inough vppon the Mountaines of Israel for Sacrifices when there was none able to treade the Wynepresse nor any able man to bind the strong man when there was none able to breake downe the wall of separation betwéene God and man nor to rent asunder the vaile of the Temple when there was not so much as one sufficient for zeale to stand vp in the gappe that was open Ezech. 33. to turne away the Lords displeasure from man then caused he his owne arme to helpe his Church and euery member of the same he sent his owne Sonne Iesus into the world who to the comfort of his children sayth Lo Psal 16. heere am I to do thy will ô Father as in the beginning of the booke it is written of me And this is the same which euen vnto me may euery Christian man say is become Righteousnes against Sinne wisedome against folly holynes against corruption and fréedome against bondage my righteousnes by his resurrection my wisedome by his word my holynes by his spirit my redemption by his death Oh that men would therefore prayse the Lord for his goodnes and remember the wonderfull works wrought by him for the children of men Oh that they would take vp the cup of Saluation with Dauid and call vpon the name of the Lord for all his benefites towards them Psal 116. Isai 46. Exod. 20. Oh that they would remember to sanctifie his Saboth Remember the lawe of Moses his seruant and their sinnes in breaking that Lawe and thereof be ashamed and remember that Iesus Christ of the séede of Dauid is raised againe from the death 2. Tim. 2. verse 8. Such and so great and maruailous is the Lord in his mercies vnto his children after the purport of his promises made to Abraham and Dauid his seruants Remember Gods iudgemēts on his enemies But as for his enemies which anger him with stubborne rebellion which fight vnder the banner of Satan against him and his children they be subdued to his iudgements which on them he hath declared by rayning downe stormes and tempests plagues and destructions according to the effect of that communication threatning which Moses in Deutr. 28. doth denounce against them full of bitternes and woe which also with the causes thereof the Lord reiterateth in the 31. of the same saying Deut. 31.16.17 This people will rise vp and go a whoring after strange Gods of the land whether they go and will forsake me and breake the appointment which I made with them and then my wrath shall waxe hoate against them in that day and I will forsake them and will hide my face from them and they shall be consumed and much aduersitie tribulation shall come vpon them so that they will say Are not these troubles come vpon me because God is not with me How these Iudgements haue béene executed on the Israelites it is mentioned in the bookes of the Iudges Kings and Chronicles of Israel as in many other bookes of the holie Scripture and how the remainder of these things méeteth with the future Apostates S. Iohn descrieth in the ouerthrowe of Babylon with the great Whoare Reuel 18. Oh therefore that men considering this would stand in awe and sinne not Kisse the Sonne before he be angrie and learne of Dauid truely to protest in this sort Psal 116. Psal 77. vers 8. c. 119.52 55. I haue set the Lord euer before my face I remembred the yeares of the right hand of the Lord I remembred the works of the Lord certainly I remembred O Lord thy wonders of old and I did meditate in all thy works and did deuise of thine Actes I remembred thy iudgements of old euen the examples wherby thou declarest thy selfe to be Iudge of the world and I haue bin comforted And I haue remembred thy Name ô Lord in the night in the night when other sleepe and haue kept thy lawe Dauid did obserue this Dauid teacheth the same to vs and this must we also do Remember God and his works Fiue things which moue vs to remember God There be among other fiue things which may moue vs or perswade vs the rather to this dutie The first whereof is the due cōsideration of the frame of the World which a certaine Philosopher said was his onely Library for in beholding the same he sawe the magnificence of Gods power knew him therein and kept him in memorie Rom. 1. The verie Gentiles were occasioned héereby both to knowe and remember God though they worshiped him not as they should Psal 19. as Paul reasoneth Rom. 1. And as the Heauens declare the glorie of God and the Firmament his handie worke so the excellent harmonie of all the creatures consenting therevnto moueth the mind of man to kéepe the register thereof The second thing is the person of man called by the Gréekes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a little World wherein is the view as it were of all these things The auntient Philosopher Trismegistus draweth men to the knowledge and mindfulnes of God In lib. de poten Sap. dei Dialog 5. by the consideration of mans bodie Age fili saith he circumspice humani corporis opificium cuius admonitione