sola Dei misericordia benignitate reponere For the uncertainty of our owne righteousnes and danger of vaine glory it is the safest way to repose all our confidence in Gods only mercy and bounty Then is it not as hee disputes Lib. 1. de justificatione cap. 4. wrought by charity but contrariwise charity doth arise from faith I will conclude with Bernard Omnia merita Dei dona sunt ita homo magis propter ipsa Deo debitor est quà m Deus homini all our merits are the gifts of God so man is rather a debtour to God for them then God to man So much as touching this life Touching the other life hee commends them to God that they may behold the presence of his glory with joy for in the life to come wee shall have plenitudinem gaudy fulnes of joy Here all Psal 16. joy is at an ebbe it is mixed with some sorrow light with darkenesse heate with cold health with sicknes life with death glory with ignominy but there is joy and nothing but ioy no change no alteration day without night light without darkenesse summer without winter youth without age life without death there we shall have all teares wiped away from our eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow neither crying neither shall Apoc. 21. 4. there bee any more paine but they shall have perpetuall ioy death The ioyes of Heaven fill all powers of soule body and Hell shall bee cast into the lake of fire and shall bee destroyed for ever The second death shall have no power upon them that be in heaven but they shall bee the Priests of God and of Christ and shall raigne with him a thousand yeeres That is for ever We looke too much to Apoc. 20. 6 5 14. Hebr. 6. the pleasures of this world which maketh us care lesse for Heaven but looke into the powers of the world to come vide intùs extra supra infra circumcirca ubique erit gaudium Looke within and without above and beneath and round about and yee shall find ioy every where within shall be ioy for the glorification of the body and soule for our Saviour even The Lord Iesus shall change our vile body and make it like his glorious body according Phil. 3. 21. to the working whereby he is able to sub due all things unto himselfe It is much to have our bodies changed more to have our vile bodies changed but to have our vile bodies so changed that they shall be facioned like the glorious body of the Lord Iesus is most of all and must needs fill us with ioy Wee shall have ioy without by reason of the company of the blessed Angels for wee shall inioy not onely the celestiall Ierusalem but also the company of innumerable Angels which shall glad us and reioice us exceedingly Wee shall have ioy above in the sight of God for wee shall bee like God and see him as hee is Wee shall have ioy beneath of the beauty of Heaven and of the world for 1 Iohn 3. 2. Wee looke for new Heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse 2 Pet. 3. 13. Wee shall have ioy round about of the delight of all our senses when God shall bee the obiect of them all for he shall be a glasse unto our eyes musicke unto our eare hony to our taste a flowre to our hands and sweet Balsamum to our smell there shall be the fairenes of the Summer the sweetnes of the Spring the plenty of the Autumne the rest of the Winter yea God shall 1 Cor. 13. bee all in all unto us This life is as a seed-time in teares as the travell of a woman as a weary prentice-hood as a tedious iourney but the harvest is in the life to come there shall we reape joy there Psal 126. 5. are wee delivered of our child birth and forget our sorrow for ioy that salvation is come our sorrow shall be turned into ioy A Iohn 16. 21 22. woman when shee travaileth hath sorrow because her houre is come but as soone as shee is delivered of her Child she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a man is borne into the world In this world wee have sorrow but in Heaven joy there wee shall rejoice and our joy shall no man take from us Looke to Iesus the Author and finisher of our faith and let the same animate us that did him hee for the joy that was set before Hebr. 12. 2. him endured the Crosse and despised the shame and is set at the right hand of the Throne of God Let us so doe and wee shall follow the Lambe and be partakers of the price of our high calling which is in Christ Iesus tantum gaudebunt quantum amabunt tantum amabunt quantum cognoscunt Deum sic cognoscunt ut cogniti Rom. 8. sunt so much shall they reioice by how much they love and so The land of the living cōpared with the land of the dead much shall they love by how much they know God and they so know as they are knowne The situation and height of Heaven may teach us the quantity and quality of the glory of heaven Coelum Empyraeum is 1 Cor. 13. higher greater and more excellent than all Heavens the Scripture calleth it The land of the living as if the earth which we inhabit were the land of dead men and indeed Wee are dead and Psal 116. 9. our life is hidde with Christ in God and when Christ which is our life Col. 3. 3. shall appeare then shall wee also appeare in glory Now if in this land of dead men the creatures bee so precious what shall they bee hereafter in the land of the living In this dead land see the greatnesse of the heavens the brightnesse of the Sunne and Moone and starres the beauty of the earth how pleasant is it to see the height of the mountaines the plaines of the fields the greenenesse of the vallies the fountains of waters the current of the streames and rivers which like veines runne thorow the earth the mines of gold and silver pearle the mines of metals If all these bee in the land of the dead what is in the land of the living There shall bee a new Heaven and a new earth and new creatures 2 Pet. 3. 15. Againe there be three places in this life The first is in the wombe from our corruption The second is in the world from our birth The third is in Heaven after death Betwixt these three there is a proportion looke how much the world is bigger and pleasanter than the wombe so much is Heaven bigger and fairer than the world as well in length of time as in beauty Touching durance the first life in the 2 Mathab 7. wombe is not above nine moneths the second life is foure score yeeres at the most the third is infinite and
