vntill the generall Resurrection shall restore them to their owne bodies For the soules of the Reprobates departing in their sinnes they goe directly to hell and are kept there as in a sure prison Let this instruct all such as haue a Christian hope to let their soules depart with comfort Emittuntur non amittuntur death doth not lose them but loosen them set them free from the bondage of corruption Howle and lament if thou thinke thy soule perisheth There are some that feare not so much to die as to be dead they know the pang is bitter but it is short it is the comfortlesse estate of the dead that is their dread They could well resolue for the act of their passage if they were sure to liue afterwards Animula vagula blandula Whither goest thou said that Heathen Emperour on his death-bed lamenting the doubtful condition of his soule after the parture Very not beeing is abhorred of nature if death had nothing else to make it feareful It is vvofull to lie rotting in the silent graue neither seeing nor seene Heere the Christian lifts vp his head of comfort Lord into thy hands I commend my spirit I lose it not because thou hast it thou wilt keepe it in peace and gâ—…ue it mee backe againe in eternall ioy Of iust men Iustice is ascribed to a Christian tvvo waies There is 1. Passiua iustitia a passiue iustice Christs righteousnesse imputed to him and heereby hee stands perfectly iust before God This the Apostle calls The righteousnesse of GOD which is by faith of Iesus Christ vnto all Christ is made vnto vs righteousnesse This iustice is attained by faith Noah became heire of the righteousnesse which is by faith Abraham belieued GOD and it was counted vnto him for righteousnesse Without this no spirit shall appeare iust before God in heauen Our owne righteousnesse is a couering too short to hide our nakednesse Christs garment is a long robe that couers all 2. Actiua iustitia actiue righteousnesse an effect of the former which is indeed a testimonie that wee are iustified by Christ. Let no man deceiue you hee that doth righteousnesse is righteous Therefore saith Iames A man is iustified by his works if his meaning had beene that our owne works simply acquit vs before GOD it could neuer be reconciled to that of his master when vvee haue done all we can we must call our selues vnprofitable seruants Nor to that of his fellow I see a law in my members warring against the law of my minde nor to that of himselfe In many things wee sinne all Now this iustice effectiue from God actiue in vs is taken two waies Latè and Strictè In a larger sense it is taken for all Pietie and so iustice and holinesse are all one Properly taken Iustification is imputed Sanctification inherent but vnderstanding our iustnesse an effect of Christs iustice imputed to vs so Iustus and Sanctus are conuertible termes They are Iust spirits that is they are Saints Now if we desire to come ad Sanctos to the Saints wee must liue sanctè a holy life God by telling vs who are in heauen teacheth vs who shall come to heauen none but Saints They are set before vs as examples Vt eorum sequamur gratiam et consequamur gloriam that steering their course wee might come to their Hauen The Scripture teacheth vs Quid agendum what is to be done the Saints Quo modo how it is to be done Uita sanctorum interpretatio scripturarum The liues of holy men is a kind of Commentary or interpretation of the holy writ Let vs as we doe by good copies not onely lay them before vs and looke on them but write after them For it is not sufficient Legere sed degere vitam sanctorum not to read but to lead the liues of Saints Papists in this goe too farre as euil men come too short Good men imitate the Saints but doe not worship them Papists worship the Saints but doe not imitate them lewd men doe neither Perhaps they will imitate their infirmities as if onely for that they liked them for which onely God misliked them The Saints are to bee held as Patternes not as Patrones of our life But the Papists praise not God in his Saints nor the Saints for God but as God Onely let vs reuerently walke in their grace that we may ioyfully come to their place In a stricter sense it is taken for that morall vertue which giues to euery man his owne This vertue hath beene highly commended in the heathen but one saith truly Iustitia ethnic orum miranda potius quà m laudanda their Iustice deserued more admiration then commendation they wanted him that should make them iust They so affected this iustice that they tooke Sirnames from it Aristides was called Iustus Scipio Iustus Fabius Iustus Their iustice was no vertue but a shadow of vertue They neyther knew the Lord Deum virtutis nec Christum virtutem Dei the God of vertue nor Christ the vertue of God Onely Iesus is Iustus Christ suffered for sinnes the iust for the vniust Ye denyed the Holy one and the Iust. There was another Iesus called Iustus a helper of the Apostles but Christ is Dominus Iustitia nostra The Lord our Righteousnesse By him we are onely made iust In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be iustified and glory Being thus iustified let vs be iust not doing that to others which we would not haue others do to vs and doing that to others which wee desire to bee done to our selues Some are iust in small matters so the Pharises pay tithe of mint annise and cummine but omit waightier things This is Pharisaica Iustitia a Puritane righteousnesse not to endure an houres recreation on the Sunday yet to robbe
and acceptable to God by addition of our prauity becomes euill Thus the best actions of an vniustified person are so leuened with his owne corruption that God abhorres them Your new Moones and your appointed Feasts my soule hateth they are a trouble to me I am weary to beare them when ye make many prayers I will not heare you What is the reason Your hands are full of bloud Euen sacrifices and supplications good seruices in their owne nature are made displeasing by the leuen of sinne He that killeth an Oxe is as if he slue a man he that sacrificeth a Lambe as if hee cut off a dogs neck Sacrifices God commanded and often commended yet victimae impiorum the oblations of the wicked are abominated Non speciosalaus in ore peccatorum Praise becommeth not the mouth of a sinner Euery vnregenerate man Claudicat in rectis halts in the straitest path Omnia naturalia bona polluta omnia supernaturalia amissa His portion of naturall good is defiled but of supernaturall good all share is vanished Peccaui was Dauids voice after his sinfull Arithmeticke the same was Iudas his voice after his damned treason Similis sonus non sinus there was the same sound but not the same heart Esau wept as much after the losse of the blessing as Peter after the denyall of his Master Similes lacrimae non animae like teares but vnlike soules The Pharise went to Church so well as the Publican but the Publican came home rather iustified then the Pharise The Pharises threw bounteously into the Treasury the poore widow two Mites yet Christ commends the poorer gift for the richer charity That worke which seemes the same In identitate operis yet differs much Ratione agentis in respect of the workers Many Heathen excelled vs in morall vertues yet the ignorance of Christ did shut heauen against them Vae tibi Aristoteles laudaris vbi non es damnaris vbi es Woe to thee O Aristotle who art commended where thou art not and condemned where thou art yea euen in a iustified mans workes though pure from the Spirit yet passing through his hands there is some tang of this leuen enough to keepe them from being meritorious Looke then well both to the iustification of thy person and the sanctification of thy workes Thou indeed confessest sinne to be damnable but it would grieue thee to go to hell for thy good deeds Though a man should giue all his goods to the poore yet wanting Faith and Loue he may for his charity go to the deuill Pray then that thy defects may bee supplyed by Christ Who gaue himselfe a sacrifice for vs to God of a sweet smelling sauour perfuming vs with the pleasant odour of his merits 3. By Leuen sowred we make rellishable bread for the vse of man so by the vngodly's most cursed sinnes God will aduance his glory Will Pharaoh harden his heart I will get me honour vpon him saith God That Leuen of malice which so wred the soules of those Brethren against poore Ioseph the Lord made vse of to his glory From that vngracious practice hee raised a pedegree of blessings Otherwise there had beene no prouision in Aegypt no bread to spare for Israel no wonders wrought by Moses no Manna from heauen no Law from Sinai no possession of Canaan So from the vnnaturallest murther that euer the Sunne beheld yea which the Sunne durst not looke vpon God glorified himselfe in sauing vs. The Oppressor impouerisheth the righteous God sees and suffers and from his villany effectuates their good by taking away those snares to saue their soules The Lord will glorifie himselfe in the vessels of destruction and the grones in hell shall honour his Iustice so well as the songs in heauen honour his mercy How much better is it to glorifie God in faithfulnesse that will preserue thee then in wickednesse which will destroy thee 4. A man cannot Liue by bread only much worse by Leuen No man can liue for euer by his righteousnesse and good works much lesse by his sinnes Sinne is no nourishment to the soule vnles as some Mithridates-like haue so inured their bodies to poison that Venenum nutrit euen venime doth batten them so others their soules to sinne that they cannot keepe life without it And indeed we say of some things that they nourish sicknesse and feed death Omne simile nutrit simile inward corruption is fed maintained by outward action Couetice in Iudas is nourished by filching his masters money Murder in Ioab is hartned and hardned with bloud Theft is fatted with booties pride with gay rags vsury battens by extortion Sacriledge by Church-robbing Pascitur Libido conuiuijs nutritur delicijs vino accenditur ebrietate flammatur Banketting is the diet of lust Wantonnesse her Nurse Wine kindles a heate in her bloud and Drunkennesse is the powder that sets her on fire Thus sinne feeds vpon this leuen but with the same successe that Israel vpon quailes they fatted their carkasses but made them leane soules Though this leuen passe the swallow yet stickes in the stomach sinne may be deuoured but lies heauy on the conscience Bread of deceit is sweet to a man but his mouth shall be filled with grauell It may be sweet in his mouth but it is the gall of Aspes in his bowels Putrid meate is apt to breed and feed wormes so this Leuen the worme of conscience when they once come to feele it worke then ready to cry This is my death vnlesse God giue them a good vomite of repentance to put it off their soules and the sober dyet of sanctification to amend and rectifie their liues 5. Lastly Sinne and leuen are fitly compared for their sowrenesse There is a Leuen sharpe and sowre but sanatiue The Kingdome of heauen is like vnto leuen But this leuen here is farre sowrer yet hath nothing but death in it It is sowre to God sowre to Angels sowre to Saints sowre to the sinner Sinne is sowrer then any Leuen 1. Sowre to God who hates nothing but sinne He made man and man made sinne Hee loues his owne creature but he hates mans creature Sinne is sowrer to him then the deuill For Non odit peccatum Diaboli cansa sed Diabolum peccati causa He hates not sinne for the deuils sake but the deuill for sinnes sake It is so sowre to him that for one sinne hâ—…e plagued a world of men how will he plague one man for a world of sinne So sowre that he could rellish no man for it till hee had killed it in the sides of Iesus Christ. We are all so sowre that but for this sweetning and perfume we could neuer haue beene endured The Scripture for our vnderstanding ascribes senses to God and we finde euery sense displeased with sinne 1. It is offensiue to his smelling He tels the Iewes that their sinnes did stinke in his nosthrils So did the old World offend him that he washed
him from walking to standing from standing to sitting stil and this is limen inferni the very threshold of hell Wee iudge of sinne as of the Sunne little because far off yet indeed it is bigger then the earth The neerer wee come to the sense of iniquity the greater it appeares Was it such a sinne for Adam to eate a forbidden Apple Yes the greatnes is remonstrable in the euent it brought destruction vpon himselfe and his posterity Is it such a haynous offence for Dauid to know the number of his people Doe not Princes make good their Muster-books by such a Quare and numeration The plague witnessed the greatnesse of it and himselfe cryes Peccaui I haue done wickedly Looke on the least sin in Satans false glasse and it seemes contemptible behold it in the true glasse of Gods Law and it appeares abhominable The Deuill stands betwixt wicked men and their sinnes all their life but placeth their sinnes betwixt heauen and themselues in death writes them in Text letters on the Curtaines that their amazed soules cannot chuse but read them Thus he that led them liuing by sin to presumption now driues them dying by sinne to desperation Satan seemes modest and will bee contented vvith a little when hee can get no more he will play at small game before he sit out Wilt thou not cut throats yet quarrell and appoint fields not so yet hate thine enemies not professe hatred yet watch occasions to hinder his good if thou wilt not iniure his estate yet at least scandalize his good name He will take little rather then nothing The Israelites in the Desart had no rich and costly sacrifices to offer to Baal Peor They had not such store of beasts but the oblations to God tooke them vp I cannot see what they should haue fit for this sacrifice to Baal except Manna and water too good for the Deuill but hee â—…s content with this Yet it is euident that they committed Idolatry Neyther be yee Idolaters as were some of them as it is written The people sate downe to eate and drinke and rose vp to play Rather then want their custome Satan will take such as they had Will Naaman worship God yet let him worship Rimmon too no hee will not doe so yet let him bow to Rimmon no nor so much yet let him bow before Rimmon the Deuill is glad of this where he can get no more Thus Pharaoh minceth and limits with Moses concerning the dismission of Israel Gods charge was Let my people goe three daies iourney in the wildernesse to celebrate a feast to the Lord. Now marke how Pharaoh would compound it First Sacrifice to God in this land no saith Moses wee must goe into the wildernesse Then saith Pharaoh If there be no remedy Goe and goe to the wildernesse and sacrifice to your God but goe not farre nay wee must goe three dayes iourney Then Pharaoh Goe ye the men but leaue your children behinde you nay we must goe old and young sons and daughters Then Pharaoh Goe ye men women and children so farre as your feet can measure in three dayes but your flocks and your heards shall be stayd nay we will not leaue a hoofe behinde vs. So when the Deuill perceiues no remedy hee falls to indenting with niggardly grants and allowances Somwhat hath some sauor giue him at least a thought a word a looke as Lots wife and it something pleaseth him Among the Heathen they vsed to ioyne together Epula and Sacrificia with solemne sacrifices to their gods solemne bankets among themselues So the Apostle deliuers the custome of the Moabites 1. Cor. 10. 7. In the midst of their Idolatry they sate downe to eate drinke So the Psalmist writes of that cursed commixtion of Israel with Moab that they had Idolatrous feasts They ioyned themselues to Baal-Peor and did eate the sacrifices of the dead One nation had a custome in these superstious feasts to sacrifice to their Idol Capita some Noble mens heads according as it fell to their lots together with their hearts and their liuers It came to the turne of the Kings speciall fauourite thus to lose his life the King resoluing both to keep the custome yet to saue his friend obiected that God was no murderer nor delighted in the bloud of men That if he were a God he was certainely good and goodnesse stood not in the desire of his owne creatures destruction Therefore in stead of the mans head he offered the head of an onyon and for bloud heart and liuers of men all these of birds or beasts The Deuill must be pleased with this hee saw that this little homage was some acknowledgement of his soueraignty Satan can hold a mans soule in by a little as a bird that hangs in the net by a claw Perhaps shame feare keepes some from eruption into scandalous things the appearance is vizarded the affection is not mortified Like an Eunuch he doth not beget palpable grosse turpitudes yet hath a lust itch and concupiscence this little serues the Deuils turne Satan would keepe away the light of the Truth from a man well he is so seated that hee will haue it by knowledge he seemes to cast out Satan Yet if he can but insinuate into his affection this little cord will pull him in againe with ease Must he lose the Sconce of thy vnderstanding Let him hold the Cittadell of thy desires this little gate will let him in at his pleasure I draw to conclusion let this teach vs all to make a scrutiny in our soules and seriously to repent of this little leuen Little in quantity great in quality little in estimation powerfull in operation Little in the sight of men iudging by outward appearance great in the sight of God iudging in truth Lot said of the City of Zoar Is it not a little one and my soule shall liue thou sayest of thy sinne Is it not a little one and why should my soule die A little Posterne opened may betray the greatest City Ionathan tasted but a little honey on the top of his wand and hardly he escaped death for it A little leauen makes the head heauy and the heart sicke Eschevv this little if thou wouldst be great in heauen For whosoeuer shall breake one of these least Commandements hee shall bee called least in the kingdome of heauen Minimus that is indeed Nullus the least there because he shall not be there at all Let no tang of corruption come to thy least part if thou desirest to preserue body and soule blamelesse to the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ. Repentance must be to all dead workes sanctification takes liberty in no sinne Nullum peccatum retinendum spe remissionis No euill must be reserued vnder the hope of forgiuenesse God gaue a Law but no dispensation for any breach of it his Generall rules haue no exceptions vnlesse it please the Diuine Oracle
