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
of the sea yet shall but a remnant bee saved The Atheists erre also who say Non est Deut There is no God no Divell no heaven no hell contrary to that of our Saviour Goe yee cursed into everlasting Hell fire The Lucianists and Epicures erre who place all happinesse in Mat. 25. 34. 41. the pleasures of this life contrary to that of the Apostle If in this life only we have hope in Christ wee are of all men the most miserable 1 Cor. 15. 19. The Philosophers and Pagans erre who define felicity to be the abundance of riches joyned with vertue and not the fruition of God in Christ Iesus contrary to that of our Saviour This is life Iohn 17. 3. eternall to know thee the only true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent this indeed is felicity this is happinesse The Pepâ—sians erre who say that the heavenly Ierusalem is in this earth contrary to that of Paul who saith Ierusalem which is above is free which is the Gal. 4. 26. mother of us all The Origenists erre who say that the Divels shall bee saved contrary to Math. 15. The Chiliasts or Millinaries erre who say that Gods Kingdome shall last but a thousand yeeres contrary to that of the Apostle which saith That wee shall be ever 1 Thess 4. 17. with the Lord and indeed there shall never bee end of this life it shall be eternall eternall not in respect of beginning but in respect of ending it shall continue for ever and unto this end Paul saith That Christ hath abolished death and brought life of immortality 2 Tim. 1. 10. unto light by the Gospell they that have an entrance into this life shall never see end of it Suppose that the whole world were a Sea and every hundred yeeres expired a bird must drinke up one drop of it in processe of time it would come to Heaven set out by comparison of the Wombe and World passe that this huge Sea shall bee dryed up but yet many millions of yeeres must bee passed before this were done Now if a man should injoy this happy life but for the space of time in which the Sea is drying up hee would thinke his case most happy and blessed but behold the Saints shall injoy this happie life not onely for that time but for ever it is an everlasting life wee shall never see end thereof And as for the glory and happinesse of this life the quantity and quality may bee gathered from the situation of the place for Coelum Empyreum is higher than all the Heavens for Paul nameth it the third Heaven and it is called The Land of the living as if 2 Cor. 12. Psal 27. the Land which we now inhabit were a Land of dead men indeed We be dead but our life is hid with Christ in God Now if in this Col. 3. 3. Region of dead men the creatures bee so noble precious what are they in Heaven in terra viventium in the land of the living In this land of the dead behold the greatnesse of the Heavens the brightnesse of the Stars the beautie of the Earth the plainenesse of the fields the highnesse of the Mountaines the greatnesse of the Vallies the Flouds and Rivers running like the veines in a mans body Si omnia haec in terra mortuorum if all these things bee in the land of the dead what shall bee in the Land of the living Againe wee know that there bee three places in this life the first is the Wombe the second the World the third Heaven betweene these places there is a proportion For Heaven is so much greater than the World as the World is greater than the Wombe and the more excellent as well for continuance of time as greatnesse of place As touching continuance of time the first life is no longer than nine moneths the second life is fourescore yeeres the third is infinite and eternall Furthermore the diversity of dwellers in Heaven and Earth doe notably set forth unto us the difference of these two places Haec terra plena peccatorum this Earth is full of sinners 2 Pet. 3. 13. illa justorum that of just and righteous men for there dwelleth righteousnesse this of Men that of Angels for there are a company of innumerable Angels here penitents inhabit there such as have their sinnes forgiven them doe dwell Here men Hebr. 12. 22. militant there men triumphant here friends and enemies there friends onely and the elect If the inhabitants doe so differ how much doe the places differ There God shall be fulnesse of light to the understanding abundance of Peace to the Will Bern. continuance of eternitie to the Memory there the wisedome of Salomon shall bee ignorance the beautie of Absolon deformity the strength of Samson debility the treasure and wealth of Princes povertie Cur ergo in Aegypto haeremus Why doe we still sticke and stay in Aegypt Why doe wee not goe the direct way to Canaan Why feed we of acornes and not of the Tree of Eternall life the gift of God through Christ Life Why drinke wee of broken Cysternes and not of the waters of life If wee had but a little sight of this Heavenly Ierusalem wee would despise Babylon for in Heaven wee shall see God and bee equall with the Angels there wee shall partake of so great joyes as no Geometrician can measure so many as no Arithmetician can number and so wonderfull as no Rhetorician can utter had hee the tongue both of Men and Angels O ineffabilis delectatio O unspeakeble delight where God is their object a looking glasse for their eyes musicke for their eares hony for their taste sweet balsome for their smell a posie of all delights for their Heavenly hands Seeing then that there bee such and wee looke for such things Let us bee diligent to bee found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse 2 Pet. 3. 