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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10817	The day of hearing: or, six lectvres vpon the latter part of the thirde chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes of the time and meanes that God hath appointed for man to come to the knowledge of his truth, that they may be saved from his wrath. The summary pointes of every one of which lectures are set downe immediately after the Epistle dedicatory. Herevnto is adioyned a sermon against fleshly lusts, & against certaine mischevious May-games which are the fruit thereof. By H.R. Master of Artes, and now, minister of the word.; Day of hearing: or, six lectures upon the latter part of the thirde chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes.	Roberts, Huw, b. 1558 or 9.	1600 (1600)	STC 21089; ESTC S102956	70,687	163

thou hast hardened thine heart wouldst not obey his voice whē he offered thee his grace Consider therfore that this is the daie where in he calleth thee and speaketh to thee saying behold now the accepted time beholde now the 2. Cor. 6. 2. daie of salvation This time this day wherein he proclaimeth peace is but short and v 〈…〉 e redeeme it therfore with all readines of mind that thou maist be at peace with God for all eternity You that are diligent husband-mē are carefull to redeeme the time of faire weather in haruest because you know not how soo●e it wil raine And man whose life is cōpared to a vapour that appeareth for a little time and after vvarde vanisheth avva●● if hee liue to Iam. 4. 14. day knoweth not whether he shall liue to morowe And if it be permitted him to liue yet knoweth he not how soone the Lord will send a famine of hearing his holy word and send a darke night of ignorance in the which no man can worke no man can heare the glad tidings of the Gospell nor beleeue it though he woulde Let vs pray that our hearts may be mollified prepared as good ground to receiue the seede of the worde while it is yet called to day The fifth Lecture vpon the 16. and 17. verses of the wickednesse of mans nature all men are naturally bent to idolatrie vvee must imitate the faithfull though they bee but few in number or ●n one age whom God raiseth vp in al ages to confesse his name of Gods long sufferance bountifulnes towarde sinners of sinne and the fruit thereof 16 For some when they heard provoked him to anger howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses 17 But with whō was he displeased forty yeares was he not displeased with them that sinned whose carkeses fell in the wildernesse THe Apostle which was the Authour of this Epistles applying the exhortation of the Prophet before alleadged seemeth here to allude to that desperate provoking and disobedience of the children of Israel mentioned in the 14 of Num. When they beleeued those ten men that brought vp a vile slander vpon the land of promise and murmured against Moses and A●r●● and would haue stoned Ioshua and Caleb because they stood for the truth as it appeareth more 〈◊〉 large in the 14. of Num. this is therefore as if 〈◊〉 Apostle should say the whole assembly of them that came out of Egypt to the number of sixe handieth thousande men of vnderstanding even all of them vvithout ex●●●tion heard the word of the LORD and his promise concerning the lande of Canaan but some of them yea the greatest some the ●●h●le assemblie saieth the scripture and againe all the mul●●tua● notwithstanding 〈◊〉 4. 2. 〈◊〉 some are excepted vvhen they heard did not beleeue but provoked the ●o●d● to anger with their meredulous 〈…〉 ing and 〈◊〉 bellion And it is worthy to be noted that he saith when they ●●●rd they provoked him or hearing they provoked him● For as hee that is of God 10. 8 47. heareth GODS vvordes so they that are c 〈…〉 lly minded and haue their vnderstanding darkened doe neuer provoke the LORDE so much as when his word and his counsell 〈◊〉 p●e●ched vnto them which because it is contrary to the wisdome of the 〈…〉 h ●●st●●eth vppe the naturall man ●o●e●ll and to oppose himselfe against the wisedome of the holy GHOST accordinge as it is vvritten the vvisedome of Rom. 8 7. the flesh is enimitie against GOD. And againe the naturall manne perceiveth not the 1. Cor. 2 14. thinges of the spirite of GOD for they are foolishnesse vnto him neither canne hee knovve them because they are spiritually discerned For Satan who worketh in the children of disobedience vvill rather su●●er them to consent to any thing then to that doctrine which ostereth vnto them the peace and favour of God And for this cause our Saviour CHRIST saieth that hee came not to sende peace into Mat. 10 34. the earth but the svvorde A sworde as we knowe cutteth asunder and maketh a separation And CHRIST although hee bee the very authour of our peace yet when his peace is preached vnto the world the vvicked and disobedient vvhich before seemed to bee quiet and calme doe nowe shewe foorth their bitternesse and corruption of nature by contending against this peace and against the messengers and professours of the same And so CHRIST by their malice is made the occassion of t●multe and discorde They provoke him not before they hear him for the wickednesse of mans nature is like fire that lyeth hid in quicke lime which never boyleth nor sheweth his heate vntil you put water to it which being of a contrary nature and quality causeth it to burne and cost out heate It is also like to the vapours of the earth which appeare not so long as the vertue and heate of the sunne is not on the earth but when the sunne ariseth then they arise and ascend not from the sun but from the earth Thus is the case with the vnregenerate earthly minded man If there be no worde of faith preached there is no provoking but if the word bee ministred to exhorte to improue and to rebuke then the wisedome of the flesh which is enimitie against God beginneth to bee vnquiet and to provoke The high Priest of Ierusalem and the Scribes never provoked so furiously as when they heard the wordes of Christ saying hereafter shall yee see Mat. 26. 