gratious God hath made vs able Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the Spirit for the letter killeth but the spirit giueth life The proper office of the Law was to threaten terrifie condemne Lex non damnans est ficta pictalex sayth Luther That law that doth not condemne is a fained and a painted law But the power of the Gospell is to conuert and saue The Lord hath annointed me sayth the Prophet in the person of Christ to preach good tydings vnto the meeke to bind vp the broken-hearted to proclaime libertie to the captiâ—…es and the acceptable yeare of the Lord to comfort all that mourne The law was called the Ministration of death but the Gospell like Iohn Baptist points vs to Christ a Sauiour Behold the Lambâ—… of God tâ—…king away the sinne of the world The law menaced death but the Gospell assures vs There is no damnation to them which are in Christ. When the law like a sterne Seriant arresteth thee Pay that thou owest the Gospell produceth an acquitâ—…ance â—…ealed in the bloud of Iesus and sayes to thy faith All is payed Quod lex operum minando imperâ—…t lex fidei credendo impetrâ—…t What the law of workes commanded threatning the new law of fayth obtaineth by beleeuing 2. The Gospell is also more glorious and that both in regard of the Countenance and Continuance For beautie more glorious because it is more honourable to be the messenger of mercie and life then to be the minister of terrour and death A deathsman is accounted base but their feete are beautifull that bring tydings of peace and pardon If the ministration of condemnation be glorie much more doth the ministration of righteousnes exceede in glorie For Continuance Moses glory is done away but the glory of Moses his Lord remaines for euer The law was giuen by Moses but grace and truth came by Christ Iesus The type is vanished banished but the substance abideth euer When that which is perfect comes that which is in part is done away There was a second Testament to succeed the first but after the second shall succeed none So that if any man shall wilfully and finally euacuate to himselfe the vertue of this new Couenant there remaineth no more sacrifice for his sinnes Therfore the Apostle concludes If that which is done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious The bloud of Christ doth mystically run fresh to the end of the world therefore the Gospell must be preached that this bloud may be applied The Gospell is that Star that must bring vs to Christ therfore shall shine till our soules come to him in glory The very subiect of the Gospell is euerlasting life therfore it shall not leaue vs till it hath brought vs thither 2 This Vntill giues matter of exhortation instructing vs to waite with patience for this blessed tyme to be content to stay for Gods Vntill It is a sweet mixture of ioy in trouble the certaine hope of future â—…ase Thou art captiued thou shalt be freed thou art persecuted shalt triumph thou art fought against shalt raigne thou art derided but thou shalt shine in glory Onely quietly expect this Vntill Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry But Vntill this recompense of reward comes ye haue neede of patience Labour not a violent extrication of thy selfe abide and waite Till we all meete in the vnitie of fayth c. We are got through the gate let vs now enter the Citie werein we shall find fiâ—…e principall Passages or Streets What aâ—…ting â—…ting Who We yea we All all the Saints Wherin In Vnitie that vnitie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whereof Of the Faith knowledge of Gods Sonne Whereunto To a perfect man Vnto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. What Meeâ—…e The meeting of friends is eâ—…er comfortable When the brethrâ—…n heard of vs they came to meete vs as farre as Appiâ—… forum whom when Paul saw he thanked God and toâ—…ke courage They haue sullen and tetricall spirits whom the sight of good friends cannot cheare Fraternum verè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ecâ—… quâ—…m bonum c. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in vnitie Some things are good but not pleasant as afflictions they are not sweet yet proâ—…table It was good for me that I haue beâ—…e afflicted that I might learne thâ—… statutes Other things are pleasant but not good The wicked take delight in sinne which sâ—…ayeth the soule But this is both Bonum and Iuâ—…undum good and pleasant also There is a threefold meeting of the godly 1 In this life with their soules in their bodies 2 After death of their soules without bodies 3 At the last day of both together in glory 1. In this life and here the communis terminus of their meeting is Gods house Where alwayes Christ himselfe is one of the number Wheresoeuer two or three of you be gathered together in my name I will be in the midst of you But to haue his blessed societie we must not only bring our bodyes but our minds with them Quomodo erit Christus in medio nostrum â—…i nobiscum non erimus How should Christ be with vs if we be not with our selues Plus valet consonantia voluntatum quâ—…m vocum The harmonie of our voyces is not so pleasing to God as of our hearts This is the happiest meeting in this world The denyall of this comfort made the soule of Dauid sicke cast downe disquieted within him And his reuiuall was that he might goe vnto the altar of God vnto God his exceeding ioy Indeede the vngodly thinke not thus they are more delighted with the tabernacles of Meshek and the tauernes of Kâ—…der In the 2. of Luke when Ioseph Mary had lost Iesus comming from Ierusalem they sought him among their kinsfolke and acquaintance But they found him not till they came to Ierusalem there he was in the Temple The children of God when they seeke Christ find him not in the world among their kinred friends in the flesh but in Domo Dei in the house of God It is dangerous to be absent from these holy meetings least we misse of our Sauiours companie God did not promise to meete thee here thou vsurer at the Banke thou drunkard at the alehouse thou sluggard on thy vnseasonable couch but at the Church Christ comes to appeare to vs and we are gone some about our farmes of couetousnes others about carnall pleasures In vaine we seeke God if not in his right Vbi where he hath promised to be found Fugienti bonum consortium obuenit corruptum corrumpens sodalitium He that eschewes Christian meetings shall be met withall either by the Deuill when he is lazy or by the Deuils friends when he is busie 2. When death
fall into the hands of the liuing God It is then wretchedly done thou Foole to iest at sinne that angers God who is able to anger all the vaines of thy heart for it 6. Sinne which was punished euen in heauen Angeli detruduntur propter peecatum 2. Pet. 2. God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them downe to hell It could bring downe Angels from heauen to hell how much more men from earth to hell If it could corrupt such glorious natures what power hath it against dust and ashes Art thou better or dearer then the Angelles were Dost thou flowt at that which condemned them Goe thy wayes make thy selfe merry with thy sinnes mocke at that which threw downe Angels Vnles God giue thee repentance and another minde thou shalt speed as the lost Angels did For God may as easilie cast thee from earth as he did them from heauen 7. Sinne which God so loathed that hee could not saue his owne elect because of it but by killing his owne Sonne It is such a disease that nothing but the bloud of the Sonne of God could cure it He cured vs by taking the receits himselfe which we should haue taken He is first cast into a Sweat such a sweat as neuer man but he felt when the bubbles were droppes of bloud Would not sweating serue he comes to incision they pierce his hands his feete his sides and set life it selfe abroach Hee must take a potion too as bitter as their malice could make it compounded of vineger gall And lastly he must take a stranger and stronger medicine then all the rest he must die for our sinnes Behold his harmles hands pierced for the sinnes our harmefull hands had committed His vndefiled feete that neuer stood in the wayes of euill nailed for the errors of our pathes Hee is spitted on to purge away our vncleannesse clad in scornefull Robes to couer our wickednesse whipped that we might escape euerlasting scourges He would thirst that our soules might be satisfied the Eternall would die that we might not die eternally He is content to beare all his Fathers wrath that no pang of that burden might be imposed vppon vs and seeme as forsaken a while that we by him might be receiued for euer Behold his side become bloudie his heart dry his face pale his armes stiffe after that the streame of bloud had ran downe to his wounded feet O thinke if euer man felt sorrow like him or if he felt any sorrow but for Sinne. Now is that Sinne to be laughed at that cost so much torment Did the pressure of it lie so heauie on the Sonne of God and doth a son of man make light of it Did it wring from him sweat and bloud and teares and vnconceiueable groanes of an afflicted spirit and dost thou O foole iest at it Alas that which put our infinite Redeemer God and man so hard to it must needs swallow vp and confound thee poore sinfull wretch It pressed him so farre that he cryed out to the amasement of earth and heauen My God My God why hast thou forsaken me Shall he cry for them and shal we laugh at them Thou mockest at thy oppressions oathes sacriledges lusts frauds for these hee groaned Thou scornest his Gospell preached he wept for thy scorne Thou knowest not O foole the price of a Sinne thou must doe if thy Sauiour did not for thee If he suffred not this for thee thou must suffer it for thy selfe Passio aeterna erit in te si passio Aeterni non erat pro te An eternall passion shall be vpon thee if the Eternals passion were not for thee Looke on thy Sauiour and make not a mocke at Sinne. 8 Lastly Sinne shall be punished with Death you know what death is the wages of it not onely the first but the second death Inexpressible are those torments when a reprobate would giue all the pleasures that eâ—…er he enioyed for one drop of water to coole his tongue Where there shall be vnquencheable fire to burne not to giue light saue a glimmering ad ag grauationem vt videant vnde doleant non ad consulâ—…ionem ne videant vnde gandeant to shew them the torments of others and others the torments of themselues But I cease vrging this terrour and had rather win you by the loue of God then by his wrath and Iustice. Neither neede I a stronger argument to disswade you from sinne then by his passion that dyed for vs being enemies For if the agonie anguish and heart-bloud of Iesus Christ shed for our sinnes will not moue vs to repentance we are in a desperate case Now therefore I fitly leaue Pauls adiuration so sweetely tempered in your bosomes commending that to your consciences and your consciences to God I beseech yâ—… brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto GOD. THE FIRE OF CONTENTION OR The trouble that followes the Gospell Lvk. 12. 49. I come to send fire on the earth and what will I if it be alreadie kindled BEfore I run vpon Diuision and yet Diuision is the subiect of my Text and for methods sake I must vse some diuision in my discourse I must let you vnderstand what this Fire is that is sent and how innocent our Sauiour is that sendeth it 1. There may be Dessention betwixt the good and the good and hereof is the Deuill the author It is the Enemie that sowes those Tares This is one of the abominations that the Lord abhorreth A false witnes that speaketh lies and him that soweth discord among brethren God is neuer the immediate cause of that which he abominates If any man seeme to be contentious we haue no such custome neither the Churches of God To cleare Christ and his Gospell from causing this the tenour of all Scriptures admonisheth vs with Saint Peter Be ye all of one mind hauing compassion one of another loue as brethren be pitifull be courteous Vnitie is the badge of Christianitie wee are all the members of one bodie The eye cannot say to the hands I haue no need of you c. We are all stones of one building therefore must not iarre one with another least we ruine the whole house Christ sayth that a kingdome diuided cannot stand The Souldiours would not diuide the vnseamed coate of Christ farre bee it from vs to rent his bodie There are three grounds of loue vertue pleasure profite Vertue all consent to be the surest and best That then which is grounded on the best vertue is the best vnitie and this is Faith Loue issuing from Faith is a bond able to tie God to man man to God and therefore man to man This knot is tyed so fast that the powers of hell cannot vndoe it All other vnities but the Communion of Saints may be broken There is no peace so indissoluble as the peace of faith So contrarily there
This is not to be vnderstood of offence onely giuen to the Ministers of the Church but to signifie that a woman throwing off the vaile of modestie and token of subiection to her husband doth make euen the Angels of heauen witnesses of her dissolute contumacie The Angels are present with thee when all men on the earth are absent from thee I aske thee when thou pollutest the marriage bed attemptest an homicide plottest a treason forgest a vvriting wouldest thou then haue the Angels present with thee or absent from thee If thou desirest them present why dost thou offend them by thy turpitudes If absent thy protectors are gone and the diuels would easily confound thee Nonfacias coram Angelis Dei yea coram Deo Angelorum Do not that thing before the Angels of God yea before the GOD of Angels vvhich thou wouldest shame to doe in the sight and presence of an earthly man Yet let vs marke here by the way that albeit the Angels deserue our reuerence yet they desire not our adoration Indeed the euill Angels request it it was a speciall boone which the Diuell begd of Christ to fall downe worship him But the good refuse it See thou doe it not for I am thy fellow seruant saith the Angell to kneeling Iohn As we vsually come too short in our due reuerence to the Angels so the Papists goe too farre in vndue adoration They haue a set prayer for it Angele Dei Custos mei me tibi commissum lege superâ—…a semper rege custodi guberna This sacrilegious honour those holy spirits refuse they take no charge of such superstitious soules Accipiunt commissum non arripiâ—…nt inconcessum Honorandi non adorandi sunt Angeli Let them be honored but not adored Loue and reuerence the Angels onely worship God and Iesus Christ. 3. This declares to vs the excellent company that is in heauen Were the place lesse noble and maiesticall yet the company it affords is able to make the soule right blessed We are loth to leaue this earth for the societie of some friends in whom we delight yet wee are all subiect to mutuall dislikes Besides the meeting of those good friends againe in heauen there be also glorious Angels There is nothing in them but is amiable admirable nothing in possibilitie of changing our pleasures There thou shalt see and conuerse with those ancient Worthies Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessors Fathers of the Primitiue times all of them out-shining the starres where our loue shall be as eternall as is our glory There wee shall liue familiarly in the sight of those Angels whom now we receiue good from and see not Yea there is the fountaine of all felicity that Sauiour of ours whose grace onely brings vs to the blessed vision of the whole Trinitie Neither can there be a higher happinesse then the eternall fruition of Iesus Christ. Let this teach vs all to blesse our God that hath thus aduanced vs. Man is corporeall dust O that this clay of ours should come to dwel with those incorporeal spirits We shal be as the Angels of God in heauen Sicut non ipsi like Angels though not Angels in nature Communicatione spei non speciei we haue now a communion of hope with them hereafter of glory To this place O thou Creator of men Angels bring vs through Iesus Christ. To the generall assembly and Church of the first borne which are written in Heauen Our Apostle hath spoken of the Churches glory typically and topically now he describes it materially First the Essence of it what it is The Church Secondly the Propertie of it what kind of Church it is Generall or Catholike Thirdly what are the parts of it of whom it consists Of the first borne written in Heauen The Church This word is taken in diuerse significations For the materiall Temple 1. Cor. 11. 18. When ye come together in the Church I heare there are diuisions among you For the faithfull domestikes of one Familie 1. Cor. 16. 19. Aquila and Priscilla salute you vvith the Church that is in their house For the professors of one Prouince The Church of Corinth of Ephesus c. For some famous company of Beleeuers gathered together in one place 1. Cor. 14. 4. He that prophecieth edifies the Church For an Ecclesiasticall Senate or Synode Mat. 18. 17. If he shall neglect to heare them Dic Ecclesiae tell it vnto the Church For the whole number of the Elect. Mat. 16. 18. Vpon this Rocke I will build my Church Acts 5. 11. Great feare came vpon all the Church 1. Tim. 3. 15. Which is the Church of the liuing GOD the pillar and ground of truth Here first let me premise three circumstances concerning the Church 1. Though it be a Generall Assembly yet it is but one There be threescore Queenes and fourescore Concubines and Virgins without number but my Doue my vndefiled is but one shee is the onely one of her Mother Indeed there be two parts of this One Church Triumphant in Heauen and Militant on Earth The Triumphant part is a company of Iustified spirits triumphing ouer the flesh vvorld and diuell spirits I say for bodies are not yet ascended They haue two happy priuiledges 1. To reioyce in the conquest ouer sinne and death the most righteous man liuing is in praelio in a continuall warfare But so are the other for Saint Iohn saith There was warre in Heauen This must be vnderstood of heauen on earth vvhere there is no truce with Satan Pax cum Deo bellum cum diabolo We haue peace with God but on this condition that warre with the diuell Therefore so runne the promises Uincenti dabitur To him that ouercomes shall be giuen Palmes to shew that they had been warriours are now conquerours 1. To praise God continually and to sing Amen Blessing and glory thankesgiuing and honour be vnto God for euer and euer The militant part is a company of men liuing vnder the crosse and desiring to be with Christ. They suffer and this is their way to glory through much tribulation entring into the kingdome of God They desire dissolution being willing rather to be absent from the body and to bee present with the Lord not simply and absolutely desiring death but first that they might leaue sinning and so cease to displease God and then to come neerer to their blessed Sauiour whose loue hath rauished their hearts Now this militant Church may haue many parts as the Ocean sea is but one yet distinguished according to the Regions vpon which it lies So there is the Spanish Ocean the English Ocean the German Ocean There is a Church in England a Church in France a Church in Germany yet there is but one militant Church Multa Ecclesiae vna Ecclesia saith S. Augustine One Sunne many beames one Kingdome many shires one tree many branches 2. We must note that Christ is the alone head of his
their sensuall pleasures vt cogitationes accusatrices non audiant Lyran That they heare not the accusation of their thoughts but then it vvill be heard and felt Novv it may plucke a man by the sleeue and craue audience but it is drowned vvith the noyse of good fellowship Besides Hactenus est â—…ccultus testis it is hitherto a secret vvitnesse only known to him that hath it but then the booke that is now sealed shall be opened and all the world shall read it As the seale leaues a print in the waxe behinde it so the conscience an impression of past sinnes in the thoughts indeleble characters vvhich death it selfe shall not eate out Conscience here doth vvitnesse accuse or excuse but Christ shall there iudge the secrets of all hearts God the Iudge of all let vs now looke into the particulars Quis Qualis Quorum Deus Iudex vniuer sorum The three vvords answer to three questions Who God What is he A Iudge Of whom Of all God It is manifest that this honour belongs to Christ therefore Christ is God God hath appointed a day wherin he vvil iudge the world in righteousnes by that man whom he hath ordained He hath giuen him authority to execute iudgment because he is the Son of man To this consents that article of our faith in the Creed that he who suffred vnder Pilate shall come to iudge quicke and dead But it is obiected that to iudge is the action of the whole Trinity true it is commoÌ„ to all but the execution of it pertains to one God iudgeth but by the Son so distinctly Rom. 2. 16. God shal iudge the secrets of al harts by Iesus Christ God by Christ. But it is further obiected that the Saints shall iudge Ye shall sit vpon twelue thrones iudging the twelue Tribes of Israel Know ye not that the Saints shall iudge the world This truly is a great honour to the Apostles and Saints To be Iudge of a Circuit is an honourable office vvhat is it then to iudge the vvorld But there is great difference they haue potestatem accessoriam an accessory power Christ imperatoriam a principall and imperiall power All power is giuen to me in heauen and in earth He hath Honorem Primarium the prime honour they subordinatum deriued from his Christ giues Sententiam iudicatoriam they onely apprâ—…batoriam hee the sentence of iudgement they of approbation As the Iustices on the bench are in some manner Iudges not in giuing the sentence but in approuing the sentence giuen The Saints therefore may be said to iudge Vel exemplo vel testimonio vel â—…ffragio 1. By their example for their liues shal condemn the wicked as Noahs handy work did the old vvorld So the Apostles shall iudge Israel because their faith shall take froÌ„ Israel all excuse Such a iudgement Christ speaks of The Niniuits shal rise in iudgement with this generation shall condemn it The Queen of the South shall rise vp in iudgement with it and shall condemne it The goodnes of the one shal iudge condemne the badnes of the other So Christ stops the blasphemous mouthes of the Iewes accusing him to worke by Beelzebub If I doe it by him by whom doe your children cast out Deuils Therfore they shall be your Iudges 2. By their Testimony who can vvitnes that the meanes of saluation was offered them in the Gospell which they not accepting are iustly condemned Hee that reiecteth me and receiueth not my words hath one that iudgeth him The word that I haue spoken the same shall iudge him in the last day So shal Babylon be iudged by those that would haue cured her but she would not be cured 3. By their suffrage and approuall of Christs righteous sentence Thus shall the Elect iudge the world yea euen the Angels Know ye not that we shall iudge the Angels By world we must vnderstand the wicked and by the Angels Deuils And certainly the Saints haue some place in this iudgment They shall iudge the Nations and haue dominion ouer the people their Lord shall raigne for euer Christ shall set all his aduersaries before his own face and the face of his Church where they shall behold those become their Iudges whom they once esteemed and vsed as their slaues This is he whom we sometimes had in derision now hee is numbred among the children of GOD and his portion is among the Saints But vvhy is the execution of this iudgement committed to the second person in the Trinitie to Christ 1. It is fit that he who came to be iudged should also come to iudge Tunc manifestus veniet inter iustos iudicaturus iustè qui occultè vener at iudicandus ab iniustis iniustè He that came in humility to be iudged by the vniust vniustly shall come in glory to iudge all iustly 2. As it is for the honour of Christ so is it for the horror of his enemies when they shall see him whâ—…m they haue pierced intreating the Rockes and mountaines to hide them from the presence of him that sits on the Throne In maiestate visuri sunt quem in humilitate videre noluerunt Vt tantò districtius virtutem sentiant quantò contemptius infirmitatem dâ—…riserunt They shall behold him in Maiesty whom they would not daigne to looke vpon in humility The baser they esteemed his vveakenesse the heauier they shall finde and feele his mightinesse Then Christ stood like a Lambe before Pilate a Lyon now Pilate like a malefactor shall stand before Christ his Iudge Crucifie him crucifie him vvas the sentence of the Iewes Bind them hand and foote and throw them into vtter darkenesse will be the sentence of Christ. We will not haue this man raigne ouer vs was their sentence Bring those mine enemies which would not that I should raigne â—…uer them slay them before me this is Christs sentence The vngodly conspire Let vs breake his bonds afunder and cast away his câ—…rds from vs therefore vers 9. hee shall breake them with a rod of yron and dish them in pieces like a potters vessell Thus he that was once made the footstoole of his enemies shall raigne till hee hath made all his enemies his footstoole As Ioshua dealt vvith the fiue Kings hid in the Caue of Makkedah brought them out caused his Captaines of warre to set their feet on the neckes of them then slew them and hanged them on trees So shall Christ triumph ouer his enemies their neckes subiected to the feet of the Saints and their substances cast into endlesse torments 3. For the comfort of his chosen ones hee is their Iudge that is their Sauiour He that gaue the bloud of mercy to saue them from the hand of Iustice wil not now condemne them O blessed mercy that so triumphs against Iudgement yea Iustice and Mercy are met together in this Iudge Iustice vpon them that