4. But to proceed As hee would have them to looke for eternall life so here he telleth them how they shall come by it namely by Christ for eternall life is the gift of God and commeth of meere mercy not of any desert of ours we never brought stone to this building The builder and worker is God we never brought one dish to this baÌ„ket Omnia parata sunt all things are ready we never spun 2 Cor. 5. 1. Mat. 22. one thread of this garment the garment is Christ alone therefore wee are willed to put on the Lord Iesus wee never deserved Rom. 13. 14. the least drop of the joyes of Heaven we be servi inutiles unprofitable Luk. 17. 10. servants Et quid possunt inutiles servi mereri nisi flagellum And what can unprofitable seruants deserve but the whip Quaeris merita quoth Aug. non invenies nisi poenam Doest thou seeke Merit thou shalt finde nothing but punishment if we stand at Aug. the
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
of his little Mat. 18. 10. ones saith The Angels of his little ones doe alwaies behold the face of his Father which is in Heaven Miraculously doth hee keepe us untill the day of our death Therefore saith David Thou hast shewed mee great troubles and adversities but Psal 71. 18. thou wilt returne and revive mee and wilt come againe and take mee from the depth of the earth Miraculously doth he continue his benefits towards us Therefore saith the sweet Singer of Israel Cast me not away in the time of my age forsake me not when my strength Psal 71. 8. faileth me let it be our Prayer If God had not aswell preserved us and kept us it had beene to small purpose to call us and sanctifie us This Doctrine then is a Doctrine of comfort that God preserveth us it is as Davids Harpe which rejoyced Saul in his melancholy God hath not onely made us but also preserved us in a wonderfull mercy He telleth all our steps He numbreth Iob 14. Psal 56. Psal 38. Psal 139. Psal 34. Mat. 10. our teares He counteth our dayes and times He telleth our members He reckoneth our bones Yea he telleth our haires Our steps our teares our dayes our members our bones our hayres are told and yet all these are but little a steppe is but a little space a teare is but a little water a member is but a little flesh a bone a little substance our dayes a little time our haire a little exerement yet all these are kept of God he that keepeth these little things will keepe our bodies and soules As Paul prayed for Thessalonica Now the very God of peace sanctifie you throughout and I pray God that your whole spirit soule and body may 1 Thes 5. 23. bee kept blamelesse untill the comming of our Lord and Saviour â—esus Christ. God therefore is continually to be praised quoth Ambrose The Saints though afflicted yet delivered In prosperis quia consolamnur in adversis quia corrigimur in prosperity because we are comforted in adversity because we are corrected before we were borne because he made us after we were borne because he saveth us in our sinnes because hee Ambr. in ora fu nebri in Theodosium Apoc. 2. 10. pardoneth us in our conversion because hee helpeth us in our preservation because he keepeth us and crowneth us But some will say doe we not see good men take harme sometime breake an arme a legge yea and sometime their necke Where is Gods providence how are they preserved I say that GOD sometime throwes them down and leaveth them to themselves that they may the better see their weakenesse and Gods power and being delivered glorifie him in it according to that precept of the Almighty call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie mee Hereof come all those tragicall Psal 50. 15. speeches of the Saints that God maketh them as Buts and all his arrowes sticke deepe in them that hee feareth them with Iob 7. 12. 14 19. dreames and astonisheth them with visions and will not give them so much rest as to swallow their spettle that their heart panteth that their strength faileth the light of their eyes is Psal 38. 5. 8. 10. gone that their wounds are putrified and corrupt that they are weakened and sore broken and doe rore for the very disquietnesse of their hearts that they are as water powred out that all their bones be out of ioynt that their heart is as waxe melted Psal 22. 14. in the middest of their bowels that God bruiseth them as a Lion like a Crane or Swallow so God maketh them to chatter and to mourne like Doves True it is that they bee often Esay 38. 12 13. 14. in perill for a time Iacob lyeth in the Fields Gen. 30. 1 Sam. 24. Psal 125. Ier. 20. Dan. 3. David in the Wildernesse Ioseph in Prison Ieremy in the Dungeon The Three Children in the Oven Iohn in the hot Oyle at Ephesus Elias among Crowes Moses among Sheepe 1 Reg. 17. Exod. 2. Mat. 12. Dan. 6. Luke 16. Acts 27. Ionas among Fishes Daniel among Lions Lazarus among Dogges Paul among Snakes But at last commeth the yeere of Iubile and they are freed the cloud is dispersed and the Sunne shineth the clay is removed and the water runneth the ashes is scattered and the fire burneth the snare is broken and the Birds are delivered It is God that preserveth all things that he may have the glory Psal 174. 