excellent of all vertues 413 All vertues vaine without love ibid. Many excellent properties of Love 414 Little love in this age ibid. Love makes men of one heart 415 Many men implacable cruell like Wolues or Divels ibid. An exhortation to love 416 Foure properties of love that it be holy just true constant ibid. The love amongst Atheists and impious condemned 417 The excellency of Love ibid. Atheists agree like a kennell of dogs 418 Most love for lucre ibid. Gods love to us infinite 419 Gods love to us diversly distinguished ibid. Gods loue set out by all the dimensions yet transcendent and unmeasurable ibid. No love comparable to Gods Love 420 Gods love to us the cause of our love to him and the godly ibid. Foure reasons or motives to incite us to love God 1. à mandato 2. ab aequo justo 3. à commodo 4. ab officio 421 The manner how God is to bee loved 422 Love a debt that all owe to God and man but few poy it ibid VVe must shew our love to God by keeping his commandements and serving him 423 An honorable and happy thing to love God ibid. Sermon 34. THe hope of eternal life allays the hardnesse of Gods Commandements 425 Hope of reward makes men endure labours and dangers 426 The blessed estate of the Saints in Heaven 427 Christ and the Saints in their sufferings had an eye to the reward ibid. The joyes of Heaven unspeakable incomprehensible 428 The glorified bodyes shall have spirituall and heavenly qualities namely clarity agility subtility unpassibility and immortality 429 The principall points wherein the glory and joy of the glorified soule and whole Saint consist 430 Earthly mindes regard not Heavenly joyes 431 Divers errours concerning eternall life 432 The joyes of Heaven eternall and infinite ibid. Heaven compared with the wombe of the world 433 An exhortation to seeke after eternall joyes ibid. Eternall life onely the free gift of God 434 Merit end mercy gift and desert opposite ibid. Papists works many of them merit death 435 Merit three-fold Congrui Digni Condigni ibid. None can merit ex condigno but Christ 436 Our works cannot merit because finite and unperfect ibid. Christs righteousnes ours 437 Our works merit not jointly with Christs ibid. Grace threefold Praeveniens Subsequens Consummans ibid. Many Papists renounce their merits and fly to Gods mercy 438 Our election vocation justification sanctification all from grace 439 We must not trust in our works but confesse our sinnes ibid. Sermon 35. DIscretion necessary for distinguishing sinnes and sinners 441 Ministers must use discretion not deale alike with all sinnes and sinners ibid. How to restore with mâ—ekenes them that are fallen 442 VVee should pitty and pray for sinners and not despise them ibid. Many men more compassionate toward their beasts nhan brethren 444 Wee must tak away sinnes with mildenesse and mercy if possible ibid. Reproofe though not pleasing yet profitable 446 Compassion must be shewed especially to the soule 447 The Saints bewaile the estate of the wicked ibid. Threats of judgement belong to the wicked 448 The obstinate must be terrified not soothed ibid. Iudgements denounced against soothing false prophets 449 Reproofes more profitable than soothing flattery 450 Excommunication a grievous censure ibid. Excommunication three-fold 451 Two uses of Excommunication ibid. Sermon 36. THe sinner alwayes in danger 452 The fickle estate of the wicked set out by divers resemblances 453 No estate permanent 454 Sudden destruction waite on the wicked ibid. Death comes not sudden to the Godly 455 The Godly prepare by repentance and godly life for death while they have time 456 Repentance must not be deferred ibid. The saving of soules a most blessed worke 457 Though God save yet both Grace and Faith and Ministery concurre 458 Tho Ministrie being Gods ordinance to save soules is not to be slighted though the World despise them ibid. Foure faculties in the soule whereby it converts the food of the Word and Sacraments to nourishment of the spirituall life 459 The necessitie and excellent fruits of the Ministery set out by divers resemblances 460 The happy estate of them that have means of knowledge 461 Salvation and the misery of them that want it ibid. Sermon 37. NOt onely evill but all appearance of evill is to bee avoided 462 Sinne must bee hated not sported at if if wee love our owne soules ibid. No communion to be holden or society with the wicked 463 Wicked men must be avoided in respect of God and ourselves ibid. Sinne as contagious as the plague and more dangerous 464 Wee must hate sinne because the whole Trinity detest it 465 Wee must hate sinne because Satan is the author being enemie to God and our soules ibid. Sinne must bee hated because it dishonours God not our selves 466 Wee may not hold amity with the wicked boing Gods enemies 467 The amity of the wicked treachery ibid. Sinne onely is hated of God and man and not the person except reprobate 468 Two judgments the one of Faith the other of Charity 469 Wee must leave sinne of conscience not for other respects 470 The punishment of sinne ought to deterre from sinne ibid. Earthquakes an evident signe of Gods anger and a forerunner of judgement 471 Many earth-quakes in many places and much hurt 472 Christians not to be prophaned 473 Sermon 38 VVE are not sufficient to doe any good of our selves without grace 476 Exhortations do not shew what we can but what we should doe 477 Grace both preserves from falling and raiseth us being fallen 478 Our enemies many and powerfull 479 Prayer the best meanes to repell Satan and his temptations 480 All sorts of men have fallen even the Saints ibid. All have the Seminarie of all sinnes in them 481 Grace worketh all in all ibid. Wee walke in the middest of snares 482 God suffered Adam and doth still suffer the Saints to fall for divers reasons 483 Difference betweene the sinnes of Saints and Reprobates ibid. Whether and how the Church may erre 484 The best have erred ibid. The Pope may erre and many of them have erred 485 The distinctions about the erring of the Pope nice and frivolous 486 Sermon 39. HOw wee are said to bee blamelesse notwithstanding we are full of sin 487 Two kindes of righteousnesse 488 Our righteousnesse consists rather in the remission of sinne than perfection of vertue ibid. How we are said to be perfect and yet imperfect 489 The Iesuits and latter Popish writers the worst 490 The Church and members of it impure in it selfe but perfect and pure in Christ 491 Our service may be sincere not perfect 492 Iustification by workes confuted how justified by faith explained 493 Papists flye to the mercy of God and merit of Christ 494 No true joyes and pleasures in this world but all in Heaven ibid. The Saints in Heaven shall have fulnesse of joy undique 495 Heaven the land of the living and Earth land of dead men 496 God shall be all in all to the Saints in Heaven ibid. Worldly minded men desire not Heaven 497 Our life nothing to eternall life ibid. All honours and pleasures on earth nothing to them in Heaven 498 The World fraudulent turbulent momentary 499 Christ the onely comfort to the elect both in this life and that to come ibid. Many hindred from Heaven by pleasure Sermon 40. PRayer and praise the two chiefest parts of Gods worship must follow one another 501 The glory of God hath beene celebrated by all Saints 502 Wee slauld not thinke of the mercies of God in Christ without praising him 503 God described by many attributes yet none can