for this doth vexe and sting the most obstinate soule By this Cain was driuen to confesse the monstrousnesse of his sinne 3. The practice of naturall men euinceth it who by force of nature performed some things agreeable to equity The Gentiles hauing not the Law doe by nature the things contained in the Law The very Gentiles had many excellent politicke Lawes and positiue constitutions This seemes to cleare the meaning of Plato's two assertions Legem esse inuentionem veritatis that was the Law of Nature Legem esse imitationem veritatis such were the positiue decrees grounded vpon the other But what precepts doth this Law containe and what remnants of it doth man retaine The Law of nature commands man to liue religiously to God aboue him iustly to man with him soberly to things vnder him To deale iustly with men nature giues him two rules one affirmatiue What thou wouldest haue others to doe to thee so doe to them the other negatiue Quod â—…ibi fieri non vis alteri ne feceris Do not that to others which thou wouldst not haue them doe to thee Euen nature Instructs a man how to rule his affections So Tullie Animus imperat corpori vt Rex ciuibus ratio libidmi vt seruis dominus The minde gouernes the body as a King raignes ouer his subiects the reason lust as a master ouer his seruants Whence had hee this but from nature There is vis rationis orationis adorationis By the vertue of reason man loues man by the power of discourse man regards himselfe by the power of worship man respects God If wee should examine the particular commandements 1. They acknowledged one God Tâ—…lly protested that when he wrote seriously he mentioned but one God and he did but ludere play the Poet when he spake of more Moses called this God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Plato 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Numa Pompilius iudged it vnlawfull to ascribe any forme to God inuisible 3. They durst indeed play with their puppets imaginary gods Uenus and Cupid c. But for the Deity O may not the reuerence of his vnknowne name condemne vs They cry out Great is their Diana this vindicates them from vilipending the name If they had knowne a greater God they would haue giuen greater reuerence to his Name 4. Diuers of the Gentiles had their Sabbaoths mingled with strange superstitions but they were taught by nature to set apart some time for worship 5. They commanded and commended honour to Parents Solon ordaining no law for Parricides answered there were none so vnnaturall for to attempt it 6. That murder was held abominable appeares by their punishing it according to Gods Law with death 7. That Adultery was odious it is manifest by Pharaoh Why saidst thou She is my sister so I might haue taken her to me to wife By Abimelech to Abraham What haue I offended thee that thou hast brought on mee and my kingdome a great sinne By Abimelech to Isaac What is this thou hast done vnto vs one might haue lyen with thy Wife and thou shouldest haue brought guiltines vpon vs. 8. Theft some punished with death other with double restitution Cato being asked Quid foenerari what it was to practise vsury answered Quid hominem â—…ccidere the same that to kill a man 9. They so hated and auoided falshood and lying that they would not suffer a man to be witnesse against his enemy 10. They thought it vnlawfull to couet other mens goods One of them said Concupiscere alienâ—… sit à me alienatâ—… But now their naturall knowledge being so obscured shall yet the Law of nature condemn yes for the inuisible things of God might be vnderstood by the things that are made so that they are without excuse God could not bee apprehended by them any other way then by nature yet sinning against him they are without excuse Powre out thy fury vpon the heathen that know thee not and vpon the kingdomes that haue not called on thy name He shall come in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God By this shall many millions of men be condemned Inexcusabilis oft omnis peccator vel reatâ—… originis Originall guilt makes vs inexcusable without voluntary additament Ignorantia â—…ius qui â—…oluit intelligere est peccantis culpa Ignorantia eius qui noâ—… potuit intelligere est peccati pâ—…na In virisque non est iusta â—…xcusatio sed est iusta damâ—…atio His Ignorance that would not vnderstand is the wickednesse of sinne his ignorance that could not vnderstand is the punishment of sinne Doth not this latter excuse Yes a Tanto but not a Toto from so much guiltines but not from all guiltines Ignorance can be no plea for all are bound to know it serues not a malefactors turne to plead Ignorâ—…tiam iuris that hee knew not the Law of his Prince which he hath broken I know that simple nescience is minoris culpae but not nullae a lesse fault not no fault The knowing seruant disobedient shall haue many stripes the ignorant is not spared though lesse punished To the ignorant are two wants knowledge and a good will but hee that sinnes wittingly hath but one want onely a good will Hee that failes on knowledge hath voluntatem facti peccati a will both to the deed and to the sinne He that failes in ignorance hath onely voluntatem facti non peccati a will of the deed not of the sinne though the deed be a sinne Perer. Ignorantia duplex vna quae est causa culpae altera cuius causa culpa est There is an ignorance that is the cause of sinne and there is a sinne that is the cause of ignorance No ignorant hath his sinne mitigated but Is solùm qui non habuit vnde discere saith August He onely that had no meanes of learning For Christ is a iust Iudge and would not condemne without fault We haue all good meanes of knowledge GOD keepe vs from the condemnation of ignorance The next booke is the Law that others shall be iudged by this it is cleare without question As many as haue sinned in the Law shall be iudged by the Law The Iewes shall be thus iudged rather then the Gentiles who had not the Law written The Law of Moses did onely bind the Hebrewes the Prophets were not commanded to publish it to the Gentiles Paul calls the times before Christ the times of ignorance and the Gospell a mystery kept secret since the world began Now to obiect first that the Iewish Merchants taught other Nations the Law is vaine for they were generally more apt discere religionem alienam quà m docere suam to learne false religions then to teach the true And many of them did not euen by their owne types and sacrifices perfectly vnderstand the sacrifice of Christ. Then to say their bookes were manifest is false for the Iewes kept
in this coherence pardon me if I haue beene somewhat plentifull It was the induction to my Text and the dore thus opened let vs enter in to suruay the building Be not c. The whole may be distinguished into a Caution Reason The caution Be not deceiued God is not mocked The Reason For whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall hee also reape The Caution is partly Disswasiue Be not deceiued Perswasiue God is not mocked You may deceiue your selues you cannot deceiue God These two circumstances make against two defects Error Be not deceiued Hypocrisie God is not mocked The Disswasion Be not deceiued This is the voyce of a friend studying Aut praeuenire errori aut reuocare errantem eyther to preuent a man before he erres or to recall him erring A phrase often vsed by our Apostle Ephes. 5. Let no man deceiue you vvith vaine words Nihil facilius est quà m errare There is nothing easier then to erre There is no man but erres sometimeâ—… in via pedum often in via morum This prouision then is necessary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deceits lye as thick vpon the earth as the Grashoppers did in Egypt a man can scarce set his foote besides them But to preuent the deceiuings of sinne is our Apostles intention Hebr. 3. Lest any of vs bee hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Sinne is crafty and full of delusion there is no sinne but hath his couzonage Vsury vvalkes in Alderman Thrifty's gowne Pride gets the name of my Lady Decencie Idolatry as if it dwelt by ill neighbours praiseth it selfe and that for the purest Deuotion Homicide marcheth like a man of valour and Lust professeth it selfe Natures Scholler Couetousnesse is goodman Nabals husbandry and Enclosing Master Oppressors policie We were wont to say that blacke could neuer be coloured into vvhite yet the deuill hath some Painters that vndertake it Euills are neere neighbors to good Errore sub illo Pro vitio virtus crimina saepe tulit By that meanes vertue hath borne the blame of vices faults yea and more then that Vice hath had the credite of Vertues goodnes But be not deceiued When mens wits and the deuils to helpe haue found out the fairest pretexts for sinne Gods iustice strikes off all and leaues Sinne naked and punishable Many pretences haue been found out for many sinnes besides distinctions mitigations qualifications extenuations colours questions necessities inconueniences tolerations ignorances But when man hath done God begins One argument of Gods now is stronger then all ours Thou shalt not doe this Goe study to perswade thy selfe that thou mayest yet at last GOD takes away all thy distinctions when he poures his wrath on thy naked conscience Then where is thy paint If it preuaile not against the Sunne what will it doe against the fire God charged our first Parents that they should not cate of the forbidden fruite If you doe you shall dye The deuill comes first with a flatte Negatiue Non moriâ—…mini Ye shall not dye Then with subtile promises Yee shall be as Gods knowing good and euill But what is the euent They eate and they die are instantly made mortall and should haue died for euer but for a Sauiour GOD bids Saul slay all in Amalek 1. Sam. 15. Smite Amalek vtterly destroy all that they haue and spare them not Yet Saul spares Agag and the fatte cattell Why is this a fault I spared the best of the cattell for Sacrifice to the Lord. Will not this serue No God reiects Saul from beeing King ouer Israel who had reiected God from beeing King ouer Saul Be not deceiued God is not mâ—…ked Consider we here the examples of Uzzah and Vzziah For Vzzah God had charged that none but the consecrated Priests should touch the Arkâ—… Uzzah seeing the Oxen shake the Arke put forth his hand to stay it vp Was this a sinne to stay the Arke of God from falling Yes God proues it he layes him dead by the Arks side For Vzziah God had charged Numb 18. that none should inuade the Priests office The stranger that commeth nigh shall be put to death Vzziah will come to the Altar with a Censor in his hand to offer Incense Why is this an offence to offer to the Lord Yes GOD makes it manifest Vzziah is a Leper to his dying day God had coÌ„manded the Prophet sent to Bethel Thou shalt eate no bread and drinke no water there Well he is going homewards and an old Prophet ouer-takes him perswades him to refresh himselfe No saies the other I must not For so was it charged me in the Word of the Lord Thou shalt eate no bread c. But sayes the old Prophet An Angell spake to me saying Bring him backe that he may eate bread Well he goes Is not a Prophets word an Angels word authoritie enough No the Lord proues it he giues a Lion leaue to slay him Bee not deceiued God is not mocked The Iewes knew that they ought not to despise their Messias He is come Loe now they study arguments against him Iohn 7. Wee know this man whence hee is but when Christ commeth no man knoweth whence hee is And Search and looke for out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet Be these their cauills against Gods expresse charge Hee answers all vvhen he leaues their house vnto them desolate I hope I may take a little sayes â—…ehazi but enough tooke him for it a continuall Leproâ—…e The euill Seruant hath his plea Math. 25. I knew that thou wert a hard man c. Therefore I hid thy talent in the earth loe there thou hast that is thine But what followes ver 30 Cast yee that vnprofitable seruant into vtter darknesse there shall be weeping and gnashing of â—…eeth To come from example to application It is Gods coÌ„mand concerning Princes Touch not mine Anointed The Papists will touch them with the hand of death VVhy they haue warrant from the Pope Gods Word saies not so either in precept or precedent If any King in Gods booke had beene deposed by a Priest all the Schooles and Pulpits would haue rung of it wee should haue had no rule with the Church of Rome But it falls out happily Ut quod praecepto non iubetur etiam exemplo careat That as it is not commanded by charge so nor commended by examples But will they still argue for this shedding of the bloud-royall The gallhouse confutes them heere but their worst confutation vvill be confusion hereafter God sayes thou shalt not put thy money to vsury thou hast found out many distinctions to satisfie thy conscience or rather thy couetousnesse Gods word thy will are at oddes He sayes Thou shalt not thou sayest thou may est On these and these termes Hell fire shall decide the question Relieue the poore saith the Lord. Thou suckest their blouds rather but howsoeuer wilt giue nothing Why may we not doe with our owne vvhat wee list Well
Now the same hand that layd on this penaltie must take it off The blind men in the Gospell recouer'd not their sight till Christ came They were as types to vs to teach vs that only the Spirit of Christ can restore our spirituall eyes Therefore of this Spirit are we counselled to buy eye-salue to annoint our eyes that vvee may see 2. This originall defect is encreased by actuall transgressions We were borne ignorant wee haue made our selues blind putting out euen that remaining sparke of nature Wee mind earthly things setting not onely our affections but euen fixing our whole knowledge on this World And it is impossible that mans eye should looke on earth and heauen also at one instant It is a rule in Philosophy Nothing receiues any thing but that is emptie of all other things of a contrary nature The eare must be empty of all sounds the taste of all sauours the eye of all colours before there can be entertainement giuen to a new obiect The smell possessed with Rew cannot sent the Rose the taste infected with gall imagines all morsels bitter and a greene glasse held before the eyes presents all things looked on greene So if the soules eye be taken vp with the gawdy vanities of this py'd world it cannot discerne the things that concerne euerlasting peace The vnderstanding then must be with-drawn from earth that it may contemplate heauen This confutes their practices that haue vowed a Monkish life addicted to speculation eying of heauen yet are perpetually raking in the mudde of the earth to get money with an impossibilitie of reconciling these two opposite obiects to their eyes at once In vaine they lift vp ceremoniall eyes of a forc'd deuotion for the eye of their heart is fixed downwards Vnlesse they haue squint-ey'd soules that can looke two wayes at once But I rather think that like watermen they looke one way and rowe another for hee must needs be strangely squint-ey'd that can at the same instant fasten one of his lights on the light of glory the other on the darknes of iniquitie The riches aboue and below are remote things Quorum dum aliud contemplatim aspicimus aliud contemptim despicimus vvhereof whiles we admire the one we vilipend the other This blindnesse then being both hereditarie to our natures and hereditary diseases are not easily cured and augmented by our wilful disorders can be taken away by no hand but Gods Since the World beganne was it neuer heard that any man not man but God opened the eyes of one that was borne blind and had encreased this caecitie by his owne accessiue and excessiue wickednesse He that would desire inspection into others blindnes had need of cleare eyes himselfe Cast out the beame in thine owne eye that thou maist pull out the mote in thy brothers saith our Sauiour Let vs take with vs then the eyes of grace that wee haue that we may the better looke into that blindnesse of nature we had There is in this blind eye diseases and defects The diseases are double so are the defects The Diseases 1. The Cataract which is a thicknesse drawne ouer the eye and bred of many causes this especially either from the rheume of vaine-glory or the inflammation of malice From this eye there is no reflection or returning the owne beames whereby a man may contemplate himselfe But euen the optick nerues and the visory spirits are corrupted the memorie cannot reuolue nor the mind present it selfe what it is nec in se descendere tentat This darke mind is the vault where Satan keepes his Seminarie and sits hatching a blacke brood of lusts The meanes to expell this disease is to take Gods Law into thy hand and heart and through that glasse to looke into thy selfe Consider your owne wayes in your hearts saith the Prophet Teipsum Concute tecum habita te consule dic tibi quis sis Plumbe-deepe into thy owne brest Animi tui abyssum intra A man offends lesse by searching sinne with too deepe then with too short an instrument Though this be saith Abselme grauis angustia a hard exigent Si me inspicio â—…ipsum non tolero si non inspicio nescio Si video horror si non videro mors est If I looke into my selfe I cannot indure my selfe if I looke not I cannot knovv my selfe If I see my selfe there is horror if I see not there is death This inspection is difficult Difficile est se nosse sed beatum It is a hard but a happy thing to know ones selfe Priuate sinnes are not easily spied out Difficilius est inuenire quà m interficere as Casar said of the Scythians It is harder to finde them out then to roote them out Innumerable sinnes are in a man if not in actuall and ripe practice yet in growing seeds Qui indulget vno vitio amicus est omnibus Hee that is partially indulgent to one sinne is a friend to all It is a paines well taken to study thy selfe How sweet a rest doth that night bring whose sleepe is preuented with a recognition of our selues Bernard teacheth man a three-fold consideration of himselfe Quid quis qualis fit What by nature who in person what kinde of man in conuersation Which particulars when he casteth vp he shall finde in summe Himselfe a miserable sinner Si cupis bonus fieri primùm crede quòd malus fis If thou wouldest be good first know that thou art euill Chrysostome amplifies this selfe knowledge by teaching a man to consider what he is in himselfe dust and ashes what is within him much wickednesse what aboue him an offended Iustice what below him a burning lake what against him Satan and sinne what before him vaine pleasure what behinde him infallible death But alas what is all this that hath beene said of the eye if God enlighten not that mentall eye to see it Hee must open our eyes to behold the wonderfull things of his Law Otherwise mans sight to these obiects is but as oculus noctuae ad lumen solis Spirituall ioyes he cannot perceiue and what hee conceiues of death and hell hee thinkes of them senselesly like a beast or desperately like a Deuill If his conscience begins to wake he sings her asleep againe And as in some the fuliginous vapours arising from the lower parts of the body blinde the eyes so in him the fumous euaporations of the fleshes lusts haue caused absolute blindnesse The spirit of God with the sauing instrument of grace can onely take away this Cataract 2. There is another disease called the Pearle in the eye a dangerous disease and heereof are all worldlings sicke for earthly riches is such a pearle in their eye that they cannot see the pearle of the Gospell which the wise Merchant sold all he had to purchase By distrusting and distracting cares of the world this intellectuall eye is not onely depraued but depriued of light Affectio