7. He kept the old world many yeeres from perishing and when it was destroyed he reserved a seed of 8. persons He will keep Gen. 8. this new World in the great burning For there shall bee a new God hath preserved his Scriptures God preserves Bodies and Soules Heaven and a new Earth Hee kept the primitive Church from ten great persecutours when the rivers were dyed with bloud when five thousand died every day except the Calends of Ianuarie hee kept the Scriptures from Antiochus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Dioclesian the one made monthly Inquisition for the Bibles and 2 Pet. 3. beheaded them that kept them the other commanded all to bee burnt yet Ezra and they continue to our good hee kept the knowledge of his Name in all the darkenesse of the World For as Iosephus saith Adam made two tables of stone or pillars Euseb lib. 1. in the one hee wrote Hominis lapsum Mans fall In the other Promissionem de Messia the promise of the Messiah and so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 continueth to this day hee kept the Religion in the dayes of Queene Mary as hee kept the Law in the dayes of Manasses and Amon two or three Berries were left on the top of the tree some grapes after the vintage some eares of corne after the gleaning Hee kept our late blessed Queene when Stephen Gardiner bad Hew at the roote and when some others used her roughly when the plot of her death was layd Let our Soules praise the Lord and Psal 103. all that is within us praise his holy name God preserved the Fathers Aegypt received Athanasius from exile having beene seven yeeres in a Cisterne at Treveris France received Hilary returning from battell Antioch received Chrysostome from the malice of Arcadius and Eudoxia Italy welcomed Eusebius from exile and Millaine entertained Ambrose from the rage of Valentinian and Iustina God preserveth the World and all men in it and this preservation of the World is greater than the Creation of the World greater than the Ios 10. Iohn 2. John 6. drying up of the redde Sea greater than the standing of the Sunne and Moone in Aialon greater than the turning of Water into Wine greater than the feeding of five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes Et tamen haec omnes mirantur non quia majora sed quia rariora Vilescunt miracula
on Pilgrimage c. The Friers under a colour of wilfull povertie begged and robbed the world The Nunnes under a shew of single life filled the world full of bastardie Sexcenta millia capita infantum in Gregorii piscina reperta sunt there were six hundred thousand Childrens heads found in Gregories fishpoole The Priests by a colour of Masses made merchandise of soules and filled Iudas satchells The Abbeies under a colour of almes and hospitalitie robbed most parishes of their Ecclesiasticall livings they stole a goose and gave a feather greater theeves than ever was Barabbas they gave a meales meate and robbed a parish of their Church maintenance The Confessors under pretence of auricular confession knew the secrets of all Kingdomes It was the Popes fishing net it hath deposed more than two hundred lawfull Princes it made Fredericke Barbarossa the Popes Footstoole at Venice it exiled the King Desiderius into Lions The Pope under shew of Bulls or pardons hath robbed God of his glorie men of their money and soules of salvation he hath gotten thereby in America foure millions yearly they are like their fathers the Pharisies They devoure widowes houses even under a colour of long prayers wherefore they shall All Atheists before regeneration and conversion receive the greater damnation The whore of Babylon giveth poyson in a golden cup Beda Venerable Beda saith that the serpent in paradise had vultum virgineum a virgins face that hee might deceive Heva a virgin for he is a deceiver Yea from the beginning Math. 23. 14. Apoc. 18. Iohn 8. 44. Apoc. 20. 2. and abode not in the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Dominicans under the pretence of preaching the Franciscans under pretence of chastitie Nam virilia amputarunt the Carmelites under shew of virginitie and the Augustines under pretext of povertie have erected the Papall Kingdome by hypocrisie under colour of religion But Babylon is fallen even Rome the Queene of pride the nurse of idolatries the mother of whordomes the sinke of iniquitie Sentina malorum lacuna scelerum yea the Romish Iezabel is throwne downe and if the palmes of her hands and her skull or any thing of her remaine with us let us pray that it may bee buried also This Dagon is fallen downe twise once in King Edwards daies and againe in our dayes let it never rise againe Let this golden Diana be beaten downe for ever Let this whore of Apoc. â—8 Babylon perish and let her smoke rise up for evermore and let all that love the Lord Iesus say Amen But to proceed in the description of the wicked Secondly they are here described by their impietie hee saith that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without God without Faith without religion they denie God the only Lord and our Lord Iesus Christ so Paul said Ephes 2. 