sufficiently set him out ibid. God onely wise all men ignorant and foolish 504 Wee have no true wisedome till infused by God ibid. All wisedome and Knowledge hid in Christ 505 Destinction betweene Science and Sapience ibid. Worldly wisedome folly ibid. Gods Wisedome seene in creation and disposing of all creatures and governing the Church 506 Christ a mercifull and powerfull Saviour in life and death ibid. No Saviours comparable to Christ 507 The Papists derogate from the power and merit of Christ ibid. The imputative righteousnes of the Saints more set out Gods glory than the inherent 508 Mans worke cannot merit ibid. What it is to glorifie God 509 Thankefulnesse the onely sacrifice that God requires ibid. We pray in our wants and doe not praise God when we are releeved 510 Thankesgiving and the praise of God the end of our creation ibid. They thrt doe not glorifie God here shall not be glorified of him hereafter ibid. Two theeves that rob God of his glory and justice 511 A powerfull exhortation to praise God and give up our selves in thankefulnesse ibid. If no praise of God in the mouth no thankfulnesse or grace in the heart 512. Sermon 29. VVHat it is to ascribe majestie to God 514 Miracles are admired for the rarenesse 515 All Gods ordinary workes wonderfull 516 Our dulnesse in ascribing to God majestie in regard of his workes ibid. God reâ—eales himselfe sixe wayes ibid. Gods judgement do not worke Repentance ibid. Wherein Gods dominion standeth 517 Gods three-fold kingdome of power grace glorie ibid. Wee ackowledge our selves subjects of Christs kingdome of grace and yet are rebellious 518 Three properties in the Angels Obedience Libentissime Citissime Fidelissime Obediunt 519 Notorious sinners Satans bond-slaves ibid. Wee must be pure in soule and body that Christ may dwell and rule in us 520 Gods power omnipotent ibid. Christ every where present by his power though not corporally ibid. Christs omnipotenty gives comfort to the Christian 521 Gods incomprehensiblenesse set out by comparison ibid. Christ all in all to us 522 God cannot doe those things that imply contradiction or defect ibid. How attributes are ascribed some time to the whole Trinitie sometime to particular persons 523 All Gods attributes are eternall ibid. God must bee praied and praised for all things temporall and eternall 524 Amen the diverse significations thereof and the efficacie thereof in the conclusion of our praiers ibid. Note that the folio's are mistaken at fol. 425. where you shall finde this marke 〈◊〉 FINIS
Aegypt So Satan cannot hold us in bondage longer than God will Satan is the strong man but Christ is stronger than he As the water-spaniell watcheth the shot to fetch the fowle that is striken as the Iaylors watch at the judgement seats and the hangman for the dayes of execution So Satan and his Angels waite on Gods Majestie to bee set aworke but of themselves can doe nothing therefore are they said to be delivered into chaines and reserved How Satan is said to be loosed yet ever bound in everlasting chaines As in my text For the Lord dealeth with Divels as men use to do with curst bandogs which will flie at the throate of every one whom they met they tye chain them up 2 Pet. 2. 4. for feare of doing hurt For proofe whereof note what God said to the Divel under the serpent Thou shalt bruise his heele By which Gen. 3. 15. phrase is implied a restraint namely that hee should not come so high as the Saints head to crush it he should onely snarle at the heele and bite it that is he should not be able utterly to destroy their soules I but Satan is now losed and the thousand yeares wherein hee Apoc. 20. 7. was chained are expired and therefore now he hath liberty to do what he can But brethren ye shal understand that this is spoken Comparativè comparatively in regard of former restraint as when a dogge hath beene somtime tyed up very close and afterward his chaine is let further he may be said to be loosed But the Lord limiteth this his libertie he can goe no further than God will give him leave For if it were not limited the Divell should soone devoure all mankind if hee were not restrained no creature could resist him and stand before him As the Sea if it 1 Pet. 5. 8. had not bounds would soone overwhelme the whole world So would the Divel soone turne all topsi-turvy bring all to the very depth of Hell where he himselfe is Therefore saith the Apostle Iam 4. Rom. 16. 20. Resist the Divell and he shall flie from you And Paul telleth the Romanes that The God of peace shall tread Satan under their feet shortly And in that Christ calleth him the Strong man Luke 11. And the holy Ghost the Prince of the World Iohn 12. The God of the World 2 Cor. 4. The Spirit that ruleth in the Ayre Ephes 2. A Roaring Lion 1 Pet. 5. 8. A Flying Dragon Apoc. 12. The Angel of the bottomelesse pit Apoc. 20. Powers dominations c. Ephes This is not to feare us or to make us dread him too much but to awake us As Saint Peter saith Be sober and watch not to 1. Pet. 5. 8. bee faint hearted not to despaire He may sorely assault us but hee shall never prevaile against us He may winnow us as hee did Peter but hee shall not finally overthrow us Our Faith shal Ephes 17. quench all his firie darts though he let them flie at us as thicke as haile stones as he did at Iob being deprived of Goods Cattel Children and all that he had yet these darts we shall keepe off by faith Hellgates shall not prevaile against us Saint Augustine Mat. 16. 18. compareth the Divels to Mastives Qui latrant non mordent which bark but bite not to Serpents which hisse but sting not Permitti◠illos Deus saevire aut ut probet fidem electorum aut ut Aug. corrigat mores malorum God suffereth them to rage either to prove the faith of his Elect or otherwise to correct the manners The Divell as yet punished in part of the evill Well God hath reserved them in everlasting chaines under darknes they are punished already but their full punishment is not before the day of judgement As yet they are but as prisoners in fetters and irons the great Assises the day of execution is yet to come For neither are the wicked nor yet the Divell punished as they shal be The wicked departed are now punished in Hell in soule For it is appointed for all men once to dye and then commeth the judgement but they shal be more tormented Hebr. 9. 27. when soule and body shall be united together For now they Eccles. 12. 