putting oyle into it but this makes it burne more And as it is with some that thirstily drink harish and ill-brewed drinks haue not their heate hereby allayed but inflamed So this vvorldlings hote eagernesse of riches is not cooled but fired by his abundance 4. That which makes a man easie to hit makes also his wound greeuous The Poet tells vs that when Codrus his house burnes a little cottage in the Forrest he stands by and warmes himselfe at the flame hee knowes that a fewe sticks straw and clay with a little labour can rebuild him as good a Tabernacle But if this accident light vpon the Vsurers house distraction seizeth him withall he cryes out of this Chamber and that chest of his Closet and Cabinet of his bonds morgages money and plate and is so much the more impatient as hee had more to lose In a vvord here is all the difference betwixt the rich and poore the poore man would be rich while he liues and the rich would be poore when he dies For it is small greefe to leaue hunger cold distresse bondage hard lodging and harder fare but to forsake full Barnes full purses musike wine iunkets soft beds beautious vvomen and these lust-tickling delights and to goe vvith death to the Land of forgetfulnesse this is the terrour I end then as Paul concludes his counsell to rich men Lay vp for your selues a good foundation against the time to come that you may lay hold on eternall Life THE BAD LEAVEN OR THE CONTAGION OF SINNE GALAT. 5. 9. A little Leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe THIS Epistle was written with St. Pauls owne hand chap. 6. 11. Ye see how large a letter I haue written vnto you with my owne hand It is for quality excellent for quantitie large Hee wrote not so long an Epistle to any other Church with his owne hand Indeed he wrote a letter to Philemon with his owne hand vers 19. I Paul haue written it with mine own hand but it was short He wrote longer Epistles to the Romanes and Corinthians but not with his owne hand but by Scribes Wee haue cause therefore to regard it more as his pains were greater in writing so let our diligence bee greater in obseruing The maine purpose of it is to discouer 1. That ill coniunction of Moses and Christ the ceremonies of the Law with the sanctimony of the Gospell 2. The free Grace and Iustification by the bloud of Christ without the workes of the Law In this the Galatians had receiued a beginning but now had admitted a recidiuation For this cause the Apostle chides vers 7. Yee did runne well who did hinder you that you should not obey the Trueth Where there is a Concession and a Conuiction a step and a stop The Concession or Step ye did runne well The Conuiction or Stop Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth In the former he compares Christianity to a race all men must first be viatores in this valley of teares before they can be Assessâ—…res and sit with Christ in his kingdome of glory Onely as it agrees with a Race in many things as labor it 's no idle thing to be a Christian shortnesse it is a Race the perplexity is recompenced vvith the breuity continuance the runner must hold out the last steppe if he will obtaine the prize So there are some differences 1. In other races many runne onely one winnes the goale but in this all that runne faithfully shal raigne triumphantly Though they cannot runne so fast as others nor so farre as others yet euen they that came at the eleuenth houre into the Vineyard receiued they penny so well as they that came at the third For the Lord regards not Quantum but ex quanto not how much but how well What euer houre they are called let them spend the aftertime in a zealous diligence 2. In other races one hinders another but in this iourney one helpes another The more the merrier no enuy or grudging eyther in the way or the goale Dispar gloria singulorum sed communis latitia omnium There may bee different glory of some yet there is a common ioy of all Euery good man is a spurre to his brother Peter and Iohn ranne to Christs Sepulcher Iohn out-ran Peter vnto the graue Peter out-went Iohn into the graue But we run together vnto Christs Throne some come before some after all meet in the Communion of Saints 3. In other races the runner obtaines a prize that shall perish all the runners heere get an incorruptible crowne They runne for a little prize a little praise we for eternall glory Runne wee then cheerefully behold a kingdome lyes at the stake God giue vs all eyes of faith to see it and hearts of obedience to runne to it through the power of Iesus Christ. In the latter the Apostle may seeme to put a superfluous question Who did hinder you For there are many aduersaries As first Satan the General of that damned crue that hinder our passage to heauen Paul excuseth himselfe to the Thessalonians Wee would haue come vnto you once and againe but Satan hindered vs. Zach. 3. Ioshua the high Priest stood before the Angell of the Lord and Satan stood at his right hand to resist him Where God hath his Church Satan hath his chappell So also wicked men such as haue taken the Deuils oath of Allegiance What the Deuill cannot doe immediately by himselfe hee does mediately by his Instruments To erre Humanum is the weakenes of a man but to seduce diabolicum is the part of a Deuill It is ill to play the woman worse to play the beast worst of all to play the Deuill But what speciall hinderers the Apostle meanes wee shall haue precise occasion in some future passages to demonstrate Onely I must not omit that the Apostle giues a direct resolution by way of negation vers 8. This perswasion comâ—…eth not of him that calleth you God is no wayes the Author of error and sin He that wils the death of no sinner will not lead him into the wayes of destruction Indeed he suffes Satan to temptal but to a diuerse purpose the good to try them the reprobate to destroy them The temptations of the godly are for their instruction of the wicked for their destruction Iames tells vs that euery good gift comes downe from the Father of lights is it euill it commeth not from God The Apostle telling the Ephesians of lusts blindnesse wantonnesse obstinacy concludes piercingly Non sic didicistis Christum Yee haue not so learned Iesus Christ. Art thou peruerted thou neuer learnedst this of Christ. Let no man say when hee is tempted I am tempted of God for God tempteth no man In him we liue moue and haue our being A Gentile Poet sung it a Christian Apostle sanctified it all the creatures in heauen and earth cry Amen vnto it Life is his whether we liue well
the better mistres and worthy of more seruants alas glad to be shrowded in holes your Greatnes now wisheth it selfe so litle that it might not be seene You insatiate couetous that neuer ceased ioyning house to house land to land and possessing whole countryes yet whined for lacke of elbow-roome loe you shall at this day be glad of a hole a darke hollow caue in a rocke for your parlour or more glad if you might be dissolued into nothing They said We haue described the Persons What they were let vs see what they did They said They open their lips to confesse the invincible and inevitable power of Christ. whence derive we two obseruations 1. The sense of present miserie takes away Atheisme Before their mouthes were either shut by silence or opened by blasphemies possessed either with a dumbe or a roring deuill God was not in all their thoughtes or if in their thoughts not in their lips or if in their lips but to his dishonour not named but in their oathes Now loe they speake and make a desperate acknowledgment of that power they erst derided The day of iudgment when it comes shall find no Atheist What those degenerate creatures would not beleeue they shall see they would not acknowledge their maker they shall find their Iudge and cry to the mountaines Fall one vs c. Consider this ye that forget God lest you be torne in pieces when there is none to deliuer you You may forget him during your short pleasure you shall remember him for euer in torture Proceed to speake of him wickedly and like enemies to take his Name in vaine you shall one day fall low before his footestoole not with a voluntary but enforced reuerence You that haue denied God on earth the first voice that shall come from your lips shall be a hopelesse acknowledgment of his maiestie 2. The saying that comes from them is desperate whence note that in Gods iust punishment Desperation is the reward of Presumption They that erst feared two little shall now feare too much Before they thought not of Gods Iustice now they shall not conceiue his Mercie Consciences that are without remorse are not without horror It is the kindnes which presumptuous sinne doth the heart to make it at last despaire of forgiuenes They say Behold God accuseth not they accuse themselues God loues to haue a sinner accuse himselfe and therefore sets his deputie in the brest of man which though it be a neuter when the act is doing is an aduersary afterwards The conscience is like the poise of a clocke the poise being downe all motion ceaseth the wheeles stirre not wound vp all is set on going Whiles conscience is downe there is no noise or moouing in the heart all is quiet but when it is wound vp by the iustice of God it sets all the wheeles on working tongue to confesse eyes to weepe hands to wring brest to be beaten heart to ake voice to cry and that where mercie steps not in a fatall cry to the hils Fall on vs and hide vs. Sinne and iudgment for sinne make the most cruell men cowardly Tyrants whose frownes haue beene death oppressors that haue made their poore Tenants quake at their lookes now tremble themselues would change firmnes with an aspine leafe They that care not for the act of sinne shall care for the punishment Tumidi faciendo timidi patiendo Nero that could not be tired in cutting throtes is soone weary of his owne torment They that haue made others weepe shall desperately howle themselues Cain that durst kill the fourth part of the world at a blow euen his owne brother dares afterwards not looke a man in the face lest he should be slayne Who durst be more impudently bold with God then Iudas when he betrayed his onely Sonne to murderers yet after the treason who more cowardly then Iudas he becomes his owne hangman The curse that followes sinne makes Presumption it selfe to shudder But what madnes is it not to complaine till too late If our foresight were but halfe as sharpe as our sense we should not dare to sinne The issue of wickednes would appeare a thousand times more horrible then the act is pleasant Let this teach vs now to thinke of the Iustice of God as well as his mercie that herafter we may thinke of his mercie as well as his Iustice. The mercie of God is abused to encourage lewdnes and wretched men by Christs merits are emboldned to committe that for which he dyed but so men may runne with mercie in their mouthes to hell They that in life will giue no obedience to the law shall in death haue no benefite by by the Gospell When they gaue themselues ouer to lying swaring coueting c. they were wont to cry Mercie mercie now loe they feele what those sinnes are and cry nothing but Iustice Iustice they cannot thinke on mercie They that haue abused mercie must be quitted with vengance The good now sing With thee O Lord is mercie therefore thou shalt be feared The reprobates sing at last with thee O Lord is iudgment with thee is storme and tempest indignation wrath confusion and vengence and therefore art thou feared These necessary occurrences thus considered let vs passe to their Inuocation wherein is exemplified their Error Here we must obserue To what For what they call To what They are Mountaines and rockes vnreasonable yea insensible creatures whence we may deduce two inferences a negatiue and an affirmatiue 1. Negatiuely it is cleare that they haue no acquaintance with God therefore know not how to direct their prayers vnto him If their trust had beene in God they needed not to fly to the Mâ—…aines So Dauid sweetly Psal. 11. Ia the Lord put I my trust how then say you to my soule Flie as a bird to your mountaine It is Gods charge Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee and thou shalt glorifie me But Rom. 10. How shall they call on him in whom they haue not beleeued Or beleeue in him they haue not knowne and how should they know him but by his word Alas those mutuall passages and entercourse of meanes they haue euer barred themselues They would neither suffer God to trouble them by his word nor would they offer to trouble him by their prayers They will not call vpon him nor will they heare him calling vpon them Therefore as those that neuer were in the companie of God they know not how to addresse themselues to him but rather to rockes and mountaines As extremity discerneth friends Verè amat qui miserum amat so it distinguisheth a man in himselfe A suddaine disturbance giues a great try all of a Christians disposition For as in a naturall man at such an affrightment all the bloud runs to the heart to guard the part that is principall so in a good man at such an instance all the powers
immoueable to wind or weather he needs not the shelter of mountaines for he shall stand like Mount Sion that a hideth fast for euer They that despise him shall find him a Rocke also if they fall on it they shall be broken if it fall on them it will grind them to powder He is a Stone the Stone the head-stone of the corner cut out of the Quarrey of heauen without hands Of whome we are made liuing stones He is strong without all things all things weake without him trust in him and you shall haue no need to flie to rockes and mountaines For What The benefit that they would haue the Rockes and the Mountaines doe them is to Fall on them hide them Whence we deriue three obseruations 1. Despaire is euer wishing for death often impatiently snatching at it in this world but when the last day comes so greedily longing for it that to be sure of it they desire the mountaines to dispatch them Death by the wicked is now most feared death at the last shall be the thing most wished They shall desire death and shall not find it They that sit in the warme nest of riches hatching vp their brood of lusts quake at the hearing of death There are some feare to die others not so much to die as to be dead The former are cowardly the other vnbeleeuing soules Some feare both to whom nothing in life then life is more desireable But when thâ—s last extremitie comes mâ—…ricupiunt they desire to die And that death like a merciles executioner might not haue too many strokes at their liues they begge helpe of the Mountaines that they might be throughly dispatched at once without need of a second blow Cain at his arraignement for his brother would needs liue God grants it as if it were too much fauour for him to die But hee yeelds it for a curse as if he heard his prayers in anger He liues but banished from God carrying his hell in his bosome and the brand of vengeance in his forehead God reiects him the earth repines at him and men abhorre him Loe now Cain would die himselfe now wisheth the death he feared and no man dares pleasure him with a murther As Nero in the like case Nec amicâ—…m nec mimicum hâ—…beo I haue neyther friend nor enemie or as Sauâ—… found in his Armour-bearer not a will to kill him though he had a will to be killed by him Death these reprobates feared and onely death is now desired They cry to the mountaines Fall on vs. 2 Obserue that rockes and mountaines are farre lighter then sinne Zachary compares it to a Talent of lead Esay cals it a Burden Such a waight bore our Sauiour that he groned vnder it I am pressed vnder you as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaues The wicked that like Babel-builders thinke to aspiâ—…e to heauen by multiplying of earth would bee glad if â—…umulitumuli their bodies might be buried vnder their heapes of wealth where their soules had beene buryed long before But what is a load of earth a mountaine huger then Aetna vnder which Iupiter was sayd subter fulminare Gigantes what is the whole massie bodie of the earth to the waight of sinne Thinke of it ye Theomachor that striue in your rebellions imponere Pelioâ—… Ossae ye rapacious couetous that load your selues with thicke clay you lay heauie burdens on the poore heauier on your owne consciences Sin may seeme light for a season as a packe made vp but not assayed with one of your fingers when Sathan shall lay it on you it will breake your backes You beare it now like corke and feathers at that day you shall iudge it heauier then rockes and mountaines Now in contempt of law and Gospell honestie and conscience earth and heauen they call to pride ambition blasphemie ebrietie luxurie oppression Fall on vs and couer vs wearing pride as a chaine and couering themselues with crueltie as with a garment Siâ—… lyes at the dore and they haue no sense to take it vp The deuill puts his shoulders vnder the waight and thus supported they feele it not But when Gods iustice shall reproue them and set their sinnes in order before their 〈◊〉 yea impose them on their weake and yeelding consciences howe different will their cry be 〈◊〉 fâ—…ll 〈◊〉 â—…ockes couer vs. The swearer saying to these heauie creatures you are lighter then my oathes the â—…uetous you are not so ponderous as my oppressions the adulterer the whole earth is a gentle pressure â—…o the burden of my lustes Custome in sinne obstupefies a â—…sense and still like that Romaine Milo his strength eâ—…creasing with his burden he that first carried sinne a wanton Calfe can at last beare it a goaring Oxe Menlocke vp their iniquities as the vsurer his money in a Chest where the light of reproofe may not finde them out They packe all their iniquities vpon Hâ—… that will beare them for none but His. Or reserue them to an houres repentance setting them a day of cancelling but they breake it as if their last breath could dispell and scatter them all into ayre But alas sinnes then are found heauiest of all and here like malefactors pressing to death they cry out for more waight the accession of rockes and mountaines to dispatch them Loath they are to come before the Iudge therefore would be pressed to death by these ponderous and massy creatures The mountaines haue not beene more barren then they of goodnes the rockes not so hard as their hearts The crosse of Christ hath beene held too heauy repentance too troublesome a guest for their houses faith and obedience haue beene cast off as poore friends all godlynes too waightie now rockes and hils are light Christs yoke was not for their shoulders Satans must His law might not be borne it was so heauy his wrath must be borne and that is heauyer Oh then thrice blessed they whose sinnes God bindeth vp in a bundle and sinkes them in the whirlepoole of forgetfulnes that they may neuer be imposed for they are too heauy to be borne 3. Obserue that before these wicked were Lords of nations and Countreys for they are said to be Princes Captaines Conquerors rich men now they would be glad of one to hide them Of all their dominions they begge but the barrenest parcell a rocke or mountaine and that to doe them a poore office to conceale them How much doth mans auarice and ambition couet here how little contents him hereafter In death the wickedest Potentate must be content with a graue after death he would be content with a graue still yea glad if in the bottome of a mountaine he might be hidden Heare this ye couetous that ioyne house to house and land to land by disioyning the societies of men as if you would leaue the whole earth to your babes Excutit natura redeuntem sicut intrantem Nature shall