64. the sonne of man sitting on the right hande of the heaven Then the high Priest rent his cloathes ver 65. Act. 7. 54. And againe The stiffe-necked among the Iewes provoked never so madly as when they were sharpely rebuked of the holy Ghost by the mouth of Stephen for then as Luke saith their hearts did cleane for anger and they guashed at him with their teeth So king Ahab provoked most of all when he heard the Prophet Michaiah 1 King 2● 17. 18. at what time he told him the trueth from the Lord signified the event of the warre which Ahab waged against the king of Syria to goe against him And the remnant of the Iewes which were left from the captivity of Babilon although they had protested Ier. 42. 5. 6. vnto Ieremiah that they woulde obey the voice of the Lorde whatsoever woulde come of it yet when the same Prophet told them from the Lord that if they did set their Ier. 17. faces to enter into Egypt to dwell there they should die by the sword by the famine and by the pestilence and none of them should remaine nor escape from the plague which the Lord would bring vpō them At the hearing of these things they disobey and say that Ieremtah speaketh Ier. 43. 2. falsely and they will goe into Egypt whether he wil or no. So the multitude in the wildernesse of whom the Apostle speaketh here provoked

everie word of God ought to be takē for anoth And this phrase of they shall outer doeth aggravate the threatning For here is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a concealing of that that would bee vttered after the maner of men when one through indignation or anger or otherwise moved with some passion of the minde vttereth not out his meaning to a full and perfect serce And the meaning of this is if they shall enter into my rest my word is of no force or I am not to be beleeved when I speake Our saviou● Christ mourning for the Pharises because of the hardnesse of their heartes vseth the same phrase of speech in the gospell by Marke saying● verilie I sa●● vnto you if a signe Mar. 8. 12 shall be given to this nation as if he should saie if a figne bee given them there is no truth in me or let me be a deceiver Thus as M. Beza● wri●eth when God sweareth by himselfe he suffereth his truth In Mar. ca. 8. ver 12. and his glory to bee iudged of according to the words which he assirmeth And what doe these things teach vs forsooth they confirme Gods iust iudgementes to overtake them which harden their hearts and obey not his voice that we therby might be taught to feare brought to obedience For to vs is now preached the same Christian verity and religion that the Apostle preached to the Hebrewes in this Epistle Seeing therefore how fearefully the children of Israell were punished for their provoking and disobeying the word which was brought vnto them by the servant of God Moses how great then shall their punishment bee which harden their hearts set light by that word of grace which was brought into the worlde by the sonne of God himselfe surely as one faith we if we harden our heartes shall be Eralmu● so much the more greeuously punished by how much the greater he is that hath vouch safed to speake vnto vs in his owne person Seeing therfore that Christ the mediatour of the newe testament who by his owne testimony is greater then lonas greater then Salomon and greater then all the Prophets that went before him hath vttered his voice vnto vs with his owne mouth and yet the same voice is heard in our eares howe then shall we escape if we neglect so great salutation Lastly the rest mentioned in this scripture The thirde cause why this scrip-ture is a●leadged of the Apostle in this text to the He-brewes doth notably expresse the rest and promise of God set forth in the new testament as a figure most agreeable to the thing figured For the external rest wheronto the children of Israel were to be brought was the land of Canaan The rest of the gospel is the celestiall Ierusalem the citie of the huinge GOD described in the twentieth and one of the Reuelation into the which none vncleane thing shall enter And now as the murmuring Israelites were depriued of entering into the land of Canaan because they beleeued those tenn men which brought avile slander vppon the land and would giue no credite to the other two Caleb and Ioshua which stood for the truth so we if we go after Baals Prophets false teachers and deceiuers which are mo in number then Elyab or Caleb and Ioshua and so follow the multitude and decline from the truth shall be excluded from the rest euerlasting and shall haue our portion with the multitude of Hyppocrites and vnbeleeuers The Papistes that are against vs do bragg of the multitude of people and nations which haue followed the church of Rome and receyued their traditions but this proueth not the truth to be of their side but rather the contrarie For Christ calleth his church a little flocke And he saith that wide Luk. 12. 