for his sinnes For the bookes wherein all mens actions are as it were recorded shal be opened and euery man shall be iudged of those things whicâ— are registred in the bookes of Gods knowledge and mans conscience according to their works And euery man without exception shall receiue the things which are done in his body according to that hee hath done whether it bee good or euill The riches of Laban the wealth of Nabal the wisedome of Achitophel the beauty of Absolon the crown of Saul the strength of Lamech the kingdomes of Nebuchadnezar the eloquence of Tertullus the miter of Caiaphas will than stand them in no stead at all For the Lord is no accepter of persons he hath prepared Tophet of olde for wicked princes and hee will rebuke the vngodly of all their wicked deedes Now as death dooth leaue them so the last iudgement shall find them If therefore wee would either fit our selues for death or frame our selues to the last iudgement let vs abandon our sinnes and iudge our selues If wee will accuse and condemne our sins and execute them as Iosiah did the priests of the high places wee shall not neede to feare the terrour of death which is appointed for all nor the sentence of the iudge which shall onely be pronounced against the wicked Lastly I say wee must turne from all our sinnes and not from some onely For so is the will of God Cast away from you all your transgression for why will yee dis O house of Israel Euery sinne displeaseth God and deserueth death euery sin doth staine the soule and wound the conscience It is not possible for a man to carry fire in his bosome and his clothes not bee burnt and impossible for him to goe vppon coales and his feete not be scorched so is it impossible to fauour any sin and not to be infected As euery enemie is dangerous and as the least drop of poison is hurtfull and the least plague-sore infectious so the smallest sinne wil smart the least offence is pernicious pestilent infectious Secondly we vowed to God in our baptisme that we would turn from all our sinnes and from all the workes of the diuell Hee that will not keep touch with God must neuer looke that God will keep touch with him For his promise of pardon belongs onely vnto penitent persons And therefore he saith If the wicked will returne from all his sins hee shall surely liue and shall not die Thirâ—ly the Lorde in expresse tearmes forbiddeth not onely greater but aâ—so smaller sinnes He doth not onely condemne drunkennes but hee doth also pronounce a woe vnto them that are mighty to drinke wine and are strong to powre in strong drinke Saint Peter doth not onely râ—quire vs to forbeare drunkennesse but also drinkings Saint Paul doth not onâ—ly forbid vs filthines but foolish talking The Lord commandeth the wicked to forsake their very imaginations Christ telleth vs that we must giue account of euery idle word Peter warneth vs to lay aside all malitiousnesse and all guile and all euill speaking Dauid saith I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes A froward heart shall depart from me I will know none euill And according to this his resolution hee saith againe I haue refrained my feete from euery euill way and do hate all false waies And desireth God to let none iniquitie to haue dominion ouer him The Lord hateth all our sins Christ hath suffered for all our sins therefore let vs abandon them all If we entertaine but one we open a casemenâ— for another and animate the diuell to sally a fresh vppon vs who like a Crocodile flieth if hee be resisted but if we yeeld vnto him in the least sinne hee will very falsely assault vs and seeke to swallow vs vp Must wee abstaine from all appearance of euill Must wee hate the very garment which is spottâ—d by the flesh Then good reason haue wee to abstaine from all things that are meerely euill in themselues and to detest the flesh which defiles the man and lusteth against the Spirit Shall kings fight against their quarrellous despitâ—ful enemies which onely seeke to depriue them of their earthly kingdomes and shall not we contend and war against our fleshly lusts which fight against our soules and seek to defeat vs of our heauenly kingdome Will euery man by the vertue of his nature like Chariâ—us in the Comedie proue euery way before they will perish or lose their liues in this world and shall not wee take any paines to escape eternall paines and to saue our soules in the world to come Shall Christ lament yea and die for our sinnes and shall we make our selues mery with them as many doe Or rather shall we not mourne for them and seeke to bee deliuered from them Shall Dauids eyes gush out with riuers of water because other men kept not Gods law and doth it beseeme vs to be drie cheeked and not lament for our owne sinnes whereby wee haue broken his law and battered the castles of our owne consciences Shall Ieremy wish that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountaine of teares that he might weepe day and night for the slaine of the daughter of his people and shall wee neuer lament weepe for our sinnes which displease our friend and please our foe which did once slay our soules and doe daily wring them would consume them vâ—terly if the Lord who hath restored them to life in Christ did not guard them by his grace Doe we not see what an antipathy there is amongst the creatures One of them by a secret instinct of nature doth hate and persecute another Nay doe wee not see that many men are as wolues each to other Wherefore then should we not persecute and hate our sinnes seeing that they be our mortall enemies and will neueâ— become our friends The fish called Lepus is as some write poisoâ— to a man and man to him Sinne is poison vnto vs so let vs be as poison vnto it Shall tâ—e wicked lay wait for blood and swallow the innocent vppe like a graue and shal not we seeke to mortifie our siâ—nes which are noxious vnto vs and offensiue vnto God Mortifie therefore your members which are on earth fornication vncleannesse the inordinate affection euill concupiscence and couetousnesse which is idolatry If wee will not mortifie them they will mortifie vs If we will not part from them God will part from vs. Surely saith Dauia God will wound the head of his enemies and the hairie pate of him that walketh in his sinnes Shall Dauid hate the desperate enemies of God and earnestly contend with those that rise vp against him and shall not wee hate sinne which makes men hatefull vnto God and haters of God Shall not we earnestly contend against our sins which do both rise vp against vs and make vs also take vppe armes against the Lord Hâ—â—e that hateth suertâ—â—hippe saith Salomon is sure but hee that hateth sinne is surer For if it bee a a righâ— hâ—tred it
the plague-sores of our soules and vtter enemies to our peace and safety shall wee let them alone shall we stand still suffer them to destroy vs O daughter Babel worthy to bee destroyed And is not sinne the daughter of the diuell and the Babel of the soule as worthy to bee destroyed Blessed saith the Psalmist shall hee be not seeme nor called that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones euen so blessed shall that man be I say bee that dasheth his sinnes in peeces and killeth the killing corruption of his heart which like the fire saith not It is enough and like the Crocodile will grow so long as it hath any life vnlesse it be both pressed and oppressed If Dauid crie out Woe is vnto me that I remaine in Meshek and dwell in the tents of Kedar haue not we cause to lameÌ„t that we remaine in our sinnes and for that not onely sinne dwelleth in vs but we also in sinne as it is to be feared many of vs may truly say as much if we did search our selues narowly Dauid could say My soule hath too long dwelt with him that hateth peace Wherefore then should not we be wearie of our sinnes which are sworne enemies to all true peace Amos maketh mention of some that desire the Sabbath were gone that they might sell their corne deere and falsifie their weights yea that they might buy the poore for siluer and the needie for shooes Their delay was as death vnto them Shall any man make so much haste for filthy lucre and to worke heinous iniquitie and shall wee linger the time and deferre to do good to turne from our sinnes vnto God Dauid was grieued because he saw men that kept not the word of God shal not we be grieued for our selues when wee breake the commaundements of God and demonstrate our griefe by our true turning vnto him Must Ierusalem mourn because the children of Iudah haue set their abhominations in the house of God and shall we be ioyfull and careles while our hearts which are the houses of the holy Ghost are polluted with abhominable corruptions whereof we haue not all of vs as yet truly repented as our liues doe testifie Yea rather let vs repent and turne againe vnto the Lord and then we may indeed reioyce Was Ieremie sore vexed for the hurt of the daughter of his people Shall his eye cast out riuers of water for her destruction And shal not we lament for our owne hurt for defacing of Gods image within vs and for the many grieuous wounds of our soules Must Christ be nayled to the Crosse for thy sinnes and pearced with a speare to the heart for thy wickednesse and wilt not thou turne from them and forsake them Shal he grone and sigh and sob shall he sweate water and bloud for thy sinnes and wilt thou yet delight in them wilt thou not forsake and leaue them knowest thou not that Christ bare our sinnes vpon the Crosse that we should die to sinne and liue in righteousnesse Paul saith that Christ gaue himselfe for vs that hee might redeem vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe Zealous of good workes Therefore to shew our selues to be the redeemed of Christ we must turne from our sinnes and