his Father Sanctify them with thy trueth thy word is the trueth And the Apostle teacheth that GOD doth sanctify the Church clense it by the washing of the water through the word Now thē the plaister must be applyed to the place that is wounded or sore If it be applied to any other place it will do no good If the disease come frō the hart or inward parts it is in vain to lay the plaister to the head to the eare to the hand or to the foote so long as the heart inward parts are not cured they will minister new corrupt matter to the outward parts If then our hearts be corrupt we must not onely be content to apply the word to the eares by hearing it to the head by vnderstanding it to the tongue by talking of it but also to the heart for the purging of it at the first and for the guiding of it alwaies afterward 2. Againe the heart is the seate of the affections you must therefore receiue the word into your hearts that so it may worke on your affections both to sanctifie them as also to stirre them vp vnto good Thou must loue the word trust in the word and reioyce in the word or rather thou must loue God trust in God and reioyce in God because of his word as was shewed before in the example of Dauid Thou canst not doe this vnles thou receiue the word with thy heart As meate cannot nourish thy body vnles it be receiued into thy stomacke And as seede can neuer sprout nor come vp vnles it be cast into the furrowes and clods of the earth no more will the word profit thy soule vnles it be receiued into thy heart 3. Moreouer the heart is the commander of the whole man and sets all on worke according to the disposition of it selfe Of the abundance of the hart the mouth speaketh as saith our Sauiour A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and an euill man out of the euill treasure of his heart bringeth forth euill things As the primum mobile doth turne all the other inferiour orbes round about with it And as the watch wheele of a clocke guideth all the other wheeles If it stand they stand if it goe they goe if it goe slowly they goe slowly if it go swiftly they go swiftly So doth the heart of man rule and order all the senses and parts of his body either to good or euill they are exercised as it is affected Those then that would be obedient hearers of the word must needes receiue and embrace it with their hearts that so their hearts louing and lyking and beleeuing it may set all their senses and all the parts of their bodies on worke to practise it 4. Lastly the heart is the safest place for it As sowne corne if it lye on the top of the furrowes may easily be deuoured by the fowles of the ayre but if it be hid and couered is free from that danger so the word which thou hearest if it goe no further then thy eares or head it is easily taken from thee but if it descend to the bottome of thy heart it may there be safelie kept It is an heauenly treasure And therefore thou must imitate that man who finding a treasure in the field did hide it and for ioy thereof went and sold all that he had to buy that field Though men will suffer their baser stuffe and wodden vessell to be more common and lye more open and remaine in greater danger yet their best and most costly stuffe their iewells and coyne they will lay vp in the safest places So seeing the word of God is most precious of great value and worth lay it vp safely in the bottome of the heart And if this be a property of good hearers to heare the word with their hearts then those who bring their bodies to the Church and leaue their hearts at home who draw neere to God with their lippes and with their eares when their hearts are farre from him cannot be good hearers If thou wouldest be of that number prepare thy heart before hand and while thou hearest let not thy heart be thinking on any by-matters but onely attend to that heare with thy heart as well as with thy eares and then shalt thou be blessed by thy hearing 2. Againe note hence more specially the qualitie and disposition of their hearts who heare profitably they heare with an honest and good heart It is not any kind of heart that will make your hearing profitable it must be an honest and good heart Though thou shouldest heare with thy heart as well as with thy eares yet vnles it be a good heart it will little auaile thee For in the goodnes of the heart consisteth a maine difference betwixt these hearers and some of the former Those which be compared to stony ground did heare with their harts For they are saide not onely to heare but also to receiue the word with ioy Yet were they not good and honest hearts They were hard and stony and would not suffer the worde to take rooting deepe enough And those that be resembled to Thornie ground did heare with their hearts yet were their hearts not good They were full of worldly cares and carnall delights which afterward choaked the word But these receiued it with good and honest hearts and therefore did both retaine it and obey it In describing of the qualitie of this their hart Christ here vseth two words which be of a neere yet not of the same signification There is some difference ketwixt them the one properly signifieth faire beautifull seemly and comely the other signifieth good and excellent The one noteth the outward apparent qualitie the other expresseth the inward nature and inherent propertie of the thing And so here by is signified that the heart of these hearers is good each way both outwardly before men manifesting it self to be good by open profession by aboundance of fruites and by constant perseuerance And also inwardly in it selfe and before God by a sincere sanctification and holie disposition And so their heart differeth from the heartes of the former hearers For though they in receyuing the Worde with ioy in belieuing it and bringing forth some fruites of it did make some faire showe and gaue some outward signe of a good heart yet their heart was not effectually sanctified within and they made those faire showes but for a time Afterward they reuolting in time of Tentation or failing in their fruites thorough worldly cares and voluptuousnes bewrayed the filthinesse of theyr hearts Those then that would bee good hearers must haue good hearts both waies Both inwardly in their owne nature and inclination as also outwardly before men by the fruites and testimonies As is the heart so will the hearing be Good meete will not nourish that mans bodie who hath a bad stomacke that cannot well
Christs body haue they more holines or more vertue in them thē Christs body had Seeing the diuell comes to hearers let vs before we heare and afterward we haue heard arme our selues against him 2. The diuels practise he taketh the word out of their hearts The heart is not here taken strictly and properly but generally for the minde and affections yet cannot the diuell immediately directly by himselfe worke vpon the soule or heart of man that belongeth onely vnto God who alone is the searcher of the heart The diuell worketh immediately indirectly by meanes euen by externall obiects outward senses and corporall phantasies he taketh the word out of the hart by interrupting the phantasie and making it vnfit to conuey any thing to the vnderstanding or to the heart and by conueying other thoughts into the heart and turning the minde another way so as it shall no longer affect the word nor thinke of it any more Neither can he take it by violence without their liking that heard it but with their consent he taketh it onely from them who were careles hearers who neuer suffered it to sinke deepe into their hearts but being like to the high way side did not couer it with the moyst mouldes of holy affections yea he taketh it from those who neuer had any great loue vnto it and therefore might easily be perswaded to let him take it In regard of this his practise Christ in the propounding of the parable compared him to the fowles of the ayre because as they will follow the sower and will picke vp that which lyes by the high way side or any other place vncouered so the diuell haunteth the assemblies where the word is preached that he may take from the hearers that which hath bene taught Yea in this respect the diuell is farre worse then any fowles They eate the seede of necessitie because they want other foode to nourish them but he of malice he needeth it not it doth no good to him And therefore he taketh it away not to doe himselfe any good thereby but to doe them harme from whom he taketh it Againe the birds are soone satisfied and that with a litle if they haue once eaten their fill they flye away and leaue the rest