7. smarte but in one part that is in soule so the full torment of the Divels is not untill the last day For as the joyes of the elect shall then be fuller and the paines of the damned grievouser So the glory of the good Angels and the torments of the bad the fuller rivers of brimstone shall be powred out upon them So the Divell said to Christ that he tormented them before their time For it is torment to the Divell here to want the presence Luk. 5. of Christ but it shal be greater after the Iudgement day when 2 Thess 1. the hope of killing mo soules shal be frustrate then shal be fletus stridor dentium weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 22. Note these two Aphorismes that the joyes of the elect and blessed Angels shal be greater and that the torment of the Divels and the damned shal be heavier than their double punishment shall be more grievous than ever it was that is poena damni poena sensus their paine of losse and paine of sense Wherof Divines make mention For the elect shal be more nearely united unto God than now they are and the damned shal be more further removed from him than now they be The captivitie of Hell is like the captivitie of Israel in Assyria that is irreturnable the joyes of the elect shal be so great as no tongue can utter them and the paines of the damned shal be so extreme as no eare can heare them no heart conceive them Christ having reckoned up many plagues as how that Nation shall rise up against nation and kingdome against kingdome and great earthquakes Luk. 2 1. 10. 11. shal be in divers places and hunger and pestilence and fearefull things c. At last concludeth Initium autem dolorum haec these are but the beginnings of sorrow As if he had said All these things are but smoke in respect of a terrible fire ensuing As a mustering of souldiers before the said battell What will then the end be if the beginning be so grievous The damned quoth Gregorie suffer an end without end a death without death a decay without decay For their death ever liveth their end ever beginneth their decay never ceaseth they are ever healed to be new wounded and alwayes repaired to be new devoured they are ever dying and never dead eternally broiled but never burnt up ever roring in the pangs of death and never rid of those pangs For these evill Angels with all the wicked shall have The wicked shall be punished in hell in those parts they sinned punishment without pity miserie without mercie sorow without succour crying without comfort mischief
neither savour Gods threatnings of wrath nor promises of grace they will still draw iniquity with cordes of vanity and sinne like cartropes But to follow this matter of hell and of the torments thereof a little more fully As the paines of hell be vnvtterable For all the tortures and torments of the world are but flea-bitings to the torments of hell so are they everlasting they abide not for a day a weeke a moneth a yeere but for ever Hell is like the stone in Arcadia called Abestos which being set on fire never goeth out facilis est descensus adinfernum difficile revertere gradum It is an easy matter to descend into hell but not easy to returne backe To all men in misery there is hope that once they shall have an end the mariner comforteth himselfe with arrivall the souldier with hope of victory the prisoner with a gaole-delivery the prentice with freedome but in hell nulla res nulla spes there is no end of that misery the captivity of Hell is not like the Hell torments everlasting captivity of Israel in Aegypt which lasted foure hundred and thirty yeeres Exod. 12. 40. nor like the captivity of Babylon which continued seventy yeeres but the captivity of Hell is like the captivity of Israel in Syria they never returned againe So in hell there is no redemption The greatest crosse that can bee laid upon man in this life is to bee cast into perpetuall prison to lose lands and goods and want the company of our wives and children and other our friends that love us but yet in this case wee alwayes live in hope of liberty and release of our punishment or if our hope bee vaine yet God will stirre up the hearts of strangers to visit us to pittie us to comfort and releeve us some with meate some with money some with cloth some with counsell every man as hee is able and hath compassion and feeling of our estate but out of hell there is no redemption no hope of paines to bee ever ended or eased no frineds to pitty us to see us to speake with us or to comfort us If a barne were full of corne and a bird once every yeere should carry away one kernell thereof at last it would bee all gone If a mountaine twenty miles about had taken from it once every yeere a shovell full at last it would bee all consumed but it would be long first yet at last there would be an end but in hell there is no end those torments are everlasting the dayes of the hellish torments of the damned shall never weare out nor their yeeres come to an end the longer they continue the lesse hope they have when as many yeeres are expired as there bee men in the world and starres in the heavens when as many thousand yeeres are ended as there bee stones and sands by the sea-shore yet still there bee tenne hundred thousand times so many moe to come the miseries of the wicked shall last as long as God shall live that is ever For he is Alpha and Omega Apoc. 1. The covenant of the day and night shall one day bee changed the starres shall finish their race the Elements melt with heate heaven and earth bee renewed summer and winter have an end but the plagues of the prisoners in hell shall never be released For in hell as Gregory saith there is Mors sine morte finis sine fine an end not ending a death not dying unquenchable fire yet a darkenesse therewithall to accompany it more palpable than the frogges of Aegypt and blacker then blacknesse it selfe everlasting burning but not consuming For the damned quoth Greg. suffer an end without an end a death without a death a decay without a decay for their death ever liveth their end alwayes beginneth their decay never ceaseth they are ever healed to bee new wounded and are alwayes repaired to bee new deuoured they are ever dying and never dead eternally broiled and never burnt up For the fire of Hell differeth from our fire in many properties First in Heate for our fire compared to hell fire is but as fire painted upon a wall yet is it a painefull thing Hell fire compared with elementary and ordinary fire for a man to hold his finger in the fire an houre the smart is so grievous but it is more painefull to hold his hand in the fire an houre and yet more painfull to hold his whole arme but yet more painefull to hold his whole body O how great will it be to have our bodies and soules tormented in the flames of Hell fire all the tongues of men and Angels cannot expresse the griefe and smart thereof Secondly the fire of Hell differeth from our fire in continuance for our fire may bee quenched hell-fire cannot For the breath of the Lord is as a river of brimstone to kindle it And therefore so long as the Lord breatheth that is liveth so long that fire burneth and that is ever therefore it is called everlasting hell-fire Mat. 25. If any man aske how that fire can be everlasting cum sit corruptibile elementum