perdisce quis tam pulchrae imaginis conditor c. Go to my Sonne looke about the workemanship of mans bodie by the admonition wherof learne perfitly who is he which hath made so beawtifull an image And perusing euery part and member of the body he concludeth thus Behold how many works of diuine Arte are in this one matter demonstrated euery of which is most sightly and handsomly proportioned and so that euery of them yet differeth from other in his proper office But who hath framed these things what father what mother Is it not that onely inuisible God which of his owne will hath done them all And another Philosopher saith that a man hauing in his bodie so many ioynts members as there be dayes in the whole yeare is thereby put in mind of Gods goodnes and moued to remember him continually Héerewith if we consider the hidden treasures of the Soule and so include the whole man we shall be euen deuoured with zeale and forced to sing ioyfully with Dauid O Lord Psal 134.14 I will feare thee for I am fearefully and wonderfully made marueilous are thy workes and that my soule knoweth right well Thirdly the word of God written and preached vnto vs The word of God teacheth vs plainely not onely what God is what his will is what he hath done but also in what sort he is to be serued and how to be remembred Without this Remembrancer he saw all our memorie to be forgetfulnes all our knowledge ignorance all our wisedome foolishnes all our policies péeuishnes all our sight blindnes had not the Lord giuen vs his word written not onely in the heart but euen in Tables of stone brasse iron c. to remaine a
her wise lesson to her yong Lemuel Rom. 12. Prou. 31. And Tobiah to his sonne S. Paul chargeth the Romaines and others to giue chéerefully to the poore 2 Cor. 9.7 to do good and forget not to distribute to remember the prisoners and the poore Saints Heb. 13. Gal. 2.9 1. Cor. 16.1 Ro. 15.26 Act. 10. and for such he himselfe caused diuers collections to be made and thereto laboured with his hands He commended them much of Macedonia and Achaia for the same thing The noble Nehemiah mindfull of his poore bréethren did neither craue that wages he should haue exacted nor suffered any man else to oppresse them But alas there is a commoÌ„ cry of the poore in euery place whose faces be grinded with the extortions of the wealthie and this pitie haue they found Am I sayeth Cayne the keeper of my brother is his ouersight or protection committed to me am I bound to reléeue him These persons be not of the mind of Christ which saith Weepe not Widowe but of the mind that Diues that rich man was who could rather permit poore Lazarus to cry and dye at his gate without compassion But heare that terrible sentence against such vnpitifull people Math. 25. When I was hungrie yee fed mee not when I was thirsty ye gaue me no drinke therefore depart from me ye cursed Vnto this dutie belongeth that not to forget to deliuer the oppressed froÌ„ the hand of his oppressor And that also to be gratefull thankefull to our bréethren that haue both laboured for vs and comforted vs with their charities whether they be poore or rich This thing not onely the verie Heathens haue taught by painting foorth their three 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Graces but also the verie brute beasts birds as the Elephant the Storke yea the earth insensible which yéeldeth to her tiller a double reward But alas among vs that be Christians we oftentimes find this verified No man remembreth the poore man Eccles. 5.14.15 that by his wisâ—dome deliuereth the Citie from the great King Pharaohs Butler hath quite forgotten Ioseph though he earnestly requested him to remember him to the King Gen. 40. verse 14. yea the vnthankefull Sichemites haue not onely quite forgotten the goodnes of Gedeon towards them Iudg. 9.18 but are likewise consent together with Abimelech to rise vp against him and his house Thus Ioas remembred the goodnes of Iehoida the Priest which had bin his only stay and preseruation in rising vp against Zacharias his sonne and killing him 2. Chr. 24.20.21.22 It is great vnkindnes not to requite a benefite receiued so it is to forget or not to acknowledge it but oh most horrible is that vnkindnes which recounteth good things with euill things from this kind of obliuion the Lord deliuer vs and a true mindfulnes of our bréethren we beséech him to giue vs and heerevnto may we be the better induced by the remembrance of our owne selues This is the third thing which we are willed héere to remember Remember our selues To know our selues is a profitable perswasion to the knowledge of God imitating of Christ in our duties Heere might we be put in mind of our estate and condition in this land which to remember is most profitable that being admonished by others examples we may after Pauls caueat take heed we fall not although we thinke we stand 1. Cor. 10. And let it be