follow the workes of pietie and iustice As there is no agreement betweene God and the Diuell betweene Christ and Beliall betweene light and darknesse as there is mortall enmitie betweene the Eagle and the Swan betweene the Turtle and the Pyralis betweene the Ichneumon and Waspe the Rauen and the Leriot one of them iarring and warring with an other so let there be no concord betwixt theâ— and thy sinnes but as they contend against thy soule so doe thou wage warre with them and cease not till thou haue gotten conquest ouer them And as Peter saith of the faithfull in his time that they were as sheepe going astray but are now returned vn-the Sheepheard and Bishop of their soules euen so though ye haue bene in time past straglers from the Lorde and transgressours of his lawe yet now repent of your sinnes and turne againe vnto him so shall Sathan be grieued his members silenced the godly edified your selues comforted and God glorified vnto whom be rendered all honour praise and glory in the Church and of the Church â—or euer and euer Amen Trin-vni Deo Gloria Neuem 5. 1605. Deut. 32. 15. Iob. 39. 7. Mare mortuum Reue. 2. 5. Ier. 7. 3. 2. Chron. 30. 9. Plin. lib. â— cap. 26. Plin. lib. 8. c. 26. Doct. 1. 2. Tim. 3. 16. 2. Pet. 1. 21. Iam. 4. 12. Reuel 1. 6 Mar. 5. 13 Num. 22. Zep. â— 1â— Vse 1. Act. 27. 15. antipiptete Act. 7. 51. For the breach of euery commandement and exhortation is eternal death Isa 28. 1â— Vse 2. Gal. 1. 4. Rom. 12. 2 Mat. 8. 9. Math. 12 50. 1. Thess 4. 3. 2. Sam. 26 7. 2. Math. 2. 8 2. King 25 Gal. 6. 7 Doct. 2. Ps 19. 12. Ec. 7. 31. Matt. 23. 17. Mare mâ—rtuum Gen. 27. An. 1605. Ro. 6. 23. Pro. 4. 23 Ier. 9. 5. 1. Pet. 2. 15. Mat. 7. 13 Prou. 27. 23. Mouent non pro mouent Isa 38. 8. Ios 10. 13 Psa 19. 5. Doct. 3. Pro. 16. 2. 21. 2. Pro. 30. 12 Eccl 7. 22 Gen. 6. 5. Rom. 7. 18. 23. Ioh. 8. 44. Psal 19. 8. 11. Psal 119. 104 105. Psal 119. 144 151. Vse 1. Psal 119. 15. 18. Psal 119. 24 64 73 Vse 2. Occultum quatiente auimo tortore flagelluÌ„ Iuuen. Vse 3. Ps 119. 59. Doct. 4. Doct. 5. Lam. 1. 1. 3. Lam. 2. 2 11 12 20 â—1 Lam. 4. 4. 5. 10. Lam 5. 4 5 12 14. Lam. 2. 5 15. Lam. 3. 46 Lam. 2. 7 20. Lam. 4. 16 Ps 145. 9. Ps 89. 32 33. Doct. 6. Rom. 1. 7. 1 Cor. 1. 2 Rom. 15. 14. 15. 1. Ioh. 1. 8 1. Ki. 8. 46 Doct. 7. 2. Cor 5. 20 Psal 4. 4. Iam. 5. 17. Prou 1. 11. 14. Prou. 7. 18 Ps 64. 5. Gen. 30. 37 38 39. Doct. 8. Gen. 2. 10 Iosh 6. 4 3 Vse 1. Vse 2. 1. Sam. 2. 25. Vse 3. a Ps 75. 6. b 1. Chro. 2â— 12. c 1. Sam. â— 30 d Ps 37. 34 Act. 27. 22 23 31 34 43. Ps 119. 9 Exod 4. 3. Doct. 9. Psal 4. 4. Zeph. 2. 1. 1. Cor. 11. 28 2. Cor. 13. 15. Gal. 4. 4 5 2. Cor. 5. 10. Pro. 27. 23. Pro. 31. 27 1. Tim. 5. 8 Pro. 7. 11. Caprificus Isa 1. â— Ezek. 36. 25. Doct. 10. Doct. 10. Pro. 5. 4. 5. Proâ— 26. Doct. 11. Pro. 4. 26 27. Sinne inuironeth or hemmeth a man about Heb. 12. 1. Ps 39. 1. 2. Cor. 2. 13. In vtramque aurem â—â—â—mire Rom. 7. 23 Act. 8. 21. 23. First point Who must turne Rom. 15. 4 Rom. 2. 6. 11. Act. 17. 30 1. Cor. 7. 19. 2. Cor. 5. 27. Eph. 2. 1 3 12. Ps 81.
THE TRVE TRIAL and Turning of a Sinner OR THREE PLAINE AND profitable Sermons teaching the Search and Triall of our waies Repentance of Sinne and true turning vnto God The summe whereof was preached at Feuersham in Kent Aug. 3. 1606. By Thomas Tuke ZACH. 1. 3. Turne yee vnto mee saith the Lord of hostes and I will turne vnto you EZEK 18. 21. If the wicked will returne from all his sinnes that he hath committed c. he shall surely liue and shall not die LONDON Printed by Thomas Creede 1607. TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull and vertuous Ladie Christiana wife to the Right Worshipfull Sir Iohn Leueson Knight grace from God both temporall and etâ—â—nall MAdame rare and admirable are the fauors which we haue receiued of the Lord by his grace enioyed now almost fiftie yeares together He hath giuen vs his Word and Gospel his lawes and statutes hee hath planted a Vineyard amongst vs and sent his Prophets vnto vs. Hee hath brought vs out of captiuitie from vnder Weasterne Babylon and dispelled the Egyptian-like darknesse of Romish superstitions Hee hath not dealt so with euery Nation Moreouer hee hath imparked vs with the pales of Peace and hedged vs about with the Lawrells of Prosperitie He dooâ—h fill our barnes with plentie causeth our cups to runne ouer He hath put the Palmes of victorie into our hands the Garlands of triumphs about our heads and hath made our verie enemies seeke to be at peace with vs. Hee hath turned our speares into spades our swords into sythes and our pikes into pennes yea to make a perfect and plenary demonstration of his loue vnto vs and hatred of our Aduersaries he hath of late vouchsafed to vs both Prince and People a verie wonderfull and great Deliuerance from a most barbarous and vniuersall confusion plotted and almost performed by the children of Babel the Minians of that purple Harlot But how doe