yee shall understand that this fire is not nourished and continued with wood and other matter sed sola Dei voluntate it is the will of God that it should ever burne and therefore it burneth everlastingly Aug. lib. 21. de Civitate Dei proveth it by the examples of the mountaines of Sicilia which have ever burned since the beginning of the world and yet doe burne and are not consumed Finely saith a Schooleman Lacus inferni tali igne repletus est ut si totum mare in eo influeret non extingueretur infoelix anima quae tanto tam diuturno igne cruciatur The infernall lake is filled with such fire that if the whole sea should overflow it it would not put it out unhappy soule the which is tormented with such and so lasting fire Thirdly the fire of hell differeth from our fire in light for our fire yeeldeth light hell fire nothing but darkenesse and therfore hell is called darkenesse Blacknesse of darknesse and blacknesse of darknesse for evermore Take him saith the Gospell bind him hand and foote Mat. 22. What no more but so I lictor liga manus Goe Sergeant bind his hands yes cast him into utter darkenesse outward to those inward wherein they delighted before blindnesse of mind and understanding outward because the whole man body and soule shall bee folded and comprehended therein outward because in extremity without any limits and borders of any favour of God to bee extended where neither the light of Sunne Moone and Starres and much lesse the sight of Gods glorious face shall ever shine Isidore saith Ignis Gehennae lucebit miseris ad miseriae augmentum ut videant unde doleant non ad consolationem ut videant unde gaudeant Hell fire gives light to the damned soule to increase their misery that they may see wherefore to
Ier. 20. 3 4. Balaam say Moriatur anima mea Let my soule dye the death of the righteous and let my last end bee like unto his Iulian tooke his bloud Numb 23. 10. in his hands being strooken with an arrow from Heaven and threw it up into the Ayre saying Vicisti Galilaee O man of Galile thou hast gotten the victory Calvin writing upon the hundred and fifteenth Psalme verse sixteene telleth a notable story how God suddenly shut up the mouth of a Blasphemer and made him dumbe who derided God saying Coeli coelorum Domini The Heaven of Heavens unto the Lord and the Earth hath he given to the children of men as though men in Earth might live at randome Thus Esay traverseth the scorners of Ierusalem saying Heare the Word of the Lord yee scornefull men because yee have Esa 28. 14 15. said Wee have made a covenant with Death and with Hell are wee at an Scoffers and mockers punished agreement though a scourge runne over and passe thorow it shall not come at us for wee have made falshood our refuge and under vanity are wee hid But saith God I will lay Iudgement to the rule and Righteousnesse to the ballance and your covenant with Death shall bee disannulled and your agreement with Hell shall not stand now therefore bee no mockers lest your bonds increase So heare this yee scorners of Norfolke God will meete with you one day Hee will wound the head of his enemies and the hairie scalpe of him that walketh in Psal 68. 21. Psal 21. 8 9. his sinnes and his right handshall finde out all these mockers that hate him Hee shall make them like a fiery Oven in the time of his anger The Lord shall destroy them in his wrath and the fire shall devoure them These mockers shall not alwayes doe him this dishonour but God will draw his hand yea his right hand out of his bosome and consume them Psal 74. 11. Foure notable scoffers I knew in my time that held of one ging the first dyed mad the second hanged himselfe the third is a begger and yet was richly left the fourth is strooken blind Let men take heed if God be God they shall not goe unpunished for they open their mouth against Heaven David cryeth out that hee was a worme and not a man a shame of men and Psal 22. 6. 7. the out-cast of all people that all that saw him had him in derision they made a mow and nod the head at him but yet hee gathereth heart and insulteth over these his enemies saying Let the wicked be put to confusion and to silence in the grave and let these lying lips bee made Psal 31. 17 18. dumbe which cruelly proudly and spightfully speake against the righteous Herod and Pilate scoffed at the Lord Iesus his simplicitie made a May-game of him the rascall souldiers flouted Iuke 22. him but hee left the vengeance to his Father who met with them all One saith that the scoffers shall bee punished in Hell in their tongues quoting Luke 16. 24. for said hee In quo membro peccamus in codem plectemur In what member wee sinne in the same must wee be punished as the Envious in their eyes the Gluttons in their throats the Lecherous in their bodies the Malicious in their hearts the Covetous in their hands the Scoffers in their toungs but this is but a speculation a quiddity for surely the damned are tormented in all parts but yet chiefely in that part that hath offended paena peccato respondet the punishment is answerable to the sinne The World is full of these mockers for men are come to a wonderfull height of sin and are growne to be most notoriously wicked and ungodly so it is said that cursed Cham mocked his Father Noah I smael mocked godly Isaac because it is like I smael Gen. 2. 22. Gen. 21. seeing godly Isaac performing some duties of Religion Prayer Thankesgiving or the like hee laughed him to scorne The Athenians mocked Paul What will this babbler say So the Scribes Act. 17. Mat. 26. 68. and Pharisees mocked our Saviour saying Haile King of the Iewes The Iewes mocked Saint Peters Sermon saying These Scoffing a kind of persetion men are ful of new wine they are possessed with the spirit of the Buttery The children of Bethel mocked Elisha saying Goe up bald pate This was the complaint of godly Ieremy O Lord I am in 2 Reg. 2. 22. Ier. 20. 7. derision dayly everie one mocketh me and as it was so it is still and shall bee the World is full of such lewd and wicked men as Nilus of Crocodiles such mockes-God that mocke and mow at all good duties scoffing and scorning all Religion flowting and misusing all Gods faithfull Ministers raile upon them and revile them yea if any man feare God and worke righteousnesse attend to reading exhortation and doctrine pray evening and morning and at noone-day instruct their families with Abraham and will not sweare with the swearer drinke with the drunkard nor runne with the prophane in all excesse of riot this man shall bee derided mocked scorned jested at and railed upon branded with many odious names but let these mockers take heed God will come in judgement hee will bee a swift witnesse and a sharpe Iudge against them Looke on that cursed Cham and scoffing Ismael behold Gods vengeance upon those fortie two boyes that mocked Elisha What became of them that mocked and misused the Prophets of the Lord What became of them that mocked and misused Christ Iesus our Saviour and yee shall see none of them escaped unpunished This mocking is a kinde of persecution these mockers are persecutors Ismael did but gybe and fleere and flout at Isaac yet Gen. 21. Gal. 5. 