though it lye vncouered but the diuell is neuer satisfied till he haue picked vp euery graine that is not couered in thr bottome of the heart Birds are easily kept away or driuen away but it is an hard matter either to keepe the diuell away or driue him away from those that heare carelesly till they alter the manner of their hearing he will not be kept from them See then what an enemie the diuell is to hinder the efficacie of Gods word in mans heart As the preacher laboureth to cast the word into the heart so be to take it out He thrusteth many euill things into the heart he put treason into the heart of Iudas to betray Christ he filled the heart of Ananias to lye vnto the holy Ghost So also doth he keepe all manner of good from the heart by the one he would make vs bad by the other he would hinder vs from being good Except it be in praying hee doth not trouble a man so much in any busines as in hearing of Gods word because he is afraide lest man should be conuerted and saued thereby This his practise is euidently seene in many It appeareth by the euent that he taketh the word from many of our hearers for when the people haue heard the preacher speake a whole houre together and deliuer many profitable points of doctrine and that very plainely yet few can repeate any thing at all many will say they like him well he is a good man and made a very good sermon yet cannot tell one word that he spake What is the reason hereof the diuell hath taken it out of their hearts and heads Report to them an humane historie tell them some strange newes or a tale for their worldly profit or corporall health they will keepe it well enough and at any time and in any company will relate it very readily but teach them a mysterie of saluation instruct them in a dutie to God or man they forget it as soone as they haue heard it What is the cause hereof but this the diuell knowes that the one will neuer profit their soules nor further their saluation and therefore he will not take it from them he is afraid lest the other should profit their soules and further their saluation and therefore he labours to depriue them of it If a man put coyne in a chest and wares in a chamber and within a while come and finde none there he will say a thiefe hath bene there So if people heare much and keepe little or nothing it is certaine the diuell hath bene there to steale it out of their he◅ts This should teach euery one of vs that be hearers to looke well to our selues and carefully to keepe that which we haue heard The diuell will doe what he can to depriue vs of it If he cannot keepe thee from hearing he will if he can rob thee of that which thou hast heard If thou be carelesse in keeping he will be sure to take all from thee You knowe that if a man haue some speciall goods and looke negligently vnto them and care not much whether he keepe them or loose them and a cunning thiefe be very desirous of them he is like within a while to get them Wherefore as Abraham droue away the Fowles that troubled him when he was sacrifising so driue yee away the Diuell who troubleth you whē you heare Euen as you chase away the birds that would eate vp the corne sowne in your fields And as by harrowing of your sowne fieldes you couer the seed with earth that so the Fowles may not deuoure it and that it may better fructify So couer the seede of the worde in the furrowes of thy affections and let it enter deepe into thy heart and so shall it both be safe from the Diuell and fit to yeeld fruit in thy life This practise of the Diuel is amplified by the ends of it which are two the one subordinate to the other The former is least they shoulde beleeue Whence we may obserue two things one in respect of the word and another in respect of the Diuell 1. In respect of the word namely that the hearing and receiuing of the word is a speciall meane to bring men to faith for the Diuell doth therefore hinder men in hearing least by hearing they should beleeue Saint Paul sayth That faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God How can they beleeue in him of whom they haue not heard and and how can they heare without a Preacher And those for whom Christ prayed must beleeue in him through the Apostles word Was not the Eunuch brought to faith by Philips teaching Did not Cornelius beleeue by
are yet tangled againe therein and ouercome whose latter ende is worse then the beginning Fulfilling the Prouerbe The Dogge is turned to his owne Uomite the Sowe that was washed to the wallowing in the myre Now these doe not fall away in part only and for a time as the Apostles did at Christs Passion but wholly and perpetually This is a fearefull falling away Corporal relapses into naturall diseases are not so dangerous to the body as these relapses into errour and sinne are dangerous to the soule For by them men procure to themselues a double punishment Poenam damni poenam sensus A punishment of losse For they loose the reward of their former profession and obedience If the Righteous forsake his righteousnes and commit iniquitie all his righteousnes shall be forgotten and he shall die in his iniquitie saith the Lord. Likewise a punishment of sense and that so greeuous as it had bene better for them neuer to haue knowne the way of righteousnes theÌ„ after they haue knowne it to turne away from the holy coÌ„maundement giuen vnto them By their backsliding they more dishonour God and offend others then if they neuer had made any profession at all And therefore their punishment shall be greater then if they had neuer knowne the Gospell Here then see the danger of persecution it driues many from Christ Such is the disposition of some as they will not suffer any thing for the Gospell they like and loue it when it brings peace and prosperitie with it but they bid iâ— farewell when it brings persecutioÌ„ Though Christ hath suffered much for them yet will they not suffer any thing for him they would faine raigne with him but they will not suffer with him nor for him And therefore if they be called to beare the crosse they will rather renounce the Gospell then beare the waight of it But let them know that if they deny Christ or his word before men he will deny them before his father in heauen he that setteth his hand to the plough and looketh backward is vnfit for the kingdome of God Let vs arme our selues against this danger that we may continue constant in the day of triall Let not any crosses make vs wearie of well doing knowing that in due season we shall reape if we faint not And because persecution can neuer harme vs if our hearts be good let vs take heede as we are exhorted by the Apostle left there be in any of vs an euill heart and vnfaithfull to depart away froÌ„ the liuing God but exhort one another daily lest any be hardened with the deceitfulnes of sin If any of your hearts be not yet mollified so as the word of God cannot take deepe rooting in the bottome of them troubles for the Gospell can no sooner befall you then you will renounce it but if your heartes bee throughly mollified if the word take deepe rooting and worke iustifying faith in you neither tribulation nor anguish nor persecution nor famine nor nakednes nor perill nor sword shall separate you from the loue of Christ but in all these things you shall be more then conquerours And finally if it be such an hainous offence to fall away in time of persecution what shall we say of them who fall away in time of peace those doe it by compulsion by force and violence these of their owne accord those doe it halfe against their will but these most willingly those to saue their own goods and preserue their liues these to saue neither being in danger of neither those by constraint these through contempt Those among their enemies who were readie to hurt them if they would not recant these among their friends who will helpe them if they abode constant Those in the field where they feared an ouerthrow these in a laÌ„d of peace where they expected no combat These must needes be more faultie and more inexcusable Those subiects who yeeld to the enemies through feare and for safegard of their liues are more fauoured and more easily pardoned then they who being in no danger did willingly run to the enemies and of their owne accord ioyne with them against their lawfull Prince Oh then what fauour can those expect at Gods hand who in these our happie daies and in this our peaceable land doe fall away from the truth of the Gospell to poperie and profanenesse These are farre worse then dastardly cowards for they yeeld not till they see some danger these yeeld before any danger appeareth