not see corruption How much lesse when he is dead recouer him to life againe Here was the finger of God Now to proceede in order with the myracles 1. Myracle The Vaile of the Temple c. This Vaile was the partition betwixt the Sanctum Sanctorum the Sanctum as it might be the vpper part of the Quire Into this went the high Priest alone once euerie yeare not without bloud which he offred for himselfe and for the errours of the people By the renting this Vaile were many things presignified 1. This serues for a confirmation of that Christ spoke on the Crosse It is finished The renting of the Vaile doth actually eccho to his wordes and indeede fulfils them Here is an end put to all the Sacrifices and Ceremonies of the law In the new Testament one onely reall and royall Sacrifice Christ crucified This was that obiect whereto all those legall rites looked to them all there is now giuen a Consuâ—…tum est So that now Coremonia mortua Lex mortifera Ceremonies are dead and the typicall law deadly Nouum Testamentum latet in veteri Vetus patet in nouo The Gospell lay hidden vnder the law the law is compleat in the Gospell Now after that you haue knowne God in his Gospell how turne you againe to the weake and beggarly Elements whereunto you desire againe to be in bondage Gods seruice is now simple and plaine in spirit and truth Christ is sayd to be the end of the law the morrall law he kept himselfe syncerely and satisfied for vs soundly The Ceremoniall was referred to him performed of him fulfilled in him extinguished by him They had all Vigâ—… a Christo relationem ad Christum consummationem in Christo. Hee gaue them their beginning hee hath also giuen them their end The Vaile rent to witnesse the cancelling of that rituall obligation Christ hath blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against vs nailing it to his Crosse. That moment was their last gaspe they expired with Christ. But dâ—…d all Ceremonies then vtterly die No some were typicall prefiguring Christ those are dead Some are for decencie and order adminicula deuotionis these are not dead The law of Iewish ceremonies is abolished but some must be retained Christ came not to dissolue order Men consist of bodies as well as soules and God must bee serued with both now bodies cannot serue God without externall rites the Spouse of Christ cannot bee without her borders and laces On necessitie there must be some outward obseruances but thus qualified That they be for number few for signification plaine for obseruation simple farre from ostentation farther from superstition Christ his Spouse must not flaunt it like an harlot but be soberly attired like a graue matron Ceremoniae quasi care moniae wants a carendo as it were ordained to supply the defects of our nature Because we could not serue God in that simplicitie we ought therefore wee haue these helpes Hence it is that the nearer to perfection the fewer ceremonies as it were the more light the lesse shadow In the law were abundant ceremonies in the Gospell far fewer in heauen none at all This condemnes the Church of Rome for a glorious Harlot because shee loads her selfe with such a heape of gawdy ceremonies and their masse for meere Idolatry which they beleeue to bee a reall propitiatory Sacrifice of Christ made by the Priestes for the sinnes of quicke and dead This is to build vp the vaile here rent in pieces and to accuse Christ of falshood in his Consummatum est Is an end put to them and shall they still retaine them yea obtrude them as principall partes of Gods seruice yea worship them yea bind mens consciences to them on paine of damnation Therefore they are liable to Augustines censure who cals such Impios sepulturae violâ—…tores Diggers into the graues of the dead for putrified and rotten reliques Yea to the Iudgement of God who sayth If ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world why as though liuing in the world are ye subiect to Ordinances after the commaundements and doctrines of men They will say Dicit Papa sanxit Concilium thus sayth the Pope thus decrees the Councell but wee Dixit Dominus non Donatus wee heare what the Lord sayes in his Scripture concerning the law of ceremonies 2. The second thing signified by the renting the vaile is this The holy of holyes figured the third heauen where GOD sheweth himselfe in glory and maiestie to his Saints Salomons Temple hadde in it three Courts an vtter court whereinto the people were admitted an inner Court wherein onely the Priests and Leuites entred an inmost of all whereinto the high Priest alone and that but once a yeare and this was called Sanctum Sanctorum So there is a threefolde Heauen Coelum elementarium Stellatum Gloriosum First the Elementarie heauen wherein are cloudes windes raine dew and the birds are called the birds of heauen that is of this elementarie heauen The second is the Starrey heauen So the Sunne is sayd to goe from the end of the heauen and his circuite vnto the ends of it The last is the Glorious heauen the habitation of God himselfe and this was signified by the Holy of holyes The vaile signified the flesh of Christ the renting of the vaile the crucifying of Christ by this is made an entrance into that Sanctum Sanctorum the heauen of glory So expressely Heb. 10. Hauing therefore boldnesse to enter into the Holyest by the bloud of Iesus By a new and liuing way which he hath consecrated for vs through the vaile that is to say His Flesh. Heauen gate was shut vp by our sinnes none but our highest and holyest Priest had passage there but hee rent the vaile suffred his bodie to be torne by death that he might giue vs an entrance Paul speaking of the legall vse of that Holyest place in the Temple sayth thus Heb. 9. The holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first Tabernacle was yet standing But now by Christ his renting the vaile Patet alti ianua Coeli the way of saluation is opened Let this reach forth to vs two comforts 1. There is no feare to be shut out of heauen if thou haue faith in Christ for to thee is the vaile rent the separation is abolished Christ is crucified For So sayth Saint Peter an entrance shall be ministred vnto you aboundantly into the euerlasting kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. Indeede to vnbeleeuers and hypocrites to worldly wolues and luxurious goates the vaile is vp still How should they enter the Sanctum sanctorum that neuer approched the Sanctum How shall they see the glory of God who would neuer entertaine the grace of God No to these there are inaccessible barres and Cherubims with flaming swords to forbidde their entrance But to
facilitate quanta faelicitate with as much easynes as happynes Desinunt ista non pereunt mors intermittit vitam non eripit Our bodies are left for a time but perish not death may discontinue life not conclude it Intermittitâ—… non interimitur it may be paused cannot be destroyed 2. Obserue that all the dead doe not rise but Many and those Saints The generall resurrection is reserued to the last day this a pledge or earnest of it Now who shall rise with this comfort none but Saints as here Christ takes no other company from the graues but Saints The dead in Christ shall rise first Christ is called The first borne from the dead He hath risen and his shall next follow him Euerie man in his owne order Christ the first fruits afterward they that are Christs at his comming Wormes and corruption shall not hinder he that sayd To Corruption thou art my mother and to the wormes you are my brethren and sisters sayd also I know that my Redeemer liueth and one day with these eyes I shall behold him The wicked shall also be raised though with horrour to looke vpon him whom they haue pierced But as Christ did here so will he at the last single out the Saints to beare him companie 3. This sheweth the true operation of Christs death in all men We are all dead in our sins as these bodies were in their graues now when Christs death becomes effectuall to our soules we rise againe and become new creatures From the graue of this world we come into the Church the holy Citie But thou complainest of the deadnes of thy hart it is well thou complainest there is some life or thou couldst not feele the deadnesse The houre is comming now is when the dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue If this word hath raysed thee from death and wrought spirituall life in thy heart thou shalt perceiue it by thy breathing words glorifying God by thy mouing in the waies to the workes of obedience 4 Obserue that these Saints which arose are sayd to haue Slept The death of the godly is often called a Sleepe So it is sayd of the Patriarches and Kings of Iudah they slept with their fathers So Paul saith they sleep in Christ. The Coffin is a couch In quo molliùs dormit qui benè in vita laborauit wherein hee takes good rest that hath wrought hard in the worke of his saluation before he went to bed Foelix somnus cum requie requies cum voluptate voluptas â—…um aeternitate It is a sweete sleepe that hath peace with rest rest with pleasure pleasure with euerlastingnes So the godly sleepe till the Sound of a Trumpet shall waken them and then eternall glory shall receiue them 5. Lastly obserue that Ierusalem is called the Holy citie though she were at this time a sinke of sinne and a debaushed harlot Either as some thinke that she is called holy because she was once holy So Rahab is called the harlot because she was a harlot Simon is termed the Leper for that hee was a leper and Mathew the Publican for that he was a Publican Or els she was called holy for the couenants sake in regard of the Temple sacrifices seruice of God and of the elect people of God that were in it Whence we may inferre how vnlawfull it is to separate from a Church because it hath some corruptions Is apostate Ierusalem that hath crucified her Sauiour called still the holy Citie and must England that departeth in nothing from the faith and doctrine of her Sauiour for some scarce discernible Imperfections be reiected as a foedifragous strumpet But there be wicked persons in it what then Shee may be still a holy Cittie Recedatur ab iniquitate non ab iniquis Let vs depart from sinne we cannot runne from sinners Thus we haue considered the Miracles let vs now looke into the causes wherefore they were wrought These may be reduced into fiue In respect of The Sufferer dying The Creatures obeying The Iewes persecuting The Women beholding The Disciples forsaking 1. In regard of Christ to testifie not onely his Innocencie but his Maiestie His Innocencie that hee was as Pilates wife acknowledged a Iust man His Maiestie as the Centurion confessed Seeing the earth quake and the things that were done Truely this was the Sonne of God He seemed a worme no man the contempt and derision of the people forsaken of his confidence in the midst of all God will not leaue him without witnesses but raiseth vp senseles creatures as Preachers of his deitie Est aterni filius qui illic pendet mortuus He that hangs there dead on the Crosse is the Sonne of the eternall God Rather then the children of God shall want witnesses of their integritie God will worke myracles for their testimonie 2. In regard of the Creatures to shew their Obedience to their Creator they are not wanting to him that gaue being to them These demonstrate it was their Lord that suffered and that they were ready to execute vengeance on his murderers The heauen that was darke would haue rained fire on them the earth that quaked shooke them to peeces the rockes that rent tumbled on them and the graues that opened to let out other prisoners haue swallowed them quicke They all waited but his command to performe this revengefull execution Who shall now dare to persecute Christ in his members The stones are thy enemies the earth gapes for thee hell it selfe enlargeth her iawes if the Lord but hisse to them they are suddenly in an vprore against thee Goe on in your malice ye raging persecutors you cannot wrong Christ no not in his very members but you pull the fists of all creatures in heauen earth and hell about your eares flies from the aire beasts from the earth poison from sustenance thunder from the clouds yea at last also though now they helpe you the very deuils from hell against you All creatures shoote their malignancie at them that shoot theirs at Christ. 3. In respect of the Iewes his enemies to shame and confound them The rockes and graues are moued at his passion not they Lapides tremunt homines fremunt The stones rent the huge earth quakes with feare the Iewes rage with malice We see how difficult it is to mollifie a hard heart harder then to remoue a mountaine raise the dead cleaue a rocke shake the whole earth It is a great mryacle to conuert a wicked man greater then rending of rockes Moses rod stroke a Rocke thrice and did it ministers haue stroke mens rocky harts three hundreth times and cannot The graues sooner open then the sepulchers of sinne and darkenes the vast earth sooner quakes then mens hearts at Gods iudgements 4. In respect of the women that stood by that their faith might be confirmed For seeing him on the Crosse at their mercie
whose bowels neuer knew the softnes of such a nature exposed to all the tyrannie of their hands and tongs hands that like cruell Chirurgions searched euery part of his blessed body tongues that ranne nimbly through all the passages of obloquie till they had ouertaken reproch it selfe and cast it on him His body at the full will of the tormenters and his soule not without intolerable terrors as they might iudge by strange speech that came from him My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Doth man triumph ouer him and doth God forsake him This might breed in their hearts a suspition either that hee was a deceiuer or else vtterly cut off To stifle this doubt in the very birth hee shakes the earth and rends the rockes that as they knew him dying Hominem vâ—…rum so they might perceaue him doing these myracles not Hominem merum but the euerliuing God These wonders blow the sparke of their faith almost dying with Christ and roote in their hearts a deepe and infallible perswasion of their Sauiour Something there is to keepe the faith of the elect from quenching though Satan raigne on it showres of discomforts Though no obiect greets the eye of flesh but discouragement yet there is a secret Spâ—…it within that will neuer suffer the faith to faile 5. In regard of the Disciples to shame and conuince them for leauing him Christ had said before Luk. 19. Si hitacerent loquerentur lapides If these speaking of his Disciples should hold their peace the stones would immediatly cry out Loe this saying is here come to passe the Disciples hold their peace the stones speake they forsake Christ the rockes proclaime him Such a shame is it for Apostles and ministers of Christ to hold their peace that if they be silent the very stones shall preach against them The walles windowes pauements of Churches shall cry out against such Pastors that vndertake the office of a sheep-heard and feed Christ his flocke with nothing but ayre And euen you that come to heare if no remorse can be put into your hearts at the relation of our Sauiours death if you haue no feeling of his sorrowes no apprehension of these mysteries no repentance of your sinnes no emendation of your liues know that the very seates whereon you sit the walles of your Temples the very stones you tread on shall beare witnesse against you Now the Lord Iesus that at his death brake the Rockes by the vertue of his death breake our rocky hearts that being mollified in this life they may be glorified in the life to come Grant this O Father for thy mercies sake O Christ for thy merits sake O holy Spirit for thy names sake To whom three persons one onely wise and eternall God be glory and prayse for euer Amen THE FOOLE And His Sport PROV 14. 9. Fooles make a mocke at sinne THE Prouerbes of Salomon are so many select aphorismes or diuinely morall Sayes without any mutuall dependance one vpon another Therefore to studie a coherence were to force a marriage betweene vnwilling parties The words read spend themselues on a description of two things the Foole and his Sport The Foole is the wicked man his Sport pastime or babble is Sinne. Mocking is the medium or connexion that brings together the Foole and Sinne thus he makes himselfe merry they meete in mocking The foole makes a mocke at sinne Fooles The foole is the wicked an ignorant heart is alwayes a sinfull heart and a man without knowledge is a man without grace So Thamar to Ammon vnder his rauishing hands Doe not this folly If thou doest it Thou shalt be as one of the Fooles in Israell Ignorance cannot excusare a toto wilfull not a tanto Christ shall come in flaming fire rendring vengeance to them that knowe not God The state of these Fooles is fearefull Like hooded Hawkes they are easily carryed by the Infernall Falconer to hell Their lights are out how shall their house scape robbing These Fooles haue a knowledge but it is to doe euill They haue also a knowledge of good but not scientiam approbationis they know but they refuse it So God iustly quites them for though hee knowe them ad scientiam he will not know them ad approbationem But giues them a Discedite nescio vos I know you not depart from me ye workers of iniquitie A man may be a Foole two wayes by knowing too Little Much. 1. By knowing too little when hee knoweth not those things whereof he cannot be ignorant and doe well I determined not to know any thing among you saue Iesus Christ and him crucified But euery man sayth hee knowes Christ. If men knew Christ his loue in dying for them they would loue him aboue all thinges how doe they know him that loue their money aboue him Nemo verè nouit Christum qui non verè amat Christum No man knowes Christ truely that loues him not syncerely If men knew Christ that he should be Iudge of quicke and dead durst they liue so lewdly Non nouit Christum qui non odit peccatum Hee neuer knew Christ that doth not hate iniquitie Some attribute too much to themselues as if they would haue a share with Christ in their owne saluation Nesciunt Christum seipsos they are ignorant of both Christ and themselues Others lay too much on Christ all the burden of their sinnes which they can with all possible voracitie swallow downe and blasphemie vomite vp againe vpon him But they know not Christ who thus seeke to diuide Aquam a sanguine his bloud from his water and they shall faile of iustification in heauen that refuse sanctification vpon earth 2. By knowing too much when a man presumes to know more then he ought His knowledge is apt to be pursie and grosse and must be kept low Mind not high things sayth the Apostle Festus slandered Paul that much learning had made him madde Indeed it might haue done if Paul had bin as proud of his learning as Festus was of his honour This is the knowledge that puffeth vp It troubles the braine like vndigested meate in the stomach or like the scumme that seeths into the broth To auoyd this follie Paul fortbids vs to be wise in our owne conceites Whereof I find wo readings Be not wise in your selues and Be not wise to your selues Not in your selues coniure not your witte into the circle of your owne secret profit Wee account the simple Fooles God accounts the crafty Fooles He that thinkes himselfe wise is a Foole ipso facto It was a modest speech that fell from the Philosopher Si quando fatuo delectari volo non est mihi longè quaerendus me video Therfore Christ pronounced his Woes to the Pharises his doctrines to the people The first entrie to wisedome is Scire quod nescias to know thy ignorance Sobrietie is the measure for knowledge as the