remembred that as the fiue talents gained fiue other so is it expected that our great aboundance of Gods blessings should yéeld semblable thankefulnes the want whereof bringeth dread and fearefulnes by the consideration of the vnprofitable seruant the disobedient sonne the barraine fig trée and vnfruitefull Vine and I pray God that in this our time of peace we do remember not only of whome we receiue it but also what belongeth to the same I ayme only to that which I should with many more words expresse But more particularly let euery man looke into his owne estate and condition as deriued from the common condition of all men as fold and subdued to sinne and thereby to infirmities miseries and death To this point the Apostle bringeth all meÌ„ when he saith All men haue sinned and héereof tooke that generall calamitie his originall Thou art dust sayth God to Adam after his transgression and into dust thou shalt returne againe This is particular to euerie man and this is generall to all men Heereof is man called mortall flesh grasse vaniâ—â—e a vapour a lyer a corrupt feede the child of inconstancie and dust Let men remember this what man is that they may not waxe proude A man doth seldom remember himselfe being but dust and ashes But alas this is so hard a thing for them as nothing is harder to perswade them selues what they be what their life is And therefore whiles they note the condition of their tenures whether they hold their land in fee simple fee tayle terme of life or yéeres and accompt when their leases may expire they neuer remember the condition of their owne liues how good or euill they bee they note not how they drawe to ende and thinke not of death which lingreth not This was that notable and wise saying which Symonides Simonides who as Cicero reporteth first found out the arte of Memorie vttered before Pausanias the Lacedemonian King at his banquet being willed by the King to speake something excellent and of importance Remember thou art a man saith he The King hearing it tooke it scornefully at the first But afterward being shut vp in prison and in miserie where also he dyed with famine he called to minde that word of Symonides with great sorrowe saying The words were in deede of great importance but I through mad pride esteemed them nothing The like in a maner read we of rich Croesus who in prosperitie forgat himselfe and what Solon had taught him till time that Cyrus brought him to recognize his estate and miserie with imminent execution of death But Philippe of Macedonia did more wisely prouide for his memorie when a boy cryed to him euery day Philippe Remember thou art but a man And this is common to euery one he is a man then mortall then subiect to miseries then of short life and continuance This is the effect of Iobs description of man He hath but a short time to liue Iob Man is a Pilgrim yet replete with many miseries he commeth vp as a flower from the earth he florisheth a little while vpon the earth he is cut downe and withereth in the earth Which also Isaiah in his 40. Chapter Isa 40. â— Ia. 1.11 1. P. 1 1â— S. Iames in his first Chapter and Sainct Peter in the first Chapter of his former Epistle do effectuallie applie Man commeth from a sinfull wombe liueth in a wretched place goeth to a ghastfull gulfe Remember this Olde father Iacob was most mindfull of this which
perished among the wicked which God forbid as Abraham praied So do we see that commandement of the tares heere verified Let them yet alone least whiles ye weed out them yee pluck vp also the corne The Angels said plainely to Lot whē they willed him to hasten vnto Zoar We can do nothing vntill thou be come thither And this is a generall thing that whē God determineth to extirpate and roote out Nations When good men be taken hence plagues may be feared to follow Kingdomes and people he first taketh away the godly from among them and leauing only a confused heape of vngodlie persons a free passage is giuen to the execution of his iudgements When we see therefore that good men do slide from vs let vs feare of a iudgement ensuing with repentant hearts turne vnto the Lord and craue mercie in time conuenient The Prophet Ezechiel telleth that when the Lord could find no zealous man among them Ezech. 22.31 he powred out his wrath and consumed them Isaiah Isa 57.1 saith that the righteous men do dye and be taken away from the euill that commeth after them And Dauid witnesseth Psal 12. that the godly men be gone and the wrath of God recompenceth the remaynder Examples héereof we haue many Among which we remember that when Noah Noah was gone from the world and was enclosed in the Arke the water foorthwith fell downe vpon the world and drowned it Whē King Hezekiah Hezekiah was layde to his Fathers in peace the plague fell downe vpon Iuda which the Lord had by promise restrained all the time of his life The like in effect is mentioned of Iosias Iosias Christ his Apostles being departed from Ierusalem and not one left there but counterfeit Iewes Christ and the Apostles and notorious euill sinners all the plagues that tended to the vtter destruction of that City immediatly followed Matth. 