These are like those wicked ones who flie when none pursueth them We should resist vnto blood striuing against sinne As Christ shed his blood for the saluation of our soules so should we be readie to shed our blood for the maintenance of his Gospell How farre are they from this who fall away before they sawe any enemies to resist what hope can they haue of mercy from Christ who are so easily turned from the sincerity of his Gospell which they should defend with their dearest blood Thinke seriously of this and take heede of declining in such an happie season Remember Lots wife as Christ biddeth you And consider that she for looking backe toward Sâ—dome was turned into a pillar of salt and that to season vs withall as Augustine thought Deceiue not your selues but knowe for a certaintie that the hearing of the Gospell will not further your saluation but rather aggrauate your condemnation if you fail away from it either in the time of persecution or in the time of peace Vers. 14. And that which fell among thornes are they which haue heard and after their departure are choaked with cares c. NOw followeth the exposition of the third kind of ground which noteth vnto vs a third kind of hearers And those also are bad hearers The ground is full of thornes There is some reasonable depth of soyle yet the seede and the corne sprouted is choaked by thornes and bryars that come vp among it so as it yeeldeth no good crop at haruest In like sort there be some hearers whose hearts are not so hard as the former and who are not tryed by tentation and persecution as they weâ—e whose hearts seeme to be much mooued and deepely pierced with the word and liue in such peaceable times and places that they are neuer called to suffer for the word and yet all is afterward marred by corrupt affections which are not yet mortified but still liue and raigne in their hearts And so these hearers suffer much from both the former kindes The first sort were hindered in their fruitfulnesse by the Diuell who tooke the word out of their hearts The second sort were hindered by other meÌ„ who persecuted them for the Gospell But this sort are hindered by their own carnall and worldly lustes They differ from the first kind because those vnderstood not the word but these vnderstand it and would haue embraced and obeyed it but that it crossed
disposition of their hearts And therefore a maried person hearing in a better manner and receiuing the word with a better heart then a virgine then a widowe shall bring forth more fruites of the word and receiue more benefite by his hearing 3. Againe God will neither respect nor reward any for their outward estates and conditions but for the right vse of them and for their good cariage and godly behaulour in them And therefore Augustine said Mâ—lior est maritata humilis quam virgo superba An humble maried woman is better then a proud virgin And Cyril compared virgins which had chastitie of body without puritie of minde without grace in the heart and obedience in their liues vnto those fiue foolish virgins that had lampes without oyle and were not suffered to enter into the bridegromes wedding chamber And Augustine preferred maried martyrs before chaste virgins But to leaue them with their absurd collection and to come to the doctrine here entended by Christ we are here taught that many may heare the word of God together and all be profitable hearers and all be saued by their hearing yet all doe not profite alike nor bring forth the same fruites of obedience in their liues but some fewer some more according as their hearts are prepared and according as it pleaseth the Lord to bestowe his graces Yea though they all heare one and the same man and the same sermons and one heare as often as another yet may one be more plentifull in the fruites of the word then is another All furrowes of the same land doe not bring forth an equall number of eares and all eares of the same furrowe doe not beare an equall number of graines but some more some lesse as it pleaseth the Lord to giue an encrease The consideration whereof serueth for the instruction of all sorts of good hearers whatsoeuer measure of fruits they doe bring forth 1. First this may comfort those good hearers who profite not so much in hearing as some others doe doe not attaine to such a measure of knowledge nor are able to yeelde such aboundance of fruite as others doe If theyr hearts bee holy and good if they doo all of Faith and sinceritie and desire to bring forth more fruites God will account them profitable Hearers and accept of theyr obedience And the Worde which they heare shall saue theyr soules As Husbandmen are glad of all Eares which haue Corne in them though some bee longer some shorter some containe more graines some contayne fewer yet will they gather all into the Barne So God doth accept of all persons that bring foorth the fruites of the word and will bring to Heauen as well those that haue lesser as those that haue more fruits Such is his Mercie and Bountie that although hee requyre the same measure of all yet finding difference among them because of the diuersitie of his grace hee doth so receyue the first and the best as hee doth not refuse the second and middle-sorte nor yet reiect the last and least Vnder the Lawe there were some Sacrifices cheaper some more costly If men or womeÌ„ by reason of theyr pouertie were not able to offer the better the Lord was coÌ„tent to take the meaner And therefore CHRIST commended the pore widdowes two mytes aboue all the great gifts which rich men cast into the treasurie And vnder the Gospell the Seruant which receyued two Talents and by employment made them foure was commended and rewarded of his Maister as well as he that had receiued fiue and made them tenne And they that wrought but one houre in the Vineyard receiued the same penny at night with them that had borne the heate and burden of the day Wherefore let not thyne owne penurie and other mens plentie of fruite dismay thee but consider That if thou practise what thou knowest doest as many good workes as the Lord doth enable thee and art willing and desirous to doe more if ability were afforded and occasion offered thou art a good hearer and mayest goe to heauen with those that farre exceede thee in the number of their fruites Yet let not any take occasion hereby to be more backward and sparing in their fruits as if a small quantitie would serue the turne All of vs ought to striue to bring forth abundance yea each yeere more then other Those which be planted in the house of the Lord do flourish and bring forth in their olde age It is to be feared that he who desireth to be no better is not good at all and he that desireth to bring forth no more fruites bringeth forth none at all that be good Let them vnderstand that none bring forth such store of fruit as they ought And that he which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly he that soweth liberally shall reape liberally God will crowne his owne gifts in vs. The more fruits they beare heare the more glorie shall they enioy in heauen Let them therefore striue to abound more more in all good fruits knowing that this consolation belongeth not to the which will not abound with more though they might but onely to those which would abound with more and cannot being hindered by their infirmities or through want of abilitie and opportunitie In them GOD will take the will for the deede and will no lesse reward them then those who hauing more meanes and better abilitie haue brought forth more fruits 2. Lastly this diuersitie of fruit in good hearers may teach them that bee more plentifull in hearing them then others be not to be proud of theÌ„selues nor to despise those that bring forth fewer for both of them are reckoned in the number of good and profitable hearers They which bring forth some lesser fruits may haue good hearts may be iustified may be sanctified may be in fauour with God and at last enter into heauen as wel as thou who aboundest with more Paul laboured more abundantly then all the Apostles and suffered more then any of them And therefore farre more then any common Christian. Though toward his end the remembrance therof did much comfort him so as he could say I haue fought a good sight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith hence forth is layde vp for me the Crowne of righteousnes which the Lord the righteous Iudge will giue vnto me at that day Yet hee addeth these words concerning his copartners in the reward And not onely vnto mee but vnto all them also that loue his appearing Because many others who came short of him in the abundance of labours and sufferings should be crowned as well as he Dost thou surpasse others in the multitude of fruites be not high minded doe not despise them for what hast thou which thou hast not receiued And if thou hast receiued it why boastest thou of it as if thou hadst not receiued it If thou abound more then others thou mayst