through with reward Let the Philosophers stop their mouths Scelus aliquis tutum nemo securum tulit Some guiltie men haue beene safe none euer secure This euerie eye must see Let adulterie plead that nature is encourager and directer of it and that she is vniust to giue him an affection and to barre him the action yet we see it plagued To teach vs that the sin is of a greater latitude then some imagine it vncleane fedifragous periured Broad impudence contemplatiue Bauderie an eye full of whores are things but iested at the committers at last find them no iest when God powres vengance on the body and wrath on the naked conscience Let drunkennes stagger in the robes of good fellowship and shrowdit selfe vnder the wings of merriment yet we see it haue the punishment euen in this life It corrupts the bloud drownes the spirits beggers the purse and enricheth the carcase with surfets a present iudgement waites vpon it He that is a theefe to others is at last a theefe also to himselfe and steales away his owne life God doth not euer forbeare sin to the last day nor shall the bloudy Ruffian still escape but his owne bloud shall answere some in present and his soule the rest eternally Let the Seminary pretend a warrant from the Pope to betray and murder Princes and build his damnation on their tetricall grounds which haue Parum rationis minus honestatis Religionis nihil Little Reason lesse Honestie no Religion Yet we see God reueales their malicious stratagems and buries them in their owne pit Piercies head now stands Centinell where he was once a Pioner If a whole land flow with wickednes it escapes not a deluge of vengeance For England haue not her bowells groaned vnder the heauy pestilence If the plague be so common in our mouthes how should it not be common in our streets With that plague wherwith we curse others the iust God curseth vs. Wee shall find in that Emperiall state of Rome that till Constantines time almost euery Emperour dyed by treason or massacre after the receiuing of the Gospell none except that reuolter Iulian Let not sinne then be made a sport or iest which God will not forbeare to punish euen in this life 3. But if it bring not present Iudgement it is the more fearefull The lesse punishment wickednes receiues here the more is behind God strikes those here whom he meanes to spare hereafter and corrects that sonne which he purposeth to saue But hee scarce meddles with them at all whom hee intends to beate once for all The Almond tree is forborne them who are bequeathed to the boiling Potte There is no rod to scourge such in present so they goe with whole sides to hell The purse and the flesh scapes but the soule payes for it This is Misericordia puniens a greeuous mercie when men are spared for a while that they may be spilled for euer This made that good Saint cry Lord here afflict cut burnt torture me Vt in aeternum parcas that for euer thou wilt saue me No sorrow troubles the wicked no disturbance embitters their pleasures But remember sayth Abraham to the merry-liu'ed rich man Thou wert delighted but thou art tormented Tarditas supplicij grauitate pensatur and hee will strike with iron hands that came to strike with leaden feete Tuli nunquid semper feram no their hell-fire shall be so much the hoter as God hath beene coole and tardy in the execution of his vengeance This is a Iudgement for Sinne that comes inuisible to the world insensible to him on whom it lights To be giuen ouer to a reprobate mind to a hard and impenitent heart If any thing be vengance this is it I haue read of plagues famine death come temperd with loue and mercie this neuer but in anger Many taken with this spirituall lethargie sing in Tauernes that should howle with dragons and sleepe out Sabboths and Sermons whose awaked soules would rend their hearts with anguish Fooles then onely make a mocke at sinne 4. Sinne that shall at last be laid heauy on the conscience the lighter the burthen was at first it shall be at last the more ponderous The wicked conscience may for a while lie a sleepe but Tranquilitas ista tempestas est this calme is the greatest storme The mortallest enemies are not euermore in pitched fields one against the other the guiltie may haue a seeming truce true peace they cannot haue A mans debt is not payd by 〈◊〉 bring euen while thou sleepest thy arrerages run on If thy conscience be quiet without good cause remember that Cedat iniustissima pax iustissimo bello a iust warre is better then vniust peace The conscience is like a fire vnder a pile of greene wood long ere it burne but once kindled it flames beyond quenching It is not pacifiable whiles sinne is within to vexe it the hand will not cease throbbing so long as the thorne is within the flesh In vaine he striueth to feast away cares sleepe out thoughtes drinke downe sorrowes that hath his tormentor within him When one violently offers to stoppe a sourse of bloud at the nostril it finds a way downe the throate not without hazzard of suffâ—…cation The stroken deare runs into the thicket and there breakes off the arrow but the head stickes still within him and rankles to death Flitting and shifting ground giues way to further anguish The vnappeased conscience will not leaue him till it hath shewed him hell nor then neither Let then this Foole know that his now feared conscience shall be quickned his death-bed shall smart for this And his amazed heart shall rue his old wilfull adiournings of repentance How many haue there raued on the thought of their old sinnes which in the dayes of their hote lust they would not thinke sinnes Let not then the Foole make a mocke at sinne 5. Sinne which hath another direfull effect of greater latitude and comprehensiue of all the rest Diuinam incitat iram It prouokes God to anger The wrath of a king is as messengers of death what is the wrath of the king of kings For our God is a consuming fire If the fire of his anger be once throughly incensed all the riuers in the South are not able to quench it What piller of the earth or foundation of heauen can stand when he will wake them Hee that in his wrath can open the iawes of earth to swallow thee sluce out flouds from the sea to drowne thee raine downe fire from heauen to consume thee Sodome the old world Corah drunke of these wrathfull vialls Or to goe no further he can set at iarre the elements within thee by whose peace thy spirits are held together drowne thee with a dropsie bred in thy owne flesh burne thee with a pestilence begotten in thy owne bloud or bury thee in the earthly graue of thy owne melancholy Oh it is a fearefull thing to
is no Contention so violent and raging as that is enflamed by erroneous Religion Cyprian writes of Nouatus that he would not so much as allow his owne Father bread whiles hee liued nor vouchsafe him buriall being dead that he spurned his owne wife and killed his owne childe within her bodie O the vnmatchable crueltie that some mens religion if I may so call it hath embloudied them to What treasons conspiracies massacres did or durst euer shew their blacke faces in the light of the Sunne like to those of Papists all vizarded vnder pretended Religion The Pope hath a Canon called Nos sanctorum Predecessorum c. Wee obseruing the statutes of our holy Predecessors doe absolue those that are bound by fidelity and oath to persons excommunicated from their oathes and doe forbid them to keepe their fealtie towards them Quousque ipsi ad satisfactionem veniant till they come to yeeld satisfaction What malicious stratagems against suspended Princes haue not beene kindled from this fire Against what nation hath not this Canon shot the furie Yea the more to embolden subiects to such pernicious attempts the Pope makes them beleeue that the very Apostles take their partes For so it is manifest by the forme of Gregories sentence that he commandeth S. Peter and S Paul as if they were his bailifs errant to execute the writtes of his pontificall and priuatiue authoritie Malice in humour is like fire in straw quickly vp and quickly out but taking hold of conscience like fire in steele Quod tardè acquisiuit diù retinet what was long in getting will be longer in keeping Religion is the greatest enemie to religion the false to the true Fauos etiam vespae faciunt waspes also make combes though in stead of honey wee find gun-powder Of dissension among professours of the Gospell Christ is not authour he neuer gaue fire to burne his Church Yet he hath his hand in it There must be heresies among you that they which are approued may be made manifest He drawes good out of euill and makes a good Shall of the euill must so raising a vertue from a necessitie From contentions begot by Sathan hee so sweetly workes that the profession of his but darkely glowing before shall be made to shine brightly In Q. Maries time when persecution wrung the Church Martyrdome gaue a manifest approbation of many vnknowne Saints The vertues of diuers had bin lesse noted if this fiery triall had not put them to it Gods glory and power are more perspicuous in strengthening his against their enemies then if they had none Christ came not to send this fire yet hee wisely tempers it to our good 2. There may be Dissention betwixt the wicked and the wicked and hereof also is Satan authour He sets his owne together by the eares like cockes of the game to make him sport Hereupon hee raised these great Heathen warres that in them millions of soules might goe downe to people his lower kingdome Hereupon hee drawes ruffian into the field against ruffian and then laughes at their vainely spilt bloud All the contentions quarrels whereby one euill neighbour vexeth another all slaunders scoldings reproches calumnies are his owne damned fires Thus sometimes the vngodly massacre the vngodly oppressours deuoure oppressours I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians and they shall fight euerie one against his brother and euerie one against his neighbour Citie against citie and kingdome against kingdome The Pharises against the Sadduces the Turke against the Pope the Transgressour against the transgressour Couetousnes shall be against prodigalitie basenes against pride temeritie against dastardie The drunkard spils the drunkard the theefe robbes the theefe Proditorisproditor the Traytour shal be betrayed and the cosener shall be cheated They shall eate euerie man the flesh of his owne arme Manasseh Ephraim and Ephraim Manasseh It is vnpossible that any true peace should be amongst the wicked whiles they want the soalder that should glew them together faith Agreement in euill is not peace but conspiracie Wicked mens combining themselues may be a faction no vnitie no amitie for they haue but metum noxam conscientia prosoedere terrour and guilt of conscience for their league But some may question doth not Satan in setting reprobates against reprobates ouerthrow his owne kingdome I answere 1. The Deuill is politicke and will not diuide his subiects when by their holding together hee may diuide the Church So the Pharises though they hate the Sadduces and the Herodians that despise them both shall all ioyne forces shake and take hands against Christ. Papists are enemies to Truth Schismaticks to Peace yet both the Church which suffers as her Sauiour did in medio iniâ—…orum in the midst of aduersaries not onely to her now but at other times also to themselues Herod and Pâ—…te were of enemies reconciled friends that their vnited rancours might meete against Iesus The Iewes and the Lystrians so diuersely religion'd the deuill can make agree to stone Paul Thus Satan holds them vnder colours and pay whiles they can doe him any seruice but when they can no longer vexe others hee falls to vexing of them and enrageth their thirst to one anothers bloud when they haue done quaffing the bloud of the Saints 2. The Deuill in raising seditions and tumults among his owne intends not the destruction but erection of his kingdome Perhaps his forces on earth are weakned but his Territories in hell are replenished wherein he takes himselfe to raigne most surely For Satan during a mans life knowes not certainely whether he belongs to God or to him Predestination is too mysticall and secret a booke for his condemned eyes to looke into and repentance hath often stepped in betwixt old age and death frustrating the hopes of Satan Therefore he hastens a wicked man with what speed he can to hell for till he came within those smoakie gates Satan is not sure of him he may start out of his clutches For this cause he precipitates witches with much suddennesse to their ends whom one would thinke hee should let liue that they might doe more mischiefe No such is his malicious policie he would be sure of some and rather take one soule in present then hazard all on the vaine hope of more gaines 3. There is a Dissention betweene the wicked and godly nor yet is Christ the proper and immediate cause of this For Rom. 12. If it be possible as much as lieth in you liue peaceably with all men 4. There is an Emnitie betwixt Grace and Wickednes a continuall combate betweene sanctitie and sin and this is the Fire that Christ came to send Hee is to some a liuing stone whereupon they are built to life to others a stone of offence whereat they stumble to death Now because the locall seate of holines on earth is in the hearts of the Saints of wickednes in the Deuill and his Iustruments therefore it followes that the
consequence for priuate ends 1. First he begets in a mans minde a dislike of the word for it selfe This man esteemes preaching but follie he sees no good it doth to haue one pratling an houre or two in a Pulpit He is a parishioner to two parishes to the Congregation he liues with Quoad corpus to the Synagogue of Satan Quoad animam 1. Cor. 1. The preaching of the Crosse is to them that perish foolishnes but vnto vs which are saued it is the power of God It is horrible when man dust and ashes meere follie shall censure the Wisedome of God Let them haue their wils be it in their account follie yet it pleaseth God by the foolishnes of preaching to saue them that beleeue And without this they must liue in errour and die in terrour hell fire will make them change their opinions 2. Others are wrought to hate it onely for second and simister respects The Masters of that Damosell Act. 16. Possessed with a spirit of diuination seeing the hope of their gaines gone brought Paul and Silas to scourging and neuer left them till they saw them in prison When Demetrius perceiued the ruine not so much of the Ephesian Diana as of his owne Diana gaine and commoditie in making of siluer shrines he sets all Ephesus in a tumult The losse of profite or pleasure by the Gospell is ground enough of malice and madnesse against it Cannot a tyrant be bloudie cannot an oppressor depopulate an vsurer make benefite of his money a swearer braue with blasphemies a drunkard keepe his tavern-session but the Pulpets must ring of it Downe shall that Gospell come if they can subiect it that will not let them runne to hell vntroubled Non turbant Evangelium â—…um ab Evangelio non turbentur let them alone and they will let you alone But if you fight against their sins with the sword of the Spirit they will haue you by the eares and salute you with the sword of death You see the fires that the Deuill Kindleth It is obiected 1. Satan knowes that hee can do nothing but by the permission of God Ans. Therefore not knowing Gods secret will who are elect who reprobate hee laboures to destroy all And if he perceiue that God more especially loues any haue at them to chuse If he can but bruise their heeles O hee thinkes hee hath wrought a great spight to God 2. He knowes that though with his taile he can draw stars from heauen discouer the hypocrisie of great Professors yet he cannot wipe the name of one soule out of the booke of life which the Lambe hath written there Answ. It is the Devils nature to sinne against his owne knowledge Contra scientiam peccabit qui contra conscientiam peccavit 3. He knowes he shall receiue the greater damnation and the more aggravated torments And the Devill that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire brimstone where the beast the false prophet are shall be tormented day night for ever ever Ans. He sins alwaies with purposed malice of heart proudly against God and blasphemously agaynst the holy Ghost though he receiue the smart himselfe We perceiue now the Fire the Fewell and the Kindler let vs looke to The Smoke There goes lightly a Smoke before this Fire Reu. 9. He opened the bottomlesse pit and there arose a smoke out of the pit as the smoake of a great fornace and the Sunne and the ayre were darkened by reason of the smoake of the pit And there came out of the smoke Locusts vpon the earth When we see smoke wee conclude their is fire Christ will not quench the smoking flaxe for the smoke without shewes a sparke of faith within When Abraham saw the smoke of the countrey going vp as the smoake of a fornace He knew that the fire was begun in Sodom This smoke is the signe of persecution ensuing and it is either Publique or Priuate Publique is two fold 1. The threatning of Tyrants this smoke came out of the mouth of Saul Act. 9. And Saul yet breathing out threatnings Such were the Romish vaunts of the Spanish ships but God quenched that fire in water and it was but a smoke Hee that could forbid the fire to burne can also forbid the smoke to become a 〈◊〉 Onely the massacre at Paris was a fire without a smoke vnles it be smoke enough as indeed it is for Papists to liue among Protestants 2. Securitie is a publique Smoke when men cry Peace peace this is the smoake of warre The carelesse liues of the old world and Sodom were portentuous smoakes of their enkindled destruction Our secure and dead-harted conuersations are arguments of the like to vs. God both auert that and conuert vs. We feast reuel daunce sin and sing like swannes the prognostickes of our owne funerals We are not circumspect to looke vp on those which watch vs with the keene eyes ofmalice our sleepâ—… giues themhope our selues danger Neglect of defence hartens on a very coward enemie Our comfort only is He that keepeth Israel doth not sluÌ„ber nor sleepe The priuate Smoke particularly laid to a Christian is a gentler more soft teÌ„tation But if this Smoke preuaile not Satan coms with a fiery trial Ifhe cannot peruert Io seph with his tempting mistres a kind smoke he will trie what a Iayle can doe If the deuill can draw thee to his purpose with a twine threed what needes he a Cable rope If Sampson can be bound with greene withes the Philistines need not seeke for iron chaines But Sathan knows that some will not like Adam and Esau be wonne with trifles that some will sticke to Christ whiles the weather is faire and there is peace with the Gospell yet in time of persecution start away When he comes with tempests and flouds then the house not built on a rocke fals If our foundation be straw and stubble we know this fire will consume it but if gold it shall rather purge and purifie it He will not goe about that can passe the next way If a soft puffe can turne thee from Christ Sathan will spare his blustring tempests if a smoake can doe it the fire shall be forborne If Ioâ—… could haue beene brought to his bow with killing his cattell seruants children perhaps his bodie had beene fauour'd So that after gentle temptations looke for stormes as thou wouldst after smoake fire Inure thy heart therefore to vanquish the least that thou mayst foile the greatest let the former giue thee exercise against these latter as with wooden Wasters men learne to play at the sharpe Be thy confidence in him that euer enabled thee and affie his promise that will not suffer thee to be tempted aboue thy strength Onely handle this weapon with more heedfull cunning and when thou perceiuest the dallyings of the Deuill play not with his baites Corrupt not thy conscience with a little gaine
heale the bones which the Lord hath broken But his mother other friends stands by seeing sighing weeping Alas what doe those teares but euerease his sorrow might hee not iustly say with Paul What meane ye to weepe to breake mine heart Of whom then shall he expect comfort Of his Apostles Alas they betake them to their heeles Feare of their owne danger drownes their copassion of his miserie He might say with Iob Miserable comforters are ye all Of whom then The Iewes are his enemies and vie vnmercifullnes with deuils There is no other refuge but his Father No euen his Father is angry he that once said This is my beloued Son in whom I am well pleased is now incensâ—…d He hides his face from him but layes his hand heauy vpon him buffets him with anguish Thus Solus patitur he gaue himselfe only himselfe for our redemptioÌ„ To whom To God and that is the fourth circumstance To whom should he offer this sacrifice of expiation but to him that was offended and that is God Against thee thee onely haue I sinned and done this euill in thy sight Father I haue sinned against heauen and in thy sight All sinnes are committed against him his iustice is displeased and must be satisfied To God for God is angry with what and whom with sinne and vs and vs for sinne In his iust anger he must smite but whom In Christ was no sinne Now shall God doe like Annas or Ananias If I haue spoken euill sayth Christ beare witnesse of the euill but if well why smitest thou me So Paul to Ananias God will smite thee thou whited wall for Sittest thou to Iudge me after the Law and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the Law So Abraham pleads to God shall not the Iudge of all the earth doe right Especially right to his Sonne and to that Son which glorified him on earth and whom he hath now glorified in heauen We must fetch the answere from Daniels Prophecie The Messiah shall he cut off but not for himselfe Not for himselfe For whom then For solution hereof we must steppe to the first point and there we shall finde For Whom For vs. He tooke vpon himour person he became suretie for vs. And loe now the course of Iustice may proceed against him He that will become a Suertie and take on him the debt must be content to pay it Hence that innocent Lambe must be made a Sacrifice and he that know no 〈◊〉 in himselfe must be made sin for vs that we might be made the righteousnes of God in him Seauen times in three verses doth the Prophet Esay inculcate this We Our vs. Wee were all sicke greeuously sicke euerie sinne was a mortall disease Quot Vitia tot febres He healeth our infirmities sayth the Prophet he was our Phisician a great Physician Magnus Venit medicus quia magnus iacebat agrotus The whole world was sicke to death therfore needed a powerfull Physician So was he and tooke a strange course for our Cure Which was not by giuing vs physicke but by taking our Physicke for vs. Other patients drink the prescribed potion but our Physician drunke the potion himselfe and so recouered vs. For vs. Ambr. Pro me doluit qui pro se nihil habuit quod doleret He suffered for me that had no cause to suffer for himselfe O Domine Iesu doles non tua sed vulnera mea So monstrous were our sinnes that the hand of the euerlasting Iustice was ready to strike vs with a fatall and finall blow Christ in his owne person steppes betweene the stroke and vs and bore that a while that would haue sunke vs for euer Nos immortalitate malè vsi sumus vt moreremur Christus mortalitate benè vsus est vt viueremus We abused the immortality we had to our death Christ vsed the mortality he had not to our life Dilexit nos he loued vs such vs that were his vtter enemies Here then was loue without limitation beyond imitation Vnspeakable mercy sayes Bernard that the king of eternall glory should yeeld himselfe to be crucified Protam despicatissimo vernaculo immò vermiculo for so poore a wretch yea a worme and that not a louing worme not a liuing worme for we both hated him and his and were dead in sinnes and trespasses Yea for All vs indefinitely none excepted that will apprehend it faithfully The mixture of Moses Perfume is thus sweetly allegorized God coÌ„mands him to put in so much frankincense as Galbanum and so much Galbanum as frankincense Christs Sacrifice was so sweetly temperd as much bloud was shed for the peasant in the field as for the Prince in the Court The offer of saluation is generall whosoeuer among you â—…areth God and worketh rightousnes to him is the word of this saluation sent As there is no exemption of the greatest from misery so no exception of the least from mercie Hee that will not beleeue and amend shall be condemned be he neuer so rich he that doth be hee neuer so poore shall be saued This one point of the Crucifixe For vs requires more punctuall meditation Whatsoeuer we leaue vnsaid we must not huddle vp this For indeed this brings the Texthome to vs euen into our consciences speakes effectually to vs all to me that speake and to you that heare with that Prophets application Thou art the man Wee are they for whose cause our blessed Sauiour was crucified For vs he endured those greeuous pangs for vs that we might neuer tast them Therefore say we with that Father Toto nobis figatur in corde qui totus pro nobis fixus in cruce Let him be fixed wholy in our hearts who was wholy for vs fastned on the Crosse. We shall consider the vses we are to make of this by the ends for which Christ performed this It serues to Saue vs. It serues to Moue vs. It serues to Mortifie vs. 1. To saue vs. This was his purpose performanceâ—…l he did all he suffered was to redeeme vs. By his stripes we are healed by his Sweat we refreshed by his sorrows we reioyced by his death wee saued For euen that day which was to him Dies Luctus the heauiest day that euer man bore was to vs Diessalutis the accepted time the day of saluation The day was euill in respect of our sinnes his sufferings but eventually in regard of what he payed and what he purchased a good day the best day a day of ioy and Iubilation But if this Saluation be wrought for vs it must be applied to vs yea to euery one of vs. For that some receiue more profite by his passion then others is not his fault that did vndergoe 〈◊〉 but theirs that doe not vndertake it to apply it to their own coscienceâ—… But we must not only beleeue this Text in grosse but let euery