we remonstrate our thankfulnesse and loue to him Alas our ingratitude is too-too manifest Our sinnes doe testifie the same to our faces Ignorance Oathes Prophanations of the Lords day Neglect yea and palpable Contempt of the Gospell and of Gods faithfull and honourable Embassadours with many other grieuous and transcendent enormities do so swell abound in the multitude as that if they were not by force held in with the piles of wholesome lawes and the banks of gouernmeÌ„t they would quickly ouerflow beare and beate down all before them So that the Lorde may say of vs as Moses somtimes said of Israel But hee that should haue bene vpright when he waxed fatte spurned with his heele and forsooke God that made him and regarded not the strong God of his saluation not much vnlike wee are for the most to the yong Hindes mentioned in the booke of Iob who when they are waxed fatte and growne vp with corne Goe from their dammes and returne no more vnto them Iosephus writeth that the Riuer Iordan doth carrie the Fishes so long sporting themselues and floting aloft till at length it casts theÌ„ headlong into the Dead Sea where they perish so it seemes our prosperity through the corruption of our heartes hath trained vs on so long that wee haue fallen into a Sea of sinnes and a gulfe of wickednesse What can we now expect of God besides the complement of that dreadfull minace vpon vs with which the declining church of Ephesus was somtimes threatned to wit the remouing of her Candlestick out of his place vnlesse she did repent If we therefore desire the continuance of the Gospell among vs and of all outwarde blessings which attend vpoÌ„ the true professors and embracers of it we must in the feare of God Search trie our waies and turne againe vnto him Amend your waies and your works saith the Lord and I will let you dwell in this place The Lord our God is gracious and mercifull and will not turne away his face from vs if we conuert vnto him Pliny saith that the Riuer-horse feeling himself too fatte ouermuch grown pricketh a veine in his legge with some sharpe reede newly cut and by letting himselfe blood doeth so helpe himselfe and preuent the daunger which he was subiect before to fall into so when wee swell with pride and selfe-loue and when we waxe grosse spirited and fatte at heart and when the corrupt humors of our soules abound our best phisicke is to prick our hearts with true compunction of spirit and remorse of conscience and to let our selues blood of those corrupt humours by true repentance and godlye sorrow If wee neglect the performance of these duties wee may iustly feare that the Lord will remoue his fauours from vs giue them to a people that will bring forth better fruites To helpe forwarde this godly practise I haue compiled penned and now published these sequent exhortations which I dedicate and offer vnto your Ladishippe especially because I knowe you loue this Doctrine the faithfull practisers of the same Thus taking my humble leaue I recommend you to the grace of God Cuxton March 25. 1607. Your Ladiships in all dutie Thomas Tuke The principall Contents 1 An eleuen doctrines are orderly collected and their applications seuerally annexed 2 Sundry reasons to mooue vs to search our selues 3 Many moâ—iues to perswade vs to search narrowly and soundly 4 Diuers reasons to moue Mâ—nisters to ioyne themselues in their exhortations 5 Many reasons why euery man ought to busie himselfe in searching of himselfe principally 6 Sundry causes why wee should try our waies after that by searching we haue found them out 7 The true Touchstone of triall here sundry Iudges are reiected for sundry reasons 8 These points with their reasons are discussed and propounded 1. Who must turne 2. From what 3. To whom 4. Where 5. When. 6. How 9 All these things are illustrated by many fit similitudes and other comparisons or at least the chiefest Many other particulars are taught which the godly Reader may finde if it please him to peruse the Sermons through SERMONS PREAched at Feuersham in Kent Lament 3. 40. Let vs search and try our waies and turne againe vnto the Lord. THis mournefull prophet Ieremy hauing in part described declared the perplexed and lamentable coÌ„dition of his countrymen and both testified and iustified as wel the righteousnes of God in afflicting them for the multitude of their transgressions as his mercie in moderating their misery and preseruing them from a full and finall destruction hee doth in these words propound vnto them a very serious and sober exhortaâ—ion consisting of three branches The first is conteined in the three former words Let vs sâ—arch That is to say let vs diligently inquire after seeke and labour to find out The second is couched in the next wordes And trie our waies That is let vs proue our thoughts our words workes after that by diligent and due searching we haue found them out The third