Math. 13. 19. touching whom we may obserue 2. things 1. the manner of their hearing 2. the issue and euent of their hearing 1. the manner of their hearing is not here expressed yet is mentioned Math. 13. 19. they heare and vnderstand not 2. The issue and euent of their hearing which is set forth by the diuells practise and behauiour toward them And that is described 1. by the manner 2. by the end of it 1. by the manner of it for he is said to come and take the word out of their hearts 2. by the end wherefore he doth so which is double he doth it to preuent 2. things which they might receiue by hearing the one being subordinate to the other the former being a meane of the later and the later being a reward of the former the one is least they should belieue the later is least they should be saued 2. The second kind of ground was stony who are ment thereby is specified vers 13. Another sort of vnprofitable hearers who are described by 4. properties whereof the two first declare their present estate and the two last their future condition 1. they receiue the word with ioy 2. they haue no rootes 3. they belieue for a while 4. In time of temptation they fall away 3. The third kind of ground was thornie which also representeth another sort of bad hearers described vers 14. by the causes and by the effect or issue by the causes for 3. things are named which like thornes choake the seede of the word 1. cares 2. riches 3. voluptuous liuing by the effect or issue that followeth thereupon they bring forth no fruite 4. The fourth and last kind of groūd was good ground in which the seede sprang vp and did beare fruit That is a resemblance of good hearers as appeareth vers 15. And those are described by 3. properties 1. by the manner of their hearing they heare with an honest and good hart 2. by their keeping of it after they haue heard it 3. by their fruitfulnes And that is amplified 2. waies 1. by the maner of it heare with patience 2. by the measure and varietie of it some bring forth more some lesse in Math. 13. 23. Mar. 4. 20. some thirty some sixtie some an hundred fold 1. To begin first with the first and so to proceed in order to the rest Christ sheweth what is ment by the seede when he saith the seede is the word of God By which tytle is plainely manifested the vertue force and efficacie of Gods word As seede is the beginning and cause of all the fruit afterward reaped so is the word the beginning and cause of all goodnes in vs euen of all grace in the heart of all good words in the mouth and of all obedience in the life And as good seede if it be well sowne in a fertile soyle will yeeld fruit so the word being well taught to capable and docible persons wil produce some good fruit for the glory of God and for their comfort and saluation The word is resembled to many things in regard of the power and vertue of it As to an hammer that will bruse vs to a fire that will either purge or consume vs to a light that will direct vs to salt that will season vs to a sword that will defend vs to seede that will beget vs to foode that will nourish vs to goades that will pricke vs forward so also to seede that being sowne wil yeeld plentie of fruit because of it owne nature through Gods ordinance and blessing it will prouoke people to obedience If therefore you receiue it and doe not beare fruit the fault is in you and not in it you are but barren soyle vnworthy of such seede Moreouer it is to be obserued that Christ compareth the word to seede that is sowne for in the propounding of the parable he said the sower went out to sowe his seede and now he saith the seede is the word meaning the seede sowne Mathew saith that the diuell catcheth away the word sowne in the heart And Marke saith that the sower soweth the word And therefore it must needs be vnderstood of the word preached The word of God as it is written in the scriptures and conteyned in the bookes of the old and new testament is good seede indeed yet it is as seede in the barne vnthrashed or as seede laid vp in the garner but the word read and expounded preached and applyed to Gods people is as seede sowne in a field And preachers be the sowers of it for albeit Christ doth not expresly declare who be the sowers yet that is apparant from other circumstances for if the word be the seede sowne then they who preach the word are the sowers And if they who heare the word taught be the ground in which the seede is sowne then the persons who teach them and whom they heare are the sowers So Christ by preaching the word was a sower yea the chiefest of all others the ground was his the seede was his he like a good husbandman with his owne hands did sowe his own seede in his owne field So the Apostles were likewise sowers Christ was a sower to the Iewes onely they also to the gentiles he in the little field of Iudea they in the large field of the whole world Wherfore S. Paul said If we haue sowne vnto you spirituall things is it a great thing if we reape your carnall things as also we together are Gods labourers ye are Gods husbandry And so all those who preach the same word which they did are sowers for as the sower filleth his hand with seede and casteth it abroad among the furrowes of the field not setting it seede by seede or choosing a peculiar place for euery seede but lets it lye as it lighteth So the preacher disperseth and dispenseth the word in a mixt people not able to giue it successe but as it pleaseth God to giue a blessing and as the hearts of the hearers are prepared for it Hence then wee may learne the necessitie of preaching no sowing no reaping As you cannot in any field reape a crop of corne at haruest vnles it were sowne with good seede at the seede time no more can any fruits of grace or any good works bee found in the Church or children of God vnlesse the seede of the worde bee sowne among them Indeed there may be sometimes good sowing and little good fruit to be reaped As the Lord did all that could bee done to his Vineyard and yet it brought forth nothing but wild grapes but if there be no sowing it is impossible to gather any fruit at all Christ therefore sayd Except the wheat corne fall into the ground it abideth alone Our hearts are the ground they must be sowne with the seede of Gods worde otherwise they will bee altogether barren or else bring forth nothing but briars and brambles thornes and
thistles Experience may verifie this Looke into those places and Parishes where the worde is neuer taught or to those persons who will not heare though they might and you shall find nothing among them but Atheisme Popery and prophanenesse Yet in those places where it is taught and heard wee may finde the frutes of holinesse and righteousnesse If not among all yet among many The consideration whereof should mooue the Ministers of the Gospell to bee instant in season and out of season as Paul exhorteth them The lesse they preach the lesse shall they profite the people The more seede they cast into the furrowes of the peoples hearts the greater plenty of fruit may they expect We should follow Salomons aduise who sayth In the morning sow thy seede and in the euening let not thy hand rest for thou knowest not whether shall prosper this or that or whether both shall bee alike good What shall wee answere to the Lord our Maister and owner of the fielde if through our negligence in sowing his fielde of the Church yeelde him not such store of fruit as otherwise it might haue done And you people should likewise apply this to your selues and learne from hence to heare often If you contemne the word will not suffer your hearts to bee sowne with the seede of it you shall bring forth no good fruit but remaine as a barren Heath Doe you not remember what the Apostle saith That the ground which beareth thornes and bryars is reprooued and is neere vnto cursing whose ende is to bee burned Fearefull is their case who are such ground yet no better can they bee who refuse to heare As you are content to haue your fieldes sowne yeerely that so you may reape a croppe at Haruest So must you bee content to haue your hearts cōtinually sowne with this heauenlie seede that so you may be fruitfull in all grace and godlines though your fields be sowne but once a yeare yet