afflicting obiects of shame and tyrannie Those â—…ares which to delight the high Quorillers of heauen sing their 〈◊〉 notes must be wearied with the taunts and 〈◊〉 of blasphemie And all this for vs not onely to satisfie those sinnes which our Senses haue committed but to mortifie those senses and preseâ—…e them from those sinnes That our eyes may be no more full of adulteries nor throw couetous lookes on the goods of our brethren That our â—…ares may no more giue so wide admission and welcome entrance to lewd reports the incantations of Sathan That sinne in all our senses might be done to death the poison exhausted the sense purified 4. In all members Looke on that blessed Body conceiued by the Holy Ghost and borne of a pure Virgin it is all ouer scourged martyred tortured manacled mangled What place can you find free Caput Angelicâ—… spiritibus tremebundum densitatâ—… spinarum pungitur facies pulchraprâ—… filijs hominum Iudâ—…orum spâ—…t is detâ—…rpatur Oculi 〈◊〉 sole in 〈◊〉 caligantur c. To begin at his head that head which the Angels reuerence is crowned with thornes That face which is fairer them the sonnes of men must be odiously spit on by the filthy Iewes His hands that made the heauens are extended fastned to a crosse The feet which tread vpon the neckes of his and our enemies feele the like smart And the mouth must be buffeâ—…ed which spake as neuer man spake Still all this for vs. His head bled for the wicked imaginations of our heads His face was besmeared with spittle because we had spit impudent blasphemies against heauen His lips were afflicted that our lips might henceforth yeeld sauoury speeches His feet did bleed that our feet might not be swift to shed bloud All his members suffered for the sinnes of all our members and that our members might be no more ser uants to sin but seruants to righteousnes vnto holines CoÌ„spâ—…i voluit vt nos Lauaret velari voluit vt velamen ignorantia a mentibus nostris 〈◊〉 in capite percuti vt corpori sanitatem restitueret Hee would be polluted with their spettle that hee might wash vs hee would bee blindfolded that he might take the vaile of ignorance from our eyes He suffered the head to be wounded that hee might renew health to all the body Sixe times we read that Christ shed his bloud First when he was circumcised at eight dayes old his bloud was spilt 2. In his agonie in the garden where he swett drops of bloud 3. In his scourging when the merciles tormentors fetch'd bloud from his holy sides 4. When he was crowned with thornes those sharpe prickles raked and harrowed his blessed head and drew forth bloud 5. In his crucifying when his hands feet were pierced bloud gushed out 6. Lastly after his death One of the souldiours with a speare pierced his side and forthwith came there out bloud and water All his members bled to shew that he bled for all his members Not one drop of this bloud was shed for himselfe all for vs for his enemies persecutors crucifiers our selues But what shall become of vs if all this cannot mortifie vs How shall we liue with Christ if with Christ wee bee not dead Dead in deed vnto sinne but liuing vnto righteousnesse As Elisha reuiued the Shunamites child hee lay vpon it put his mouth vpon the childes mouth and his eyes vpon his eyes and his hands vpon his hands and stretched himselfe vpon the child and the flesh of the child waxed warme So the Lord Iesus to recouer vs that were dead in our sinnes and trespasses spreads and applies his whole Passion to vs layes his mouth of blessing vpon our mouth of blasphemie his eyes of holinesse vpon our eyes of lust his hands of mercie vpon our hands of crueltie and stretcheth his gratious selfe vpon our wretched selues till we begin to waxe warme to get life and the holy Spirit returnes into vs. 5. In his Soule All this was but the out-side of his Passion Now is my Soule troubled and what shall I say Father saue me from this houre but for this cause came I vnto this houre The paine of the bodie is but the bodie of paine the very soule of sorrow is the sorrow of the soule All the outward afflictions were but gentle prickings in regard of that his soule suffered The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie but a wounded spirit who can beare He had a heart within that suffered vnseene vnknowne anguish This paine drew from him those strong cryes those bitter teares He had often sent forth the cryes of compassion of passion and complaint not till now He had wept the teares of pittie the teares of loue but neuer before the teares of anguish When the Sonne of God thus cryes thus weepes here is more then the bodie distressed the soule is agonized Still all this for vs. His Soule was in our soules stead what would they haue felt if they had bin in the stead of his All for vs to satisfaction to emendation For thy drunkennesse and powring downe strong drinks he drunke vineger For thy intemperate gluttonie he fasted For thy sloth he did exercise himselfe to continuall paines Thou sleepest secure thy Sauiour is then waking watching praying Thy armes are inured to lustfull embracings hee for this embraceth the rough Crosse. Thou deckest thy selfe with proud habiliments he is humble and lowly for it Thou ridest in pompe he iourneys on foote Thou wallowest on thy downe beds thy Sauiour hath not a pillow Thou surfeiâ—…est and he sweats it out a bloudâ—… sweat Thou fillest and swellest thy selfe with a 〈◊〉 of wickednes behold incision is made in the Head for thee thy Sauiour bleeds to death Now iudge whether this point For vs hath not deriued a neere application of this Text to our owne consciences Since then Christ did all this for thee and me pray then with August O Dâ—… Iesâ—… da cordi 〈◊〉 tâ—… deâ—…derare 〈◊〉 qâ—…rere quâ—…rendo inuenâ—… iâ—…enien do 〈◊〉 amâ—…do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 redempta 〈◊〉 â—…rare Lord giue me a heart to desire thee desiring to seeke thee seeking to find thee finding to loue thee louing no more to offend thee There are two maine parts of this Crucifixe yet to handle I must onely name them being sorry that it is still my hap to trouble you with prolixitie of speech 6. The next is the Manner An offering and Sacrifice His whole life was an Offering his death a Sacrifice He gaue himselfe often for vs an Eucharisticall oblation once an explatorâ—… Sacrifice In the former hee did for vs all that we should doe in the latter hee suffered for vs all that we should suffer Who his owne selfe bare our sins in his owne 〈◊〉 on the tree Some of the Hebrewes haue affirmed that in the fire which consumed the legall Sacrifices there alwayes appeared the face of a Lyon
wealth then worship it Or if they suffer it to passe their locke key yet they bind it in strong chains and charmes of vsurie to a plentifull returne Enough is a language they will neuer learne till they come to hell where their bodies shall haue enough earth their soules enough fire There are foure aduerbs of quantitie Parum Nihil Nimis Satis Litle nothing Two much Enough The last that is the best is seldome found The poore haue Litle the beggar nothing the rich two much but Cui satis who hath Enough Though they haue too much all is too little nothing is enough Quid satis est si Roma parum What is enough if all Rome bee too little sayd the Poet. But the world it selfe could not bee enough to such Aestuat infoelix angusto limite mundi The couetous man may habere quod voluit nunquam quod vult hee may enioy what hee desired neuer what hee desireth for his desires are infinite So their abundance which God gaue them to helpe others out of distresse plungeth themselues into destruction as Pharaohs Chariot drew his master into the sea In the Massilian sea sayth Bernard scarce one ship of foure is cast away but in the sea of this world scarce one soule of foure escapes 4. Their next Policie When they swimme though their bodies bee plunged downe yet they still keepe their head aboue the water And this lesson of their wisdome I would direct to the Riotous as I did the former to the Couetous Which vitious affections though in themselues opposite for the covetous thinke Prodigum Prodigium the Spender a wonder and the prodigall thinke Parcum Porcum the niggard a hogge yet either of them both may light his candle at the lampe of the Serpents wisedome and learne a vertue they haue not Though you swimme in a full sea of delights yet bee sure to keepe your heads vp for feare of drowning It is naturall to most sensitâ—…e creaâ—…res to beare vp their heads aboue the flouds yet in the streame of pleasures foolish man commonly sinkes If I had authoritie I would here bid Gluttonie Drunkennesse stand forth heare themselues condemned by a Serpent If the belly haue any 〈◊〉 let it heares not suffer the head of the body â—…ch 〈◊〉 the head of the soule Reason to be drowned in a puddlâ—… of riot Multafercula multos 〈◊〉 Many dishes many diseases Gluttony was euer a friend to 〈◊〉 But for the throaâ—…s indulgence Paracelsus for all his Mercurie had dyed a beggar Intemperance lies most commonly sicke on a downe bedde not on a padde of straw Ay me's and grones are soonest heard in rich mens houses Gowtes Pleurisies dropsies feuers surfets are but the consequents of epicurisme Quâ—… nisi diuitibus nequeunt contingâ—…re 〈◊〉 A Diuine Poet morrally We seeme ambitious Gods whole worke t' vndoâ—… Of nothing he made vs and we striue two To bring our selues to nothing backe and we Doe what we can to do 't as soone as he We complaine of the shortnes of our liues yet take the course to make them shorter Neither is the corporall head onely thus intoxicate and the senses drowned in these deluges of ryot but Reason the head of the Soule and Grace the head of Reason is ouer whelmed Rarum 〈◊〉 â—…ine vitio 〈◊〉 convitio Reuellers and Reuilers are wonted companions When the belly is made a Crassus the tongue is turned into a Cesar and taxeth all the world Great feasts are not without great danger They serue not to suff ce nature but to nourish corruption Luk. 2. Ioseph and Mary went vp to Ierusalem to the feast with Iesus but there they lost Iesus Twelue yeares they could keepe him but at a feast they lost him So easily is Christ lost at a feast And it is remarkable there ver 46. that in the Temple they found him againe Iesus Christ is often lost at a banket but he is euer found in the temple Iude speakes of some that feast without feare They suspect not the losse of Christ at a banket But Iob feared his children at a feast It may be my sonnes haue sinned and cursed God in their hearts Let vs suspect these riotous meetings lest wee doe not only swimme but sinke Let vs be like the Deere who are euer most fearefull at their best feeding d Let vs walke hâ—…nestly as iâ—… the dâ—…y not in riâ—…ting and drunkennesse that were to feast the world not in chambering and wantâ—…esse that were tâ—… feast the flesh not in strife and enuying that were to feast the deuill I know therebe some that care not what be sayd against eating so you meddle not with their drinke Who cry ouâ—… like that German at a great Tourneament at Court when al the specâ—…ors were pleased Valeant Lâ—…di 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 farewell that sport where there is no drinking I will say no more to them but that the Serpents heâ—…d keepes the vpper hand of the waters but dâ—…nke gâ—…ts the vpper hand of their heads How 〈◊〉 is this Sobrij serpentes 〈◊〉 homines Sober serpents and drunken men The Serpent is here brought to tâ—…ch vâ—… wisedome and to bee sober is to be wise The Philosophâ—…r so deriues wisedome in his Ethick's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…st quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or as another quia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. The fift instance of their wisedoâ—… propounded to our imitation is vigilancie They â—…eepe litle and then lâ—…ast when they suspect the 〈◊〉 of danger A prâ—…dent woâ—… ouâ—… following See that ye walke circâ—…spectly not 〈◊〉 foâ—…les but as wise Carry your eyes in your ownâ—… heads noâ—… Like those 〈◊〉 in a boxe Nor likâ—… a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prince that is not suffered to see but through 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spectâ—…es Be watchfâ—…l saith our Sâ—…iour yoâ—… 〈◊〉 not whâ—… houre your master will come 1. Pet. 5. 8. Bâ—… 〈◊〉 bâ—… vigilâ—…nt because your aduersaâ—…y the Deuil aâ—… a roaring Lyon walketh about seeking whom he â—…ay deuoure Thâ—…se are two mâ—…ine motiues to watchfullnes First our Landlord is ready to come for his rent Secondly our enemy is ready to assault ouâ—… for t And let me adde the Tenâ—… we dwell in is so weake and ruinous that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 readie to drop downe about our eares Hee that dwellâ—… in a rotten 〈◊〉 house dares scarce sleepe in a tempestuous night Our bodies are earthly decayed or at least decaying Tabernacles euerie little disease like a storme totters vs. They were indeed at first strong cities but we then by sinne made them forts of rebells Whereupon our oâ—…ended Liege sent his Sariant death to arrest vs of high treason And though for his mercies sake in Christ he pardoned our sinnes yet he suffers vs no more to haue such strong houses but le ts vs dwell in thack'd cottages paper walles mortall bodies Haue wee not then cause to watch least our house whose foundation is in the dust
God the Father Come ye blessed of my Father inherite ye the kingdome 2. Ours purchased for vs by God the Son We haue boldnes to enter into the Holyest by the bloud of Iesus 3. Ours sealed to vs by God the holy Ghost The Spirit of God seales vs vp to the day of redemption The Spirit it selfe beareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God Ours thus though we are not yet fully entred into it Habemus ius ad rem nondum in re Wee are heires to it though now we be but wards Our minoritie bids binds vs to be as seruants The heire as long as he is a child differs nothing from a seruant though he be Lord of all When we come to full yeares a perfect growth in godlynes in mensuram staturae adulti Christs to the measure of the stature of the fullnesse of Christ we shall haue a plenary possession It is ours already not in re but in spe as Aug. Our common Law distinguisheth betweene two maner of freeholds A freehold in deede when a man hath made his entry vpon lands and is thereof really seised A freehold in law when a man hath right to possessions but hath not made his actuall entry So is this Countrey ours ours Tenore iuris though not yet iure tenoris ours in the inheritance of the possession though not in the possession of the inheritance To this countrey our countrey let vs trauell and that we may do it the better 5. The last circumstance shewes vs how Another way we must change the whole course of our inordinate conuersation and walke another way euen the Kings high-way to Paradise Immutatio viâ—… emendatio vitae The changing of the way is the amending of our life Repentance must teach vs to tread a new path To man truely penitent Optimus portus est mutatio consiâ—…y The best hauen is the change of his life not to turne againe by the same way that he came Thus must we renounce our owne wils old wayes and being made new creatures take new paths So Gregory o We departed from our countrey by pride disobedience doting on visible delights and pleasing the lusts of the flesh we must therefore returne by humiluâ—…e obedience contemning the world and condemning the flesh Quia Paradisi gaudijs per delectationem recessimus ad hâ—…c per poenitentiam tanquà m per nouam viam reuocaâ—…ur We that departed from Paradise by sinne must returne thether by a new way Repentance Hast thou walked in lust take another way by puritie and chastitie Didst thou trauell with pride there is another way to heauen humilitie Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heauen Wert thou giuen to auarice there is a new way to heauen by charitie Ye haue fed me hungry c. therefore come ye blessed Didst thou trudge with contention and molesting thy neighbours with sutes this is the way to Westminster hall there is another way to heauen Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of God Didst thou trade in vsurie this is the way to the Exchange thou must exchange this way if thou wilt come to glory Hast thou forredged with oppression Thou must with Zaccheus seeke out another way If I haue taken any thing from any man by false dealing I restore him fourefold Let the drunken epicure malicious repiner seditious incendiary dissembling hypocrite vniust oppressor leaue their wretched pathes seeke another way to happines God giue vs all grace to find this way of Repentance that wee may come at last to our owne Countrey peace and rest with Iesus Christ. Amen SEMPER IDEM OR The Immutable mercie Of Iesus Christ. HEBR. 13. 8. Iesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for euer BY the name of Iehouah was God knowne to Israel from the time of the first mission of Moses to them and their manumission out of Egypt and not before For sayth God to Moses I appeared vnto Abraham and vnto Isaac and vnto Iacob by the Name of God Almightie but by my Name IEHOVAH was I not knowne to them This I Am is an eternall word comprehending three times that was that is and is to come Now to testifie the equalitie of the Sonne to the Father the Scripture giues the same Eternitie to Iesus that it doth to Iehouah He is called Alpha and Omega Primus nouissimus the First and the Last which is which was and which is to come Reuel 1. and here the same yesterday and to day and for euer Therefore he was not onely Christus Dei the Annointed of God but Christus Deus God himselfe Annointed Seeing that Eternitie which hath neither beginning nor ending is only peculiar and proper to God The words may be distinguished into a Center CircuÌ„ference Mediate Line referring the one to the other The immoueable Center is Iesus Christ. The Circumference that runs round about him here is Eternitie Yesterday to day for euer The Mediate line referring them is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The same Iesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for euer The Center is Iesus Christ. Iesus was his proper Name Christ his appellatiue Iesus a name of his nature Christ of his Office and dignitie as Diuines speake Iesus a Name of all sweetnes Mel in ora Melos in aâ—…re iubilus in corde A reconciler a Redeemer a Sauiour When the conscience wrastles with Law Sin Death nothing but horror and despaire without Iesus He is the way the Truth and the Life without him Error Meâ—…dacium Mors. Si scribas non placet nisi legam ibi Iesum saith Bernard If thou writest to me thy letter doth not please me vnles I read there Iesus If thou conferrest thy discourse is not sweet without the name of Iesus The blessed restorer of all of more then all that Adam lost for we haue gotten more by his regenerating grace then we lost by Adams degenerating Sinne. Christ is the Name of his Office being appointed and annointed of God a King a Priest a Prophet This Iesus Christ is our Sauiour of whose names I forbeare further discourse being vnable though I had the tongue of Angels to speake ought worthy â—…anto Nomine Tanto Numine All that can be said is but a litle but I must say but a litle in all But of all names giuen to our Redeemer still Iesus is the sweetest Oâ—…er sayth Bern. are names of Maiestie Iesus is a name of mercie The Word of God the Sonne of God the Christ of GOD are titles of Glory Iesus a Sauiour is a title of grace mercie redemption This Iesus Christ is the Center of this Text and not onely of this but of the whole Scripture The Summe of Diuinitie is the Scripture the Summe of the Scripture is the Gospell the Summe of the Gospell is Iesus Christ. In a word Nihil