22. Thy house is left desolate for yee shall not see me hencefoorth c. So heere Lot Lot the righteous man being gone out of Sodom the Lord rained vpon them fire and brimstone from heauen Aug. de ciu dei 21 Solinus Egesippus and consumed them all and their Countrie as many auncient Testimonies especially the holie Scripture reporte The consideration hereof might moue euen the vngodly to wish for and desire the peace of Ierusalem gladlie to enterteyne and reteyne the societie of righteous Lots among them And when they perceiue them departing to dread great iudgements imminent 1. Sam. 3. as the daughter of old Eli did who hearing that the Arke of God was taken away from Israel cried out in great feare Now is the glorie gone from Israel for the Arke of God is taken away And thus much for the person of Lot Now are wee come to the view of Lots wife Lots wife Wherein wee are to consider First what she was Secondly what sinnes are chiefly noted in her Thirdly what was her plague or punishment This woman by all likelihood was of the Cananites but farre vnlike the woman of Canaan that cryed after Christ for her daughter And it may easely bee gathered that Lot maried this woman either in or about Sodom whereas he pitched his tent partly for that wee do not finde in the historie that she came thether with him as Sarai did with Abraham partly for that she had such an earnest desire to stay and dwel there among them And it is true Canaanites bee mixt with the Israelites that notwithstanding the commaundement of God to the contrarie some Canaanites are not onely dwelling but also ioyning vnto them of Israel which cannot do them any good but euill as long as they liue As long as the godly man soweth corne in this world will the enuious man cast in his tares among While the net is in the Sea the bad fishes wil be taken together with the good whiles the Mustard seede groweth vp to a tree the birds of all sorts will rowst vnder the same The beastes of al kinde will be found in the Arke and Cham wil couch betwene Shem and Iaphet Gen. 10. and growe to a mightie nation to diuide their Tabernacles asunder that now the Lords flocke in respect of all the rest is called little As if the Lord had chosen of all birdes one Doue of all beastes one Sheepe of all trees one Cedar in Libanus of all pittes one Riuer Iordan of all hilles one Sion of all people one Israel of al Cities one Ierusalem out of all Sodom Lot but not Lots wife As all the world to Noah all Baals Priestes to Elias all the rebellious Israelites to Ioshua Ios 24 All Ierusalem to Christ and his Apostles So is Sodom to Lot yea and with them his owne wife This is not Sarah to Abraham nor Rebeccah to Isaak nor Hester to Ashuerus nor Susanna to Ioachim nor Elizabeth to Zacharias nor Mary to Ioseph but here is so heauie a yoke as good Lot could not well beare and such a burden as he was not able to bring forth from Sodom to Zoar. Here is a curst Xantippe to a learned and patient Socrates here is a murmuring Annah to an holie Tobiah yea more yet than that here is a disdaynfull and mocking Micholl to a zealous Dauid and a cursed woman to a blessed Iob. But wee may note in her some particular sinnes and eschew them the better by the consideration of her euill successe for the same First we note in her infidelitie 1 Infidelitie For she beleeued not the words of the Angels which sayd We be come hither to destroy this place And herein she ioyned hands with all her kinne in that citie who esteemed the report of Lot touching the wordes of the Angels as fables vainely inuented or shee thought that God would haue spared so beautifull a thing notwithstanding the Angels words So Thomas was incredulous and would not beleeue the words of them which sayd they had seene Christe after his death But yet blessed are they which haue not seene and yet haue beleeued Sarah Heb. 11. that woman is commended for her fayth by the Apostle The wife of Manoah also is commended in that shee beleeued the Angels words to her Iudg. 13. Anna also the mother of Samuel Rahab Ruth Mary Martha Elizabeth Damaris and other like women are for their faith praysed but Lots wife is diffamed by her vnbeleefe This is the subtiltie of Satan Satans craft to take away a mans faith first to pull out faith from mans heart which being once gone he knoweth that man is neither able to resist him nor to quench his fierie dartes He doth therein as the Rauen which first picketh out the sheepes eye and afterward deuoureth his bodie And faith is in a man the eye of the soule Satan knoweth that faith is the pillar whereon our building standeth Therefore he shaketh it to cast downe our building He knoweth that