29. Mat. 27. 39. Paul calleth it persecution those that railed on Christ despited him as much as they that crucified him with their hands as those that ranne him to the heart with a speare The wicked now persecute the Saints and laugh and gybe and fleere at them to the full but God shall laugh at them another day hee will yee mockers Hee will laugh at your destruction and mocke you when Prou. 1. 26 27. your feare commeth like suddaine desolation and your destruction shall come like a whirlewind when affliction and anguish shall come upon you c. The rich mans tongue burned in Hell and could not have a spoonefull of water and shall not these tongues fry in Hell Luke 16. that raile that jest that mocke at Honesty and Religion Who say that they will beleeve their hound before a Preacher for hee will not hunt counter God will burne one day these tongues For if that tongue that mocketh his earthly Father and Mother shall bee pulled out As Agur said The eye that mocketh Prov. 3. 17. his Father and despiseth the instruction of his Mother let the Ravens in the valley pick it
will not rectified Deest enim intellectus voluntatis consiliariâ—s for understanding is wanting which is the Counseller of the soule The naturall man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse 1 Cor. 2. 14. unto him neither can hee know them because they are spiritually discerned at spiritus non natura sed gratia the spirit is not of nature but of grace So said Christ of the whole world O righteous Father Iohn 17. 25. the World hath not knowne thee but I have knowne thee and these have knowne c. therefore hee prayed for his Apostles and in them for us all I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the World but that thou keepe them from evill And againe Sanctifie them Iohn 17. 15 17. with thy truth by nature wee are the children of wrath by grace we are Gods adopted Sonnes Hereupon saith the Apostle In times past we walked according to the course of the World and after the spirit that ruleth in the Ayre and that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whome also wee had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh and fulfilling the will of the flesh and of the minde Ephes 2. 3 4 5. and were by nature the children of Wrath nor by creation but by Adams transgression and so by birth as well as others But God which is rich in mercy through the great love wherewith he loved us when wee were dead by sinnes hath quickned us together in Christ by whose grace we are saved There are but two things in us either nature or grace either flesh or spirit Now in the state of nature al are accursed in the state of grace we are blessed For by grace wee beleeve and faith Act. 18. 27. Iohn 1. 12 13. maketh us the sonnes of God for as many as received him to them he gave power to be the Sonnes of God even to them that beleeve in his name which are borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the No true good in us by nature till regenerate will of man but of God Where he distinguisheth of two births the one naturall and the other spirituall a birth from men a birth from God a generation by nature a regeneration by the Spirit as he doth againe to Nicodemus Except a man be borne of Water and of the Spirit hee cannot enter the Kingdome of God and againe Yee Cap. 3. 5 6. Psal 2. 7. must be borne againe there is no naturall Sonne of God but the Lord Iesus we are all the adopted Sonnes of God in Christ and by Christ by his meanes we are raised up together and made to sit together Ephes 2. 6. Rom. 8. 17. in Heavenly places For saith the Apostle If we be children wee are also heires even the heires of God and heires annexed with Christ c. we bring nothing from our mothers wombe but death and damnation every one must say with David I was shapen in wickednes Psal 51. 5. and in sinne hath my mother conceived me Quis dabit mundum de immundo Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse What Iob 14. 4. can be had from the egge of a Cockatrice but a Serpent From a spider but venome from the Taxus tree in India but poyson from the bitter poole Exanthus but bitter water Wee have not Math. 7. Lambes from Woolves no grapes from thornes nor figges from thistles Well said the Schooleman Quòd dona naturalia in Adamo sunt corrupta supernaturalia ablata ille ut radix nos ut rami radix est venenata ergo rami Our naturall gifts in Adam were corrupt our supernaturall taken away he as the roote we as the boughes the root is poisoned therefore the boughes like the waters of Mara untill Moses put in the sweet wood untill God Exod. 17. infuse grace for by grace we are saved and where sinne abounded there grace abounded much more that as sinne had raigned unto death so Ephes 2. 8. Rom. 5. 20 21. might grace also raigne by righteousnesse unto eternall life The Pelagians held that sinne came by imitation not by propagation but Paul confuteth them saying As by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death went over all men forasmuch as Rom. 5. 12. all men have sinned c. These men quoth Iude walke as Naturall men that is in all sinne and vanity as is said of the Gentiles That they walked in the vanity of their minde having their cogitations darkened being strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the hardnesse of their hearts So Paul reasoned with the Corinths Are yee not carnall For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions 1 Cor. 3. 3. are yee not carnall and walke as men even so reason wee with you When malice envy rancour whoredome covetousnesse pride raigneth among us are wee not naturall men For God would cut downe these sinnes as a sickle If yee live after the flesh yee shal dye but if yee through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8. 13. yee shall live Yea many naturall men goe before us in brideling their lusts and affections Aristides being by the unjust Law of Ostracisme in Athens banished and being asked what hee would to Athens answered Se nihil velle quin tantam rerum prosperitatem ut illis nunquam in mentem veniat Aristides hee desired nothing We should strive to exceed naturall men but so much prosperity to Athens as that they might never remember Aristides The like is said of Phocion condemned to drink hemlocke the juce whereof through extreme cold is poison Being asked what he would unto his Sons said Nothing sed ne hujus unquam iniuriae velint meminisse but that they should never remeÌ„ber this injury Socrates by Philosophie brideled whoredome in himselfe and Telamon by it bare the death of his sonne patiently saying Sciebam me genuisse mortalem I did know that I begat a mortall man I take no pleasure in these prophane examples save only to ashame us as Paul did the Athenians by Aratus and the Cretians by Epimenides and the Corinths by Menander Let our righteousnesse exceed theirs else there is no roome for us in Gods Kingdome our life must have all vertues in it such a life led the Christians they could be touched with no open crime or notorious fault but that they sung Psalmes to Iesus before day as Plinius secundus writeth of them to the Emperour our Saviour Christ told his disciples that their justice must exceed the justice Mat. 5. 20. of the Scribes and Pharises and so must wee tell all Christians that they must exceed Turkes and Pagans or else they shall never see the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the liuing yet it is reported