continet verbum Domini nisi verbum Dominum There is nothing contained in the word of God but God the Word Nor is he the Center onely of his Word but of our rest and Peace I determined not to know any thing among you saue Iesus Christ and him crucified Thou hast made vs for thee O Christ and our heart is vnquiet till it rest in thee It is naturall to euery thing appettere centrum to desire the Center But our life is hid with Christ in God We must needes amare where wee must animare Our mind is where our pleasure is our heart is where our treasure is our loue is where our life is but all these our pleasure treasure life are reposed in Iesus Christ. Thou art my Portion O Lord sayth Dauid Take the world that please let our Portion be Christ. We haue left all sayth Peter and fellowed thee you haue lost nothing by it sayth Christ for you haue gotten me Nimis auarus est cui non sufficit Christus Hee is too couetous whom Iesus Christ cannot satisfie Let vs seeke this Center sayth August Quâ—…ramus inueniendum quaeramus inuentum Vt inveniendus quâ—…ratur paratus est vt inuentus quâ—…ratur immensus est Let vs seeke him till wee haue found him and still seeke him when we haue found him That seeking wee may find him he is ready that finding we may seeke him he is infinite You see the Center The referring Line proper to this Center is Semper Idem The same There is no mutabilitie in Christ no variablenes nor shadow of turning All lower lights haue their inconstancie but in the Father of lights there is no changeablenes The Sunne hath his shadow the the Sonne of righteousnesse is without shadow that turnes vpon the Diall but Christ hath no turning Whom he loues he loues to the end He loues vs to the end of his loue there is no end Tempus crit consummandi nullus consumendi misericordiam His mercie shall be perfected in vs neuer ended In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with euerlasting kindnesse will I haue mercie vpon thee sayth the Lord thy Redeemer His wrath is short his goodnesse is euerlasting The mountaines shall depart and the hils be remoued but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the couenant of my peace be remoued sayth the Lord that hath mercie on thee The mountaines are stable things the hils stedfast yet hils mountaines yea the whole earth shall totter on the foundations yea the very heauens shall passe away with a noyse and the elements shall melt with heate but the Couenant of God shall not be broken I will betroth thee vnto me for euer sayth God This marriage-bond shall neuer be canceld nor sinne nor death nor hell shall be able to diuorce vs. Six twentie times in one Psalme that sweet singer chants it His mercie endureth for euer Iesus Christ the same yesterday and to day and for euer As this meditation distilles into our beleeuing hearts much comfort so let it giue vs some instructions Two things it readily teacheth vs a Diswasiue caution Perswasiue lesson 1. It diswades our confidence in worldly thinges because they are inconstant How poore a space doâ—… they remaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same To proue this you haue in the first of Iudges Ver. 6. a Iury of threescore and ten Kings to take their oathes vpon it Euery one had his throne yet there lickes crums vnder another Kings table and shortly euen this King that made them all so miserable is made himselfe most miserable Salomon compares wealth to a wild fowle Riches make themselues wings they flie away as an Eagle toward heauen Not some tame house-bird or a hawke that may be fetched downe with a lure or found againe by her bels but an Eagle that violently cuts the aire and is gone past recalling Wealth is like a bird it hops all day from man to man as that doth from tree to tree and none can say where it will roust or rest at night It is like a vagrant fellow which because he is big boned able to worke a man takes in a dores and cherisheth and perhaps for a while he takes paines but when he spies opportunity the fugitiue seruant is gone and takes away more with him then all his seruice came to The world may seeme to stand thee in some stead for a season but at last it irreuocably runs away and carries with it thy ioyes thy gods as Rachell stole Labans Idoles thy peace and content of heart goes with it and thou art left desperate You see how quickly riches cease to be the same and can any other earthly thing boast more stabillitie Honour must put off the robes when the play is done make it neuer so glorious a shew on this worlds stage it hath but a short part to act A great name of worldly glory is but like a peale rung on the bels the Common people are the clappers the rope that moues them is popularitie if you once let goe your hold leaue pulling the clapper lies still and farewell honour Strength though like Ieroboam it put forth the arme of oppression shall soone fall downe withered Beautie is like an Almanacke if it last a yeare t' is well Pleasure like lightning â—…ritur moritur sweet but short a flash and away All vanities are but butter-flies which wanton children greedily catch for and sometimes they flie besides them sometimes before them sometimes behind them sometimes close by them yea through their fingers and yet they misse them and when thâ—… haue them they are but butterflies they haue painted wings but are crude and squalid wormes Such are the things of this world vanities butter-flies Vel sequendo labimur vel assequendo lâ—…dimur The world it selfe is not vnlike a Hartechoke nine parts of it are vnprofitable leaues scarce the tythe is good about it there is a lâ—…ttle picking meate nothing so wholesome as daintie in the midst of it there is a coare which is enough to choke them that deuoure it O then set not your hearts vpon these things calcanda sunt as Ierome obserues on Act. 4. They that sold their possessions brought the prises and layed them downe at the Apostles feete At their feete not at their hearts they are fitter to be troden vnder feet then to be waited on with hearts I conclude this with Augustine Ecce turbat mundus amatur quid si tranquillus esset Formoso quomodo hâ—…reres qui sic amplecteris soedum Flores eius quà m colligeres qui sic a spinis non reuocas manuÌ„ Quà m confideres â—…terno qui sic adhâ—…res caduco Behold the world is turbulent and full of vexation yet it is loued how would it be embraced if it were calme and quiet If it were a beauteous Damosell how would they
periudice But the poyson of the wicked dum alios inficit seipsos interficit Whilest it infects others kills themselues His owne iniquities shall take the wicked himselfe Their owne wickednesse like poyson hath in themselues these three direfull effects It makes them Swell Swill Burst 1. It makes them swell with pride and blowes vp the heart as a bladder with a quill Quis est Dauid Who is Dauid and who is the Sonne of Iesse Yea Quis est Dominus Who is the Almightie that wee should serue him Thus the Spider a poysonous vermine Climes vp to the roofe of the kings pallace If he be in prosperitie nothing can hold him to a man Be hee but a Thistle he sends to the king of Lebanon for his daughter to be his Sonnes wife Though he be but a dwarfe in comparison he would swell to a son of Anak Sinne hath puff'd him vp he forgets his maker The Lord hath fed him to the full he rebells against him We haue then good cause to pray with our Church In the time of our wealth good Lord deliuer vs. 2. It makes them swill the poyson of sinne is such a burning heate within them that they must still bee drinking And the deuill their Physician holds them to a dyet-drinke they shall not haue the water of the Sanctuary that would coole them but the harsh harish ill-brewd drinke of damnation They shall tast nothing but sinne more poyson still Which is so farre from quenching their thirst that it enflames it Totis exquirit in agris Quas modo poscit aquas sitiens in corde venenum So a man puts out the Lampe by powring in more oyle and extinguisheth the fire by laying on fewel This may for a small time allay the heate as cold drinke to a burning feuer So Ahabs feruor was a litle delayed with a draught of wine out of Naboths vinyard But Satan holds his guests to one kind of lycour and that 's ranke poyson the mudde of sinne and wickednesse He allowes them no other watring place but this Puddle-wharfe 3. It makes them burst here be the three sore effects of sinne in the soule as of poyson in the body Frst it makes a man swell then it makes him drinke lastly it it bursts him Iudas is houen with couetousnes hee drinkes the money of treason and then he bursts Rumpuntur viscera Iudae he burst out This is the catastrophe of a wicked life Then when lust hath conceiued it bringeth forth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringethforth forth death To others You see how fatall the poyson of the wicked is to themselues It doth not onely rumperese but corrumpere alios burst themselues but corrupt others It depriues their owne good it depraues others good The hurt is doth to others consists in Correptione Corruptione in outward harming in inward defiling them Outwardly Their Poyson breakes forth in the iniuries of all about them They spare neither forreiner nor neighbour There be litle snakes in Babilon that bite only forreiners and not inhabitants Pliny writes of Scorpions in the hill Caria that when they sting onely wound the naturall borne people of the Countrey but extraneos leuiter mordere but bite strangers gently or not at all These like fooles not onely strike them that are nearest but betweene their poyson in ruinam omnium to the ouerthrow of all Such a one cannot sleepe except he haue done mischiefe nay hee dyes if others doe not dye by him Et si non aliqua nocuâ—…sset mortuus esset A mans Land cannot scape the poyson of the depopulator nor his estate the poyson of the vsurer nor his children the rauisher nor his peace the contender nor his name the slanderer If their poyson cannot preuaile ad interitum hominis they will spend it ad interitum nominis If they cannot murder they will murmure They are the Deuills bandogs as one calls Parsons the Popes Cerbâ—…rus If they cannot come to bite they will barke If their sting cannot reach their mouth shall sputter out their venime Yea some of them doe not onely this mischiefe whiles they liue but etiam mortui euen dead As Herod that caused the noble Sonnes of the Iewes to be slaine post mortem suam after his death They write of some serpents that their poyson can doe no hurt except it bee shot from the liue bodies of them but these leaue behind them a still euill-working poyson As wee say of a charitable man that hee doth good after hee is dead his almes maintaine many poore soules on earth when his soule is in heauen Et quamvis ipse sepultus alit So these wicked sinne perpetually euen dead The incloser of commons sinneth after he is dead euen so long as the poore are depriued of that benefite He that hath robbed the Church of a tenth so leaues it to his heire sinnes after he is dead euen so long as God is made to loose his right Moriente serpente moritur venenum but here moriente homine viuit peccatum As one sayd of a Lawyer that resoluing not to be forgotten hee made his will so full of intricate quirkes that his executors if for nothing else yet for very vexation of law might haue cause to remember him Ieroboams sinne of Idolatrie out liued him The vniust decrees of a partiall Iudge may out liue him euen so long as the adiudged inheritance remaines with the wrongfull possessor The decrees of diuerse Popes as in curtalling the Sacrament forbidding marriage c. are their still liuing sinnes though themselues be dead and rotten Inwardly Their poyson doth most hurt by Infection their companie is as dangerous as the plague a man cannot come neere them but hee shall bee contaminated Like the weed called Gosses they make the ground barren wheresoeuer they grow Their Poyson is got Per Contactum Contractum Compactum Conspectum 1. By touching he that toucheth pitch shall be defiled It is dangerous to sport and dally with them dum ludunt laedunt He casteth firebrands and arrowes and death and sayth Am I not in sport As Solomon sayth Their very mercies are cruell so their very iest is killing earnest 2. By companying with them they hurt by sporting but worse by sorting Cast in thy lot among vs let vs all haue one purse They that will quarter themselues with the wicked must drinke of their poyson If you aske how happes it that their infection is not smâ—…lt Bernard answers Vbi omnes sâ—…rdent vnius minimè sentitur one is not smelt where all stinke 3. By Confederacie which is yet a higher degree of receiuing their poyson The first was alight dallying with their humours the next a societie with them in some drunken riots and disorders but this third is a conspiracie with them in their pernicious and deadly plotts Thus a Seminary comes from Rome and whistles together a number of traytors he brought poison
our land is ours our garment ours our money seruant beast ours and that he is a theefe who robs vs of these But all the men in the world cannot warrant vs our Saluation but onely Iesus Christ. Therefore that we may haue assurance that all these are ours and that wee shall neuer answere for euery bit of bread we haue eaten and for euery drop of wine we haue drunke that our possessions are our owne our gold robes rents revenues are our owne let vs be Christs Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the World or life or death or thinges present or thinges to come all are yours and ye are Christ's and Christ is Gods Be sure of saluation and be sure of all For he that spared not his owne sonne but deliuered him vp for vs all how shall he not with him also freely giue vs all things To whom My saluation not others onely but Mine A man and a Christian are two creatures he may bee a man that hath reason and outward blessings he is onely a Christian that hath faith and part in the saluation of Christ. God is plentifull saluation but it is not ordinary to find a Cui to whom Much of heauen is lost for lacke of a hand to apprehend it All passengers in this world presume they are going to heauen but we may guesse by the throng that the greater part take the broader way Christ leauing the earth in respect of his bodily presence left there his Gospell to apply to mens soules the vertue of his death and passion Ministers preach this Gospell people heare this Gospell all boast of this Gospell yet himselfe foretels that when he comes againe he shall scarce find faith vppon earth No doubt he shall find Christians enow but scarce faith Saluation is common as St. Iude speaketh When I gaue all diligence to write vnto you of the common saluation but few make it proper to themselues That God is my saluation and thy saluation this is the comfort When. In the time present I am Sum non sufficit quòd ere It is comfort to Israell in captiuitie that God sayes Ero tua redemptio I will redeeme thee But the assurance that quiets the conscience is this I am thy saluation As God said to Abraham feare not I am with thee Deferred hope faints the heart Whatsoeuer God forbeare to assure vs O pray we him not to delay this Lord say to our soules I am your saluation To conclude it is saluation our Prophet desires that God would seale him vp for his childe then certifie him of it He requests not Riches he knew that man may be better fed then taught that wealth doth but franke men vp to death He that preferres Riches before his soule doth but sell the horse to buy the saddle or kill a good horse to catch a hare He begs not honour many haue leapt from the high throne to the low pitte The greatest commander on earth hath not a foote of ground in heauen except hee can get it by entitling himselfe to Christ. He desires not Pleasures he knowes there are as great miseries beyond prosperitie as on this side it And that all vanitie is but the indulgence of the present time a minute begins continues ends it for it endures but the acting knowes no solace in the memorie In the fairest garden of delights there is somewhat quod in ipsis floribus angat that stings in the midst of all vaine contents In a word it is not momentany variable apt to eyther change or chance that hee desires but eternall saluation He seekes like Mary that better part which shall neuer be taken from him The wise mans minde is euer aboue the moone saith Seneca let the world make neuer so great a noise as if it all ran vppon Coaches and all those full of roarers yet all peace is there It is not sublunary vnder the wheele of changeable mortalitie that he wishes but saluation To be saued is simply the best plot beate your braines and breake your sleepes and wast your marrowes to be wealthy to be worthy for riches for honours plot studie contriue be as politicke as you can and then kisse the childe of your owne braines hugge your inuentions applaud your wittes doat vpon your aduancements or aduantagements yet all these are but dreames When you awake you shall confesse that to make sure your saluation was the best plot and no studie shall yeeld you comfort but what hath bin spent about it What should wee then doe but worke and pray worke sayth Paul Worke vp your saluation with feare and trembling and then pray with our Prophet Lord say to our soules thou art our saluation with comfort and reioycing THE SOVLES REFVGE 1. PET. 4. 19. Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their soules to him in well doing as vnto a faithfull Creator ATRVE Christians life is one daie of three meales and euery meale hath in it two Courses His first meale is Nascâ—… renasci to be borne a sinner to bee new-borne a Saint I was borne in iniquitie and in firme did my mother conceive me there is one Course Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God there is the other Course His second meale is Benè agere malè pati to doe well and to suffer ill Doe good vnto all but especially to those that are of the houshold of Faith ther 's one Course of Doing c All that liue godly in Christ Iâ—…sus shall suffer persecution there 's the other Course of Suffering His third meale is Morâ—… viuere to die a temporall death to liue an eternall life The first is his Break-fast and herein he is naturally Natus daâ—… borne in sinne and condemned for sinne spiritually 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 borne againe in righteousnesse and iustified from sinne The last is his Supper wherein there is one bitter dish Death Statutum est omnibus semel mâ—…ri It is appoynted to all men to die once Omnibus semel plorisque bis to all once to many twice for there is a second death And that is truely a dâ—…th because it is mors vita the death of life the other rather a life for it is mors mâ—…rtis the death of death after which mors non erit vltra there shall be no more death Therefore rise that you may not fall rise now by a righteous life least you fall into an euerlasting death If the soule will not now rise the bodie shall one day bee raised and goe with the soule to Iudgement The second Course is incomparably sweet vinere post mortem to liue after death I say after death for a man mâ—…st die that hee may liue So that a good supper brings a good sleepe hee that liues well shall sleepe well Hee that now apprehends mercie mercie shall hereafter comprehend him Mercie is the vltimus 〈◊〉 no hope beâ—…nd