must your hearts be sowne continually because you should yeeld and beare fruit continually As we are content to bestowe our paines in sowing this seede continually though it be as toylesome a labour as you finde in your seede-time so be ye willing and readie to receiue this seede into the furrowes of your hearts continually that so you may from time to time abound in fruit for Gods glory and your owne comfort But whose word is it that is this spirituall seede It is not the word of Angell or of man but the word of God This seede did Christ sowe and none else And therefore he said My doctrine is not mine but his that sent me As my Father hath taught me so I speake This seede did the Apostles sow none else For when Christ sent them abroad he bad them teach all Nations to obserue all things which he had commanded them All those thinges must be taught yet nothing else And lest they should forget what those things were hee promised to send the Holy Ghost who should bring all thinges to their remembrance which he had told them who should lead them into all trueth Because as hee sayd hee shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer he shall heare that shall he speake And so carefull were the Apostles to sow this seede onely as they did confidently protest that they receiued of the Lord that which they deliuered to their hearers And if they or an Angell from heauen or any man preach otherwise then they had receiued let him be accursed And no other seed must we sow if we will make the people fruitfull Christ and his Ministers sow none but good seede in his field If bad seede as Tares or Cockle be sowne it is done by the enuious man the Diuell and his instruments As there be doctrines of God so there bee doctrines of Diuels namely errors and heresies those be as tares among wheate and doe greatly hinder the fruitfulnesse of the good seede There be also doctrines of men as the inuentions of their owne heads vnwritten verities Decrees of Popes Canons of Counsels traditions of the Church which wanting the warrant of Gods word are but as chaffe to the wheate and beeing taught in the Church will yeeld no more fruit then chaffe that is sowne in a field Vnder the Lawe God woulde not permit the Iewes to sow the same field with mingled seede And shall we thinke that now vnder the Gospell he will permitte vs to teach for doctrines mens traditions to mingle trueth with error and his diuine Oracles with humane inuentions Wee therefore that bee sowers must see that our seed be good As the Husband-man against seed-time will not onely prouide good seede but will also winnow it fanne it and try it that so he may neither sow chaffe nor light corne nor darnell but pure graine which is like to fructifie So wee before wee come to the Pulpit must try and examine our doctrine that it bee sound and that we deliuer nothing but that which will edifie the hearers And because Non omnis fert omnia tellus Each grounde will not beare each kinde of graine Wee must like wise and carefull Husband-men sow that seed which is fittest for our ground and deliuer such doctrines as are most fitting for the capacitie and present condition of the Auditorie that will yeeld the best encrease And you Christian people as you must take heede how you heare so also take heede what you heare It is the word of God not the word of the Diuell It is the word of Christ not the word of Antichrist that must make you fruitfull As you haue great care that your ground be sowne with sound and cleane seede so be carefull that your soules bee instructed with sound and wholsome doctrine Beleeue not euerie spirit but try the spirits whether they bee of God Despise not Prophesying but try all things and hold that which is good With the Noble-men of Berea search the Scriptures daylie whether those thinges bee so which are taught you What you finde contrary thereto that reiect as tares what is not warranted thereby blowe away as chaffe what is proued thereby that receiue as good seede into the furrowes of your heartes I know the Popish Seminaries will not suffer you to trye their seede you must trust them and take it vpon theyr word but we allowe and require you to trye ours If two men offer you Seede to sowe your ground and the one bid you trye it and view it well the other tell you of it but keeps it in his sacke you must not viewe it whether dealing would you like better whether seede would you receiue If theyr seede were good if they taught Gods worde they would not refuse tryall Vers. 12. And they that are beside the way are they that heare IN the former verse you haue heard the exposition of the seede Now see the exposition of the ground
Mathew sets downe one propertie of them and Luke another Mathew saith They are such as heare and vnderstand not There be 2. sorts of hearers who vnderstaÌ„d not the word 1 Some through naturall infirmitie through defect of capacity conceipt vnderstaÌ„ding memorie If these naturall faculties be not perfit they cannot possibly vnderstand the word which they heare but of these Christ doth not heare speake this is rather an infirmitie then a fault rather a punishment of sin then sin it selfe God may beare with their weaknes especially if their mind and vnderstanding be as weak in apprehending worldly matters as it is in diume If they vnderstand the fundamentall grounds of Religion If they mislike this their infirmitie desire to haue it redressed If they haue a care according to their small capacity to encrease in knowledge And if they frame their liues according to the measure of knowledge which they haue receiued 2. Some vnderstand not the word through negligence carelesnes contempt who heare the word but heed it not regard it not marke it not care not much for it let it passe as it coÌ„meth and are thinking of some other matter while they should attend to it who are so farre from laying it deepe in their hearts as they will not suffer it long to continue in their heads Of these persons doth Christ heere speake for he noteth it as a great fault in them and opposeth them to those who receiue the word with ioy And fitly are they resembled to the high way as before was declared This kind of hearers is not wanting in these daies who marke and vnderstand little or nothing of that we speake though wee speake neuer so plainely If they heare a long discourse of worldly matters they giue attentiue eares can carry it away repeat it to others but let them heare a poynt of necessarie doctrine on an article of their faith discussed they conceiue little and afterwards can rehearse nothing at all So that in them is fulfilled that Prophecie of Esay applyed by Christ to the obstinate Iewes By hearing they heare vnderstand note by seing they see perceiue not Let them know that their hearing shall not profit them vnles they vnderstand Indeed there be some who vnderstand what they heare yet shall reape no benefit by it yet is there not any who shal haue any coÌ„modity by that which he heares and vnderstands not Wherefore we must say to them as Christ said to the multitude heare and vnderstand you loose your labour in hearing if you vnderstand not The Eunuch thought it impossible for him to vnderstand the scripture he reade without a guide yet thereby implyed that if he had a guide he could vnderstand Our people haue such guides and yet many of them vnderstand little If one aske them the meaning of a text which they heard lately and learnedly pithily and plainly expounded they cannot tell the sense of it If one aske their opinion touching a point of doctrine lately taught them they are not able to speake any thing of it which declareth that they vnderstood it not and so they proue themselues to be no good hearers Some say they are not learned they are of a dull capacitie yet they haue a good meaning and as good an heart as those who vnderstand most they hope God will beare with them and accept of their good meaning when as they should rather accuse themselues of negligence If they did duly prepare themselues and carefully attend they might vnderstaÌ„d much more then they do But let them first know that though they be not learned and cannot reade yet ought they and may be able to vnderstand for God hath furnished preachers with learning and appoynted them so to explane the word that the simple may vnderstand it Euen as Ezra and the Leuites reade the booke of the lawe distinctly and gaue the sense and caused the people to vnderstand it Though thou be not able to vnderstand the word of thy selfe yet may â—st thou be made able by them yea and shalt be made able to vnderstand the most necessatie