evill communications that is often conversation with the wicked noted by the plurall number corrupt good manners yea the Apostle is so severe in this point that hee will not have a wicked person suffered in the Congregation and therefore hee commandeth the incestuous Corinthian to bee cast out that is excommunicated and hee giveth the reason Know yee not that a 1 Cor. 5. 5. little leaven sowreth a whole lumpe Intimating thereby that one evill person might corrupt the whole Church and a little Colloquintida marreth a whole messe of pottage one scabbed sheepe 1 Reg. 4. 39. infecteth a flocke one sparke of fire may burne an house and one infected house may spoyle a Citie one roote of bitternesse Hebr. 12. 15. suffered to spring up may trouble and defile many sinne is as contagious as any disease and wee are as apt to take the contagion of sinne as of the plague This knew David well enough and We must hate sinne because God hates it in all therefore hee crieth out Depart from me yee wicked keepe aloofe come not neere me to infect my Royall person For I tell you plainely I will keepe the Commandements of my God Even so wee Psal 16. should not brooke the society of them that bee vile and wicked and hate to bee reformed and cast Gods Words behind them Psal 50. 17. But some will say This is a doctrine of precisenesse they say wee need not be so severe against sinners peccata eorum sunt parva pauca their sinnes be but small and few But small sinnes may wound the conscience and damne us if wee looke not to them to strive against them A mouse is but litle yet killeth he an Elephant if he get into his truncke a Scorpion is little yet able to sting a Lion unto death the Leopard being great is poysoned with an head of garlicke a little spittle of a man fasting will kill a serpent and the Divell by little sinnes will wound us to death The sinne and the coate of the sinne is to be hated quoth Ambrose Lib. 6. Hexameron A reason may be drawne from the blessed Trinity God the Father hateth sinne The foolish shall not stand in his sight and hee hateth them that worke iniquity Therefore we his children must hate Psal 5. 5. it God the Sonne hateth sinne saith the Apostle Thou hast loved righteousnesse and hated iniquity therefore we his fellow brethren Hebr. 1. 9. fellow heires must hate it that wee may be like our elder brother God the Holy Ghost hateth it therefore it is said Greeve not the Spirit by whom we are sealed unto the day of Redemption Ephes 4. Gen. 3. 15. Therefore wee the temples of him must hate it wee must hate the serpent and the seed of the serpent By the hatred of God against the sinne of Achan judge of all sinne As great as the Eagle is yet one may see her vertue in a feather for it consumeth all feathers as mighty as the fire of Aetna is yet one may feele the heate of it in a sparke as huge as the sea is yet one may taste the saltnesse of it in a droppe as great as the Whale is yet we may feele the power of him in one breath Hercules body was knowne by the length of his foote and wee by this sinne of Achan may know Gods hatred against all sinnes For the theft of Achan buried close under the ground brake forth such a stinch in the nostrils of God as that his garment brought the plague to the whole host and God no lesse hateth it in all men Finely saith Augustine Deus in non renatis odit peccata personas God hateth in the not regenerate both their sinnes and also their persons in renatis verò odit peccata non personas in the regenerate hee truly hateth their sinnes but not their persons as the physician hateth the disease of the sicke man not his person or body of the sicke Againe From whence commeth sinne but from the Divell What meane we then to joyne with Satan our enemy and the enemy of God Hee that committeth sinne is of the Divell for the Divell sinneth from the beginning Resist the Divell therefore give 1 Iohn 3. 8. no place to him He is an adversary and shall wee love him Hee Sinne must be hated as it tends to Gods dishonor is a serpent and shall we trust him Hee is a murderer and shall we intertaine him Sin is furthered by him therefore let us hate it I grant that some enemies are to bee loved because they are our enemies onely whereupon saith our Saviour Love your Iam. 4. 7. 1 Pet. 5. 8. Apoc. 10. â—ohn 8. 44. Mat. 5. 44. enemies doe good to them that hate you pray for them that persecute you And some are to be hated because they are Gods enemies and the friends of Satan so Iohn the sonne of Hanani the Seer went out to meete Iehosaphat and said unto him Wouldest thou helpe the 2 Chro. 19. 2. wicked and love them that hate the Lord Therefore for this thing the wrath of the Lord is upon thee And so the wrath and judgement of God is over all those that support the wicked and will not shew themselves enemies to all such as hate the Lord. Wicked men must be hated but yet for their evill not as the evill concerneth any way us but as the evill tendeth to the dishonour of God Simeon and Levi hated the Sychemites for the Gen. 34. 25. sinne of their sister Dinah but this hatred sprang not in that God was dishonoured by this sinne but from a regard of themselves because that hereby they might receive some disgrace So Absalon is said to have hated his brother Amnon because hee had forced his sister Tamar and two yeeres after he murdered his 2 Sam. 23. 22. brother for this fact this hatred of Absalon against Amnon though it were for Amnons wickednesse yet it was not good but wicked for the originall of this his hatred was not simply the sinne of Amnon as committed against God but because Absalon had some speciall disgrace hereby For Tamar was borne to David of the same woman that was mother also to Absalon But we must hate the wicked for their dishonoring of God and not suffer them to goe unreproved nor unpunished Immmunity and impunity cause much iniquity I would learne this Are Papists the friends of God or his enemies If they bee friends Why have wee professed otherwise these many yeeres If they bee enemies then doe wee well not to suffer them You know what Christ said to the Church of Pergamus I have a few things against Apoc. 2. 14. thee because thou hast there them that maintaine the doctrine of Balaam which taught Balac to put a stumbling blocke before the children of Israel Vers 15. that they should eate of things sacrificed unto Idols and commit fornication even so