32. Mat. 7. 13. is the gate and broad is the way that leadesh to destruction So the whole world in the dayes of Noah consented togeither in vngodlinesse confirmed by the custome of many ages but Noah and his familie is all the Gen. 7. 1. slocke that was CHRISTES and that hadde not consented to the vngodlinesse and custome of those evill daies And L●● alone is founde righteous in a whole cittie of wicked people Caleb and Ioshua even Gen. 19. two men are found faithfull and constant in all that greate multitude of Gods owne people which came out of Egipt And in the reuelation the Lord calleth his seruants my two witnesses as yf they were the fewest in Revel 11. 3. number of all other Now here are two wayes set before thee Yf thou wilt go to hell Follow the multitude and thou art neuer out of the way But if thou wil● enter into life follow the example of good men though they be but one or Luke 13. 24. two amoug many thousand for Christ faith to thee striue because the gate is so straight that it is hard and most difficult to enter in there at Yet harden not thine heart neither regard what thy forefathers haue done before thee but regard and obey the Lords voice and walke not after the flesh but after the spirite and thou arte in the way to that gloriouse rest which remayneth to the people of God purchased with the blood of the mediatour of the newe testament to whom be praise in the church throughout all generations for ever The second Lecture vpon the 12. and 13. verses of the fruit of an evill heart of mutuall exhortation and of the deceitfulnesse of sinne 12 Take heede brethren least at any time their be in any of you an evill heart and vnfaithfull to depart away from the living God 13 But exhort one another daily while it is called to day least any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne THese wordes my brethren haue a relation to that scripture which continueth from the seventh v●●se of this chapter to this twelfth verse of the same taken out of the Psalme of David as an excellent sermon of the holy Ghost and so applied by the Apostle to declare as you haue heard that the authority of men and examples of fathers can be no ground nor stay of faith or religion to any man because the best of thē haue erred as al those fathers of the Hebrews who after they had seene the glory of God and were delivered out of Egipt with signes and wonders even the whole company of them two or three men excepted provoked God in he wildernesse and would not beleeue the worde which was preached vnto them VVhere we haue also learned that if Moses the servant of the house and the lawe given by him could not bee despised without punishment for they which obeyed not were deprived of the promised rest and overthrowen in the wildernesse much more shal they bee punished which will not heare the sonne of whom Moses did beare witnesse and whose voice inviteth to a more glorious rest then the earthly rest of the lande of

be preached to al take heede brethren least at any time there bee in anie of you an evil hart and vnfaithful to depart awaie from the living God He is called the living God in two respects the one is for difference sake put betweene him and the Idols of the Gentiles which were the worke of mens handes and had no life and yet were they called Gods But he is more properlie and truely called the liuing God for excellency sake because he ever liveth and is the well spring of life which giveth to all things life and being To fall away therefore through the evill of thine owne heart from him which is to thee all in all thinges is a desperate evill case Here we learne that it profiteth vs nothing to haue beleeued the word of life to haue begunne in the spirite if afterwarde we falle by the way and seeke to be made per●ect by the flesh For as the Prophet saith whensoeuer the righteous man turneth away from his Ezech. 18. 〈◊〉 righteousnesse and committeth iniquitie he shall even die for the same Many haue begun wel and haue afterwarde fainted in the midst of their race departed from the living God Ioash king of Iudah began to doe well and did that which was acceptable in the sighte 2 Chro. 24. of the Lord so lō as Ieho●ada the priest lived but afterward he fel to idolarry departed away from the living God So Amaziab his 2. Chio. 25. sonne at the beginning of his taigne did vprightly in the eie● of the Lorde but not with a perfect heart For he was weary of wel doing And therefore hee was slame and ●reason was wrought against him when he turned away from the Lord. The Galathians Gal. 3. 3. Gal. 5. 7. began in the spirite did runne well for a time but afterwardes they turned away from the truth to the weake rudiments of the world and would be made perfect by the flesh Gal. 3. 