points of saluation before thou canst be made fit for heauen yea many of the most necessarie points are so easie of themselues that thou may vnderstand them at the first hearing if thou wilt carefully marke them The entrance into Gods word sheweth light and giueth vnderstanding to the simple And therefore if thou vnderstand not thou should rather blame thy selfe for want of attention then for want of capacitie or learning Againe know this that God will neuer accept of thy good meaning nor of thy good heart vnles thou d oin some competent measure vnderstand his word for it is the word rightly vnderstood that must direct thy good meaning and correct thy heart thou maist thinke thy meaning is good and thy heart good when both be naught as indeed they are if thou vnderstand not the word aright And how should God accept of thy good meaning voyd of vnderstanding It is but the sacrifice of fooles blindnes was a blemish which made beastes vnfit for sacrifice And doest thou thinke God will accept thy blind deuotion deceiue not thy owne soule herein but seeke for vnderstanding There be some that be desirous to vnderstand what they heare and it may be would gladly knowe how they may be able I would aduise them to doe these 6. things 1. Let them prepare themselues before they come to heare As we must prepare our selues before we pray if we will not pray vainely and as we must prepare our selues before we come to the Sacrament if we will not receiue it vnworthily so must wee prepare our selues before we heare if we will not heare vnprofitably The husbandman prepares his ground by plowing it before he sowe it If thou goe rashly to heare without preparation thou shalt yeeld no more fruit then a field that is sowne before it be plowed Thou maist prepare thy selfe by considering before hand that the word which thou goest to heare is not the word of a mortall man but the word of the euerliuing God that not man onely speakes vnto thee but that God speaketh vnto thee in and by the man That the word is the power of God to saluation that one day thou must giue account to God for thy hearing If thou doest seriously consider these things before hand they will prepare thee to heare with more reuerence and vnderstanding Againe prepare thy selfe by vnfained humiliation for thy former sinnes least God for the punishment of them should blind thy vnderstanding when thou hearest Likewise prepare thy selfe by renewing thy faith in the truth of Gods word and of his promises knowing that the word will not profit the hearers vnles it be mixed with faith 2. Pray earnestly vnto the Lord that he would enlighten thy minde by his holy spirit for the naturall man perceiueth not the things of God neither can
in the safest place of your houses because you hold your lands liuings by them and may lose your lands and liuings if you lose them As carefull should you be to keepe the word you hold your inheritance by it It is your euidence If it be taken from you you shall lose faith and Gods fauour in this world and the happy possession of an euerlasting and glorious Kingdome in the world to come And they that are on the stones are they which when they haue heard receiue the word with ioy Now followeth the exposition of the second kind of ground to wit the rockie and stonie ground Christ declareth who are meant thereby euen another sort of vnprofitable heaters And that he might the better lay open their nature and condition and let all men see who they are he describeth them at large by 4. seuerall properties 1. They heare and receiue the worde with ioy These hearers goe farther then the former The former sort heard the word but vnderstood it not if they vnderstood the words they vnderstood not the matter But these are not blamed for that fault they vnderstood it well and therefore are sayde to receiue it their receiuing of it is made a distinct thing from their hearing Again the other lost it as soone as they heard it the Diuel soon took it from them but these keepe it a great while euen all the time of peace they doe not renounce it till they be presecuted for it Moreouer those did not affect it the Diuell kept it from entring deepe into their hearts he tooke it presently out of their hearts lest it should worke vpon their affections they were such as heard it for fashion sake yet had no great liking or loue of it in their hearts These do much affect it it pierceth their hearts it moueth their affections they reioyce in it Lastly those did not so beleeue as these doe either they did not beleeue it at all or with an hystoricall faith onely beleeue it to be true but not making such profession of it nor yeelding such outward obedience to it as these doe as afterward shall be shewed The first propertie is that they receiue the worde with ioy For the present time they reioyce in the doctrine of the Gospell it cheareth their hearts delighteth their soules contenteth their mindes mooueth their affections and is to them the most ioyfull newes that euer they heard and yet for all that they are but vnprofitable hearers Such an hearer was King Herode when Iohn Baptist preached hee heard him gladly not onely willingly but also cheerefully and ioyfully hee tooke delight and pleasure in hearing of him and yet afterward was the author of his death Such hearers were most of the Iewes for Christ told them That Iohn was a burning and shining lampe and that they would for a season haue reioyced in his light They ioyed in his doctrine yet but for a season Hee preached but a while Christ fore-saw that if hee had liued and preached longer they would haue forsaken him Such hearers also were the Capernaites who liked Christs doctrine so well as that they followed him for a while but afterward forsooke him Such hearers had the Apostles And such hearers haue we at this day These hearers are not like Pharoh who said Who is the Lord that I stould hear his voyce Nor like those impious persons who say to God Depart from vs for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies Nor like the Iewes who spake against those things which were taught by Paul contradicting them rayling on them thrusting the Apostles from thē They do willingly heare the word they approue the doctrine of it they loue it like it and reioyce to heare it They wil rather say to Preachers as Cornelius his kinsmen said to Peter We are all here present before God to heare all thing that are commaunded thee of God And if these hearers reioyce in the word they will not scorne to be taught by the Ministers but very willingly submit themselues to the Ministery of the word They will be as forward as any in frequenting Sermons for who will not desire to heare that often which comforteth his heart Yea they may sharply reproue and seuerely censure them as impious and prophane who are carelesse and negligent in hearing of Gods word Yea they may reuerence the Minister as Herode did Iohn Baptist they may patronage protect and countenance him they may maintaine him and be very bountifull toward him for who will not make much of him that doth greatly comfort his heart Yea after they haue heard they may talke and conferre of the doctrine among their familiar acquaintance for who will not often talke of that which reioyceth his heart Of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh All these thinges may be found in these hearers of the second sort who notwithstanding are reckoned among vnfruitfull hearers See then what faire shewes an vnregenerate man may make in hearing of Gods word And consider it seriously that not onely the publike persecutors bitter raylers wilfull contemners carelesse and forgetful hearers but likewise some that loue and like the word diligently attend it and finde some comfort in it may be out of the state of grace and kept backe from entring into heauen A fearefull thing to consider it should rowse vs out of security and make vs looke well to the maner of our hearing There be some who are nothing at all mooued with the worde neither terrified with the threatnings and curses of the lawe nor comforted with the heauenly blessings and sweete promises of the Gospell whom wee may compare as Christ did the Iewes vnto little children which sitte in the markets and call to their fellowes and say We haue piped vnto you and you haue not daunced we haue mourned vnto you and you haue not lamented We sing both mercy and iudgement and yet they are not moued Seeing Christ reckoneth them in the Catalogue of fruitlesse hearers who are so moued as they reioyce at the word what is to be thought of them who are no more touched then if their hearts were of Adamant If this ioy may be found in the vnregenerate it will be hard to discerne who are regenerated It is a propertie of the regenerate to reioyce at the word Dauid said Thy testimonies haue I taken as an heritage for euer for they are the ioy of mine heart The holy people of the Lord made great ioy because they vnderstood the words which Ezra the Leuites had taught them Those three thousand which were conuerted by Peters Sermon did receiue his word with ioy The Eunuch conuerted by Phillip the Iaylor conuerted by Paul receiued their doctrine with ioy of heart Is there no difference betwixt the regenerate and the vnregenerate in this their ioy Indeed both of them receiue the word with ioy yet there may be found great