our selves and take up our crosse and follow Christ Againe Iude here nameth vestem maculatam the spotted garment so the sinne must bee haâ—ed not the person that sinneth the person must bee loved the sinne hated For the person is made after the Image of God and Gods Image must not be hated the person is redeemed with Christs blood and seeing hee Gen. 9. loveth them wee must love them Againe hee can make of Woolves Lambes Exvasisirae vasa misericordiae of vessels of Reprobates not to bee loved or prayed for wrath vessels of mercy therefore seeke thou to save him and instruct them with meekenesse proving if God at any time will give them repentance Quis potest odisse hominem cujus naturam similitudinem videt in humanitate Christi Who can hate a man whose nature 1 Tim. 1. 15. 2 Tim. 2. 25. August and similitude he may behold in the humanity of Christ Deum odit qui hominem odit he hateth God that hateth man therefore amorem cum hominibus odium cum vitijs have love with men hatred with their vices so it is said of Ephesus that they hated the deeds of Apoc. 2. Gen. 49. the Nicolaitans not their persons but their errors so Iacob cursed the wrath of his sonnes but blessed their persons so Paul having bitterly enveighed against the Corinths yet loved the men and spake it not to shame them for so hee himselfe saith I write not these things to shame you but as my beloved children to admonish you 1 Cor. 4. 15. thus would hee have us deale with a bad man with an excommunicate man not to account him an enemy but admonish 2 Thess 3. 15. 1 Cor. 5. him as a brother hee would have his body punished that his soule may be saved But yet in some cases the wicked may bee hated and cursed when they shew open signes of a reprobate mind such God hateth so saith the Prophet Thou art not a God that loveth wickednesse Psal 5. 4 5. neither shall evill dwell with thee the foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all them that worke iniquity Such must not bee prayed for The Church therefore prayed not for Iulian but against him they knew him to bee a reprobate For there are two Iudgements the judgement of Faith and Love The first is in God the second is left to us Multi enim lupi sunt intùs there bee many woolves within if wee respect the first Et multaeoves foris many sheep without if wee respect the latter and yet wee may judge when men give signes of reprobation and hate such persons thus David hated the wicked bade them be packing Away from mee yee wicked I will keep the Commandements Psal 119. 115. of my God And againe I have not haunted with vaine persons neither kept company with the dissemblers I have hated the assembly of the evill Psal 26. 4 5. and have not companied with the wicked But to leave this Againe it is not inough to leave sinne but wee must leave it with a conscience with a hatred of it many leave it to get credit and some lest they suffer losse by it but not of conscience to God and of many it may bee said they leave not sinne but sinne leaveth them the drunkard leaveth drinking because his stomacke is decayed the Adulterer whoredome for that the strength of nature faileth him the quarreller leaves sighting for that hee is crooked and lame hee cannot bestirre him as in times heretofore the covetour leaves oppressing because hee can oppresse no longer but all this is nothing For the body must not onely leave the act of sinne but the heart must leave the desire of sinne Abhorre that which is evill and cleave unto that Sinne must be hated for conscience which is good And againe wee must cast away the works of darkenesse and put on the armour of light Thus must wee leave sinne of conscience with an hatred of it else it is nothing But many hold Rom. 12. 9. Rom. 13. 12. sinne as Cinegerus the Athenian held the ships of his enemies loden with the rich spoiles of his Countrey and now ready to hoise saile and to be gone First hee held them with his hands till his hands were cut off then with his stumpes till his armes were cut off then with his teeth till his head was cut off and when all was done still he held them in desire So many when God hath cut off all occasions of sinne yet they hold it in heart the old man is sorry that he cannot be young to play the wanton the prisoner that he cannot be abroad to steale and robbe the sicke man that hee cannot revell nor rowte among his companions the disgraced man that hee hath not authority to oppresse the envious man that hee cannot revenge if they might live ever they would sinne ever they are sorry they cannot offend God any more like Iulian who sorrowed at his death because hee could not bee revenged of the Galilaean but wee must leave our sinnes and be angry greeved and displeased with our selves for our sinnes Thus Paul was angry with himselfe with his flesh with his spirit and cals himselfe Wretch Yea miserable miserable wretch for thus he saith Miserable wretch that I am who Rom. 7. 24. shall deliver me from this body of sinne Hee speakes in the excesse hee cals himselfe the first the greatest sinner but when he nameth 1 Tim. 1. 15. 1 Cor. 15. his vertue hee speakes in the defect that hee is the least Apostle the first and greatest sinner but the last and least Apostle Note his zeale against sinne If men could weepe teares of blood for their sinne if they could die a thousand times in one day for very griefe yet could they not bee greeved enough if thou knewest sinne and the reward of sinne in the damned thou wouldest not sinne willingly for ten thousand worlds for the wages of sinne is death not onely the death of the body temporall Rom. 6. 23. death but also the death of body and soule everlasting death when men shall alwayes be a dying and never dead For there men shall seeke for death shall not find it We hate Iudas Herod Pilate Apoc. 9. But hate thine owne manners thy sinnes with theirs were the nayles the speares the thornes that pearced the Lord Iesus All Hebr. 10. say that Christ died for sinne that hee was wounded for our sinnes and smitten for our transgressions yet all make him a Esay 53. patrone of their sinnes the theefe makes him the receivour the murderer his sanctuary the whoremonger his bawde they live in sinne and yet they say Christ died for sinne kill sinne Caluiâ— in Gal. 6. 1. and kill the Divell kill sinne and kill death the first and second death Hee that will encounter with Samson must cut off his lockes hee that will encounter with a