12. Phil. 3. 17 18. of the Ephesians before their conversion They were without Christ alienes from the Commonwealth of Israel strangers from the Covenant and promise and had no hope and were without God in the World And such were the Philippians They were enemies of the Crosse of Christ whose Ephes 4. 17 18. end is damnation whose God is their bellie and whose glorie is their shame which mind earthly things Such were all the Gentiles spiced with impietie For they walked in the vanitie of their minde having their cogitations darkened and being strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that was in them The world is full of such Atheists they swarme like bees in Hibla they abound like lice in Aegypt all the dust was turned into lice and in England all or most mens profession is turned into Atheisme Machivelisme saying that Religion is but policie to keep men in awe Many are of the Luk. 12. fooles religion to eate drinke play but to remember no God to pluckedown to build up to gather in but not to serve God in holinesse and righteousnesse Heu vivunt homines tanquam mors nulla sequatur Et velut infernus fabula vanaforet Alas men live as if no death should follow and as if Hell were but a fable There be many now like that Captaine that warred under Adrian the Emperor called Similus who at his death caused this Epitaph to be written upon his tombe Hic jacet Similus c. Here lieth Similus a man that was of many yeares and lived only but Seven many yeares without God but seven yeares in God many yeares wickedly but seven yeares religiously many yeares like an Atheist Atheists consuted by reason and sense but seven yeares like a Christian So a number of us may say that we have lived many yeares and yet but few yeares for God many yeares in sinne and wickednesse but few yeares in vertue and godlinesse There is a double life of Nature Grace In the one all live but in the other the elect only In all ages Atheists have abounded in Davids dayes The foole said in his heart there is no God In Salomons dayes they cryed A quicke dog is better Psal 14. Prov. 9. than a dead Lion We know what we have here but we know not what we shall have in another world In Esayes dayes For there were that said We have made a covenant with death and with Hell are Esa 28. 15. we at agreement In Christs time For there were Sadduces that denyed the Resurrection and affirmed that there was neither Angell nor spirit In Peters dayes For there were that said Where is the promise of his comming and so denyed the last Iudgement In 2 Pet. 3. Chrysostomes time they cried 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. give us that which is present let God alone with that which is for to come In Calvins time for then there were such that tooke away all difference betweene good and evill vertue and vice sinne and righteousnesse And in our dayes wee have that deny God and Christ and heaven and hell Angells Spirits and all David calleth them fooles Salomon calleth them Epicures Esay noteth them as blasphemers Christ calleth them Sadduces Chrysostome Nullifidians Calvin Libertines wee call them Machiavels ungodly men Such are worse than the Divell For hee confesseth God but these perhaps deny that there bee Divells so did the Sdaduces these men therfore shal feele Divels before they beleeve Divels I would not be in their coate for the Kingdome of England no not to be Monarch of the world for ten thousand yeares Divels are seene they are felt they are heard yet these men deny them but I will remit them to Philosophie to bee counselled that Sensus non fallitur circa proprium objectum sense cannot be deceived about his proper object The very Heathen will condemne us Tullie saith Non temerè nec fortuitò sati aut creati sumus sed profectò fuit divina quaedam vis quae generi consuleret humano nec id gigneret quod cum exantlavisset labores omnes tum
grieve not for their comfort that they might see any cause to rejoice for Fourthly our fire differeth from hell fire in consuming for our fire consumeth all that is put into it but hell fire consumeth nothing Semper comburentur nunquam consumentur they shall Hel fire burne but not consume alwayes bee burning never be consumed If any aske How this can bee that a man shall alway burne in hell and never be consumed I answere that it is the nature of this fire alwayes to burne the bodies and soules of the damned and yet never to consume or make an end of them Augustine saith that God worketh strangely in his creatures as for example the Salamander liveth in the fire take him out of the fire and hee dieth And there bee certaine creatures that live in hot ovens and chimneies as the crickets Take the coales of Iuniper and rake them up in the ashes of it and they will keep fire a yeere Take a Peacocke and kill it and the flesh thereof as Augustine saith will remaine sweet and continue without putrefaction a yeere Take Chaffe and it preserveth snow that is wrapped up in it and melloweth fruit Take lime and bring it to the Sunne and it is cold cast it into the water and it burneth Againe the Adamant is not broken but by the blood of a Goate and who can give a reason for it There is