and growe for a while but not long if heate drought doe come it will be parched and wither away for lacke of moysture Such is the case of some hearers their hearts being mollified in part somewhat soft aboue but very hard below toward the bottome will not suffer the word to take any deepe rooting in them It may enter into their harts yet it cannot pearce into the bottome of them It may be some rooting yet very ebbe and shallow It may prosper for a while and they make some profession of it yet not long And in regard hereof they become vnprofitable hearers So as from hence we may obserue a double danger and inconuenience of an heart that is not throughly mollified to the bottome It both hindereth the rooting of the word and also the fruitfulnes of it 1. It hindereth the rooting of the word so as it cannot possibly go deepe enough the word should descend to the bottome of the heart and there take rooting and be continually nourished with the moysture of it but it cannot descend so farre vnles it be throughly mollified Not onely they whose hearts are altogether hard as was the hart of Pharaoh when he heard Moses and Aaron and the Scribes and Pharises when they heard Christ but also they whose hearts are softened onely in part are vnprofitable hearers As not onely those rockes which be bare on the top and altogether hard and haue no manner of soyle and moysture aboue but likewise those which be couered with a litle moysture and earth aboue but not much are vnfit to receiue seede The one will not receiue the seede at all nor suffer it to sprout or shoote forth a blade the other will cause it to sproute and shoote forth a blade but neuer to beare a ripe eare So they who haue hearts altogether hardened will not heare or at least not receiue the word of God at all into any part of their hearts but those who haue hearts partly soft and partly hard may receiue the word and retaine it for a time but will neuer bring forth the fruites of it Wherefore the holy Ghost saith in the Psalmes and it is applyed by the Apostle to the hearers of the Gospell To day if ye will heare his voyce harden not your hearts Because the hard hearted can neuer heare the word of God so reuerently and effectually as they ought to doe the Lord biddeth vs not to harden but to soften our hearts if we will heare his voyce The harder the heart is the more vnprofitable shall be the hearing the softer the heart is the more profitable shall the hearing be Againe this hardnes will cause men to deny the word in time of tentation The moysture and softnes aboue is the cause of receiuing the word with ioy and beleeuing for a time but the hardnes and drinesse below is the cause of reuolting afterward When Gods hand was heauie on Pharoh he somewhat relented humbled himselfe and confessed his sinne but as soone as it was remoued he returned with the dogge to his vomit and became as obstinate as euer he was before So if a mans heart be mollified onely in part he may relent while he heares the word and may embrace it with peace but in time of persecution may grow as hard as euer he was before euen as yron is soft in some measure while it is in the fire but becommeth hard againe when it is cold Let vs not therefore content our selues with an vpper softening but see that our hearts be softened to the very bottome that they may melt like waxe at the fire as good king Iosiahs heart did when he heard the lawe read I knowe that none of our hearts are so soft as they should be But if thou feelest thine owne hardnes doest mislike it desirest earnestly that it may be more and more mollified and doest vse all good meanes for the further mollifying of it thy heart either is alreadie or shall be within a while so softened as it may receiue the word profitably to thy saluatiō If Goates blood being warme can soften the hard Adamant doubt not but the blood of Christ can sufficiently mollifie thy heart though it were as hard as a rocke If thou pray earnestly vnto God to take away the stony heart of thy body and to giue thee an heart of flesh be assured that he will performe it seeing he hath promised it by his holy Prophet 3. Let vs now come to the third propertie of these hearers They belieue for a time Mathew and Marke say they endure for a season that is they endure in their faith but a while They doe belieue yet not long But it is to be considered what kinde of faith this is Though the Papists teach that there is but onely one kinde of faith yet may we find many seuerall distinct kindes thereof in the holy scriptures There be foure kindes of faith One is proper and peculiar to Gods elect and to the regenerate The rest are common both to the elect and the reprobate That which is proper and peculiar to the elect is a true iustifying faith whereby a man doth apprehend and apply to himselfe all the promises of God in Christ and all the merits of Christ for the pardon of his sinne and the saluation of his soule This is called by S. Paul the faith of Gods Elect because onely they and all they be endued with it And therefore it is said that as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeued Though all of them doe not receiue it at the same time but some sooner some later yet is there not any of the Elect but at one time or other they doe receiue it This is called an vnfayned faith or a faith without dissimulation or hypocrisie because it is not counterfaited and is a faith in deed and in truth and is seated not in the tongues or the head but in the bottome of the heart This faith is said to purifie the heart and is called the faith of the Saints because none haue it but those who be sanctified By this faith are we now iustified without the workes of the law and by this must we be saued as the Apostle proueth at large in his Epistles But this is not the faith here spoken of Againe there be other kindes of faith which be common both to the Elect and reprobate And these are either extraordinarie or ordinarie Extraordinarie as the faith of working miracles whereof the Apostle speaketh saying If I had all faith sothat I could remoue mountaines and had not loue I were nothing Iudas the childe of perdition had this faith as well as the rest of the Apostles for he wrought miracles as well as they And many shall say to Christ haue not we in thy name cast out diuells and by thy name done many great miracles to whom he shall answere I neuer knew you depart from
he groweth in yeeres 5. The fift degree of this temporary faith is outwarde profession of the Gospell A man may haue an hystoricall or dogmaticall faith yet neuer make profession of it As many of the chiefe Rulers among the Iewes beleeued in Christ but because of the Pharisies did not confesse him But they who haue this temporary faith do professe Christ as long as they keepe it So did Iudas he called Christ his Master did follow him was content to acknowledge himselfe to be one of his Apostles and at his sending to go abroad to preach the Gospell So did Simon Magus he was baptized into the Name of Christ and continued with Philip as a Disciple of Christ. And so doe all those who be called and not chosen 6. The last degree of this temporary faith is outward obedience vnto the Gospell This was likewise in Iudas His cariage was so honest among the Apostles all the time of Christs passion that when Christ told them that one of them should betray him they did not suspect him any more then any of the rest yea euery one did as much suspect him selfe as Iudas and therefore euery one sayd Master is it I Yea they caused Iohn who then leaned on Iesus brâ—st to aske him who it was And Christ did manifest him by giuing him a soppe before they could tell who it was And so this faith doeth farre excell that dead faith whereof S. Iames speaketh which is destitute of good works Yet euen in this respect is it much inferior to a true iustifying faith In regard