3. And among other examples of this Apostasie or falling away from grace not able is that of Iulian the Emperour who for his revolting is called Apostata In his youth he was brought vp in the colledge of clergy men and profited so well in Christian learning Greg. Naz. in Iusiansi or at 1. that hee became a publique reader of the holy scriptures but afterward he sufrered himselfe to be deceived of heathen Philosophers and then renouncing Christianity he gaue himselfe to Paganisme in the raigne of the Emperour Constantius He vvas taken for a sound Christian and for his sucsesse in warre for his learning his gentlenes and many other laudable giftes that he had he was highlie renouned But when he was promoted to the empire and had full authoritie then hee shewed himselfe an Apostaia Hee was wont contunieliouslye to call Christ our sauiour Galileus the man of Gablee and by all craftie meanes to seeke the dishonour of the Christians aduancing the Paganes and such as woulde forsake Christ and his religion to honour and offices and so in despite of Christianisme he licensed and ayded the lews to build the temple at Ierusalem Greg. Naz. in lusianā oral 2. But when they laid the foundations thereof the earth claue asunder with a great earth quake a mightie storme of wind arose that their whole worke was overthrowne many of the lews slain many of thē burnt maimed in their principal members with lightnings and fire from heauen Other tokens of Gods wrath were seene among them as also in the hoast of luliā And so the lewes were made to desist from their wicked enterprise And lulian when he had reigned a yeare and seuen monthes or there abouts hauing receyued his deathes wound in battell against the Persians tooke his hand ful of blood and threw it into the aire saying vicists tandem Galiae thou man of Galilee meaning Christ Iesus when all is done thou hast the victory With this blasphemie vttered in despaire and in a feeling of woe he perished Here is a notable paterne of an evill heart and vnfaithfull Many in al ages haue after this maner fallen away from the liuing God and haue gone from Christ to Antichrist though not so famous as Indian It can not be vnknowne to them which by reading exercise seeke the ground of true religion how many in this land which seemed to be professors of the word of God in the reigne of the last king Edward haue fallen away againe in the dayes of Queene Mary and like the wethercocke haue turnd from the Gospel to the Masse and from the seruants of Christ became the seruāts of the Pope rather then they would forsake either wife children lands houses or other earthly commodities for Christ the Gospels sake Againe which is more to bee lamented not fewe within these forty yeares being brought vppe in this their natiue country in schooles and vniversities of learning when they shoulde haue done good in the church of God haue contrariewyse runne beyond the seas to commite fornication with that painted harlot the false church of Rome then haue become rebells agaynst God and his eternal word against their lawful prince and their natural countrey They haue imitated lulian in apostasie And it is come vnto them according to the saying of the holy Ghost the doggees returned to his vomit and the 2. Pet. 2. 22. sowe that was washed to the wallowing in the ●●re to leaue these men to him to whom they fall there are now abiding in this land too many that are infected with the leauen of them which haue drunke of the poysoned cup of Rome and doe wilfully withdrawe themselues from the true church and refuse ●o heare the doctrine of the Gospell least they should be converted thereby and least the savior of the world should heale them An evil heart therfore hath deceived these people And this is the iust iudgement of God to sende them strong delusion as the scripture 2. Thess 〈◊〉 11. 12. faith that they shoulde beleeuel●●s that all they might bee damned which beleeued not the trueth but bad pleasure in vnrighteousnesse Nowe the remedie which the Apostle prescribeth against the custome of sinne against apostasie and falling away from GOD is exhort one another daily vvhile it is called to day least any of you bee hardened through the deceitnesse of sinne Although this dutie of exhorting doeth chieflie belong to the Ministers and teachere of the worde of GOD as Paule teacheth 2. Tim. 4. 2 preach the vvordo bee instant in season and out of season 〈…〉 prooue rebuke exhorte vvith all long suffering and doctrine yet here the holie GHOST speaking by the Authour of this Epistle wil haue all men which professe true religion to exhort one another and that daylie or every day for asmuch as there is no day nor houre of our life without temptations of infidelitie and without the snares of death laid in our waies And therefore wee are

taught in diuerse places of holy scriptures to haue a care of our brethren and to instruct them so Paule saith to the Thessalonians exhorte one another and edifie one 1 Thesse 5. 11. another even as ye doe And because he deserueth not the name of a Christian whosoever is ignorant of the ground of faith and religion contained in the sacred scriptures and is not able to edifie another nor to speake as the word of God Therefore the same Apostle writeth to the Romanes I am perswaded of you my brethren that yee also are full of goodnesse and filled with Rom. 15. 