a fountaine in Epyrus which will put out a candle if it burne and light a candle if it be out The horses of Cappadocia conceive with the wind God thus worketh strangely in his creatures why not in the fire of hell Last of all our fire differeth from hell fire in this our fire but burnes and torments the body but hell fire torments both body and soule Hereupon saith Christ Feare not him that is able to kill the body and hath no power over the soule but feare him that is able to send both body and soule into everlasting hell fire Mat. 10. These are the differences betweene our fire and hell fire the thought of this should make our bodyes to tremble and our hearts to melt and the haire of our head to stand upright and to desire God to deliver us from this Lions denne For when a man is once in there is no getting out the gates of hell are kept from egresse as the gates of Paradise were warded from entrance not by Cherubins with the blade of a sword but by the angels of Satan with all the instruments of death Iudas and Cain that have been so many thousand yeeres in this torment their paines are as great now as they were at the first The accursed glutton in the Gospell who could speake by experience of his unspeakable discrutiations as Aeneas could of the troubles of Troy he would have a warning given to all his brethren in the flesh to make men take heed of hell and of the torments of that place the flames and fervour wherof were such that he craved with more streames of teares theÌ„ ever Esau sought his blessing but one droppe of water to coole his tongue with and could not obtaine it Luk. 16. This made Bernard to crie Paveo gehennam paveo Iudicis vultum c. I dread Hell I dread the Iudges contenance If Bernard thus trembled what shall we doe Augustine libro de anima c. cap. 56. saith Omnino miseris erit mors sine morte defectus sine defectu semper tolerabunt semper timebunt Iudgement necessary to be denounced in time of sin To the damned shall be alwayes a death without death and a decay without decay they shall alwayes bee in paine and alwayes be in feare For they shall alwayes bee in paine and alwayes be in feare For they shall be tormented without hope of pardon Videbunt daemones Deum non videbunt they shall see the Divels and not God There shall be the hangman alway tormenting and the worme alway gnawing Anger not therefore offend not this Lion of the tribe of Iudah lest hee anger you and cast you into the Divels dungeon Vbi progredi intolerabile regredi impossibile Where to goe forward is intolerable to goe backward impossible I have stood so much the longer upon the paines of hell because I would awake you from the Lethargy of your sinnes For I see the world is come unto the stay that it was in Esayes dayes Let mercy be shewed to the wicked yet will he not learne righteousnesse Esay 26. Preach honour and glory and peace a garland of righteousnesse an uncorruptible crowne fruit of the tree of life sight of the face of God following the Lambe fellowship with Angels and Saints and the congregation of the first borne new names and white garments pleasures at the right hand of God and fulnesse of ioy in his presence for evermore unto the wicked yet are they obstinately bent and unmoveably settled against the blessings of God as Daniel against the hire of Balthazar Keep thy reward to thy selfe and give thy gifts to another Dan. 5. And therefore because the blessing of the six Levits upon mount Gerizim will not moove them I have made them to heare the cursing of six others upon mount Ebal they take no pleasure in the beauty of Sion and therefore I have feared them with the thundrings and lightnings of Sinai and fed them with the bread of iudgement as Ezechiel calleth it I pray God it may worke effectually with them and make them to shake off the burthen of their sinnes and turne unto God with unfained conversion One other thing can I not conceale from you as touching the wicked in hell and that is as they have sinned so their paines shall be multiplied Vpon the ungodly God shall raine snares fire brimstone storme and tempest this shall bee their portion to drinke Psal 11. 7. The Prophet useth many words wherof eâ—ery one seemeth more grievous then other to teach us that so much the greater shall be the iudgement of the damned by how much the greater and more their sinnes be For as they treasure up their sinnes so God doth treasure up his wrath Rom. 2. Not that there bee many hells or many fires in hell but that the iustice of God requireth to measure out the grievousnesse of their punishment according to the grievousnesse of their sinnes Vt ignem non dissimilem habeant tamen eosdem singulos dissimiliter exurat that not having a divers fire yet every one to be tormeÌ„ted diversly in the same fire Greg. Even as wee feele in our bodies when many stand together in the Sunne the Sunne hath power of them all alike yet doe The more sin the damned committed the more torment in hell they not feele the like heate but some feele it hotter then other some every man according to the complexion and constitution of his body Even so according to the quality of his sinnes shall every man receive his punishment therefore
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