14 all knovveledge and are able to admonish one another The doctrine of the holy GHOST delivered by the Apostles as it appeareth in their writings is full of such exhortations as edi●ie one another exhorte one another be fulfilled with the spirite But Satan the enemy of all trueth hath alwaies too many of his side which are against this doctrine yea and in these dai●● some that haue the name to bee preachers I pray God they bee not for Baal whose vo●ce soundeth let not artificers husbandmen and menne vvithout learning busie themselues with holy scriptures and with matters of faith and religion let them not goe aboute to tell other men what they shoulde doe and to admonish other men of their errors tracte●● fabri●●a fabri let them meddle with those things they haue to doe and take no care of other men though they bee in an errour This is the wisedome of the flesh and here we see how contrary it is to the wisedome which is from aboue and teacheth vs to exhort to edifie and to admonish one another what calling vvhat trade of life or vvhat condition soever we be of For God hath alwaies required this duetie of mutuall exhortation of them that professe his name as it is written thou shalt not hate thy brother in Levit 19. 17 thine heart but thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbour and suffer him not to sinne For this cause Augustine saith that every Christian hath the August do verb. domini serm 16. keies in his hande to binde and to loose his brother vpon earth for when he giveth him warning and admonition if he heare him he hath won him but if he despise him he hath bound● him because the wordes of exhortation taken out of the doctrine of Christ and his holy scriptures are a favour either to life or to death by whomsoever they bee spoken or delivered For we haue learned that not only the minister of the word but also all Christians without exception are commanded to instruct and exhorte their brethren the greater that every one is in respect of his place or calling the greateri● his charge herein and the more cause hee hath to covet vvith that faithfull servaunt of the LORDE Moses that all the Num. 11. 29. Lordes people vvere Prophetes and that the Lorde woulde put his spirite vppon them that so they might be able to teach one another that none might perish for lacke of knowledge For the Lord complaineth that his people is go●e into captiuitie because they had Isa 5. 13. no knowledge If there be no knowledge there cā be no exhortation then no setting free from the captiuitie of s●nne The time to exhort and likwise to learne is while it is called to day It must not be deferred or put over till to morrow for the scripture saith yee cannot tell what shall be to morrow Iam. 4. 14. By the date in this place is not meant the whole course of our life as some haue taught vpon this text But the daie is taken for the acceptable time of grace in which the wisedome of God vttereth her voice amōg vs inviteth vs to the marriage of the kings son For not withstanding that no time while we liue vpon the earth is to late to amendment of life yet the Gospell of Christ which is the light of the world that teachceth vs faith and repentaunce may bee taken from vs and then it is night and no daie even as it is this day with the Turkes ●he Papistes and all other nations of the earth to whom the Lord hath not giuen the light of his holy worde thought they haue the naturall daie yet haue they not the daie of grace but they walke in the night of ignorāce superstitiō in which they goe out of the waie and perish VVe haue had this day almost this fortye yeares and yet so farre are we from beeing able to exhort one another that the most part of our elder men and women haue not yet learned the meaning of their baptisme oh how lamentably haue these people beene hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne And will you stil walke in this feareful darknesse not come into the light of ●he day now let the sunne of right cousnesse shine in your hearts For even this day it is called to day and we know not how long this day wil last but when it is past it will not be redeemed though wee would seeke it with teares Heb. 12 17. as Esau sought the blessing and yet was reiected because the day was past Now that which hardeneth vs is the deceitfulnesse of sinne If sinne were not deceitfull it could not overcome nor prevaile against so many men and all sortes of people and all ages as it doeth It prevaileth against old men which in respect of time ought to be teachers and deceiveth them that notwithstanding they be come to that age that their strength is but labour and sorrow yet wil they not giue over the loue of this world for it is with them as Cicero saith there is none Cicero lib. de s●nectu●e so olde which doeth not thinke himselfe able to liue one yeare And so deferring from yeare to yeare and from day to day the hoare head is childishly deceiued and al his experience cannot draw him out of the snares of sinne It deceyueth youth and middle age and telleth them it is time inough to serue God and to be religiouse when old age shall approch and being deceyued they will not heare veritie which saith remember now thy creator in the dayes of thy youth For when age Eccle. 1. 12. cometh then are the evill dayes and the yeares wherin thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them Sinne is so cra●tie and deceitfull that it deceyueth euen the wyse and the prudent of this world it is obserued in the little beast Chameleon that it can change it selfe into all coloures that it si●teth vpon except white But there is no colour or ●hew of vertue which sinne cannot chaunge itselfe into For therby it deceyueth and hardeneth all sinners It cometh to the coneteouse man hauing the colour and name of good husbandrie and not of coueteousnes and so hardeneth him It cometh to the drunkard not vnder the ●ame of drunkenes but of good felowshippe and hardeneth him so that