of outward obedience they differ three wayes 1. In the cause or fountaine whence it proceedeth The obedience of the one proceedeth from an heart which hath the corruption of it suppressed and restrayned but not mortifyed and the affections builded but not changed by regeneration But the obedience of the other proceedes from a pure heart and a good conscience the corruption whereof is not onely repressed and kept vnder but likewise mortifyed and the affections not onely brydeled but also changed by regeneration Yea and the man himselfe is in Christ become a new creature 2. In the measure for the one may yeeld obedience in many things yet seldome in all things he vsually taketh libertie to liue in some one grosse sinne or other eyther openly or secretly As Herode did many things which Iohn Baptist taught him yet continued still his whoredome hee would not put away his brothers wife though he was taught so to doe But the other is carefull to avoyde all manner of sinnes whatsoeuer and to performe all duties alike knowing that if hee faile in one point hee is guiltie of all And though sometime he fall by infirmitie yet he lyeth not long he riseth againe by repentance 3. In the continuance for the one continueth not long in his innocencie at last by one occasion or other his corruption will breake forth and carry him to some grosse sinne or damnable apostacie Iudas for a while liued ciuilly but at last was drawne through couetousnesse to betray his Maister Simon Magus for couetousnesse would haue bought and solde the giftes of the holy Ghost and beeing reprooued for that fault became a notorious apostate And therefore the righteousnesse of such is fitly resembled to the morning deaw which is dryed vp and gone as soone as the Sunne ascendeth on high But the other perseuereth in his vprightnesse vnto the ende hee hath a good begining and a good ending Euen as Iob who neither by the suggestions of Sathan nor by the losse of his goods nor death of his children nor diseases of his body nor aduise of his wife nor vncharitable censures of his friends coulde bee induced to sinne against God Now then seeing heereby you may discerne what this faith is how it differeth from a sauing faith examine yourselues of your faith to see whether it be this or no doe not content your selues with such a faith as is not able to saue your soules Aboue all things see that you haue a special application inward renouation for therein consisteth the very life and soule of sauing faith As you haue seene the nature and degrees of this faith so now see the continuance for it is here sayd They beleeue for a time A while they receiue this faith not alwayes they lose it in the end As they are hypocrites for want of synceritie in the bottome of their hearts so likewise are they temporizers for want of continuance in their courses The Rhemistes in their marginall notes on these wordes would haue this to be obserued against the heretikes as it pleaseth them to terme vs that say Faith once had cannot be lost and that he which now hath not faith neuer had Bellarmine and other Papists alleadge this place to prooue that true faith once had may be quite lost But we answere that the faith whereof Christ heere speaketh may be quite lost so as a man which once had it may want it afterward yet Christ doth not here speake of the true iustifying faith of Gods elect but of the temporary faith which may be in the reprobate as hath beene shewed before And this is apparant out of the words of the text For the persons who thus beleeue are compared to stony ground who by reason of the hardnesse of their hearts are no more able to bring forth fruite then stony ground is able to yeelde a good croppe of corne God forbidde that wee should imagine that any of the elect in the state of grace should be no better then these In the 15. verse Christ speaketh of them resembleth them to good ground and sayeth they heare the word with a good and honest heart do keepe it and bring forth fruit with patience Againe the persons here spoken of are sayd to want rootes and so their graces are like corne sowne on the top of a rocke which wanteth depth of earth to send downe and feede the rootes Now dare they say that true iustifying faith wanteth rootes or is it in any mans heart where it hath nothing to grow vpon Doeth not the Apostle teach that they in whose hearts Christ doth dwell by faith are rooted and grounded in loue And that they who haue receiued Christ Iesus the Lord are rooted and built in him and stablished in the faith True iustifying faith is the roote of all vertues on which they grow and from which they receiue life nourishment efficacy Augustine said of Abrahams offering of his sonne I commend the fruit of the good worke but I acknowledge the roote in faith And shall we then say that it hath no rootes it selfe Certaine it is that a true iustifying faith once had can neuer be lost for it is called a stedfast faith in Iesus Christ. It belongeth to that calling and is one of those giftes of God which are without repentance And so it hath beene reckoned long
their corrupt affections which they could not brydle They differ from the second sort because they fall away in time of tribulation and persecution These fall away in time of peace and prosperitie those were vrged by externall meanes coÌ„ming from others these are drawne away by internall meanes proceeding from themselues Those were hindered in their perseuerance and fruitfulnesse through the waÌ„t of good these through the hauing of euill euen sinfull lusts and bad affections in their harts which like thornes choake the word which they heare Those renounced their profession these keepe their profession and yet are vnfruitfull These hearers are not all alike for though the word be choaked in them all yet it is not choaked in all by the same causes meanes In some it is choaked by worldly care in others by the deceitfulnes of riches and in the rest by voluptuousnesse And therefore touching these heareâ—s we may obserue some things in generall which concerne them all ioyntly together and some things in particular which concerne them seuerally The things in general which concerne them all are two whereof the one respecteth the time of their choaking the other respecteth the causes of their choaking 1. The time of their choaking for it is said of them That when they haue heard and are departed or gone their way they are choaked c. They are not choaked while they are in hearing but rather afterward when they are departed from the Sermons and goe about their worldly affaires then are they choaked by those things whereon their hearts were set As thornie grouÌ„d may haue some good moyst mouldes and depth of soyle and cause the seede sowne in it to sprout and come vp but afterward will not suffer it to prosper the thornes in time will choake it So may a man heare the word reuereÌ„tly and attentiuely marke it carefully and receiue it willingly yea hee may take it to be the word of God indeed and the onely word that must saue his soule hee may wish that hee were able to follow it and haue a purpose to follow it and yet afterward bee hindered in the obedience of it by the corruptions of their owne heart As Pharaoh was huÌ„bled while the haÌ„d of God was heauy vpoÌ„ him but became as hard as he was before wheÌ„ it was remoued And as some are Sea sicke while they are on the water but well again wheÌ„ they come to land And as the hardest Mettals are hot soft and pliable while they are in the fire but become colde hard and stiffe when they are taken out of the fire So are some hearers much moued while they are in the Church and so long as they heare and yet afterward when they are gone away and betake themselues to their worldly affayres loose the efficacie of the word and become transgressors of it These are vnprofitable hearers the word which they heare will not saue their soules Men may often heare after this maner and yet neuer come to heauen Doe not therefore content your selues with these present motions while yo are in hearing but let them continue and shew their efficacie after you haue heard when occasion is offered in your liues Let not the word onely moue your affections but also mortifie them And let it not onely stirre vp your affections while it is hard but direct them and ouer-rule them in your conuersation afterward Let not any thing in the world or any affections in your owne hearts hinder your obedience to the word You know that the Sâ—…nne who being commaunded by his Father to worke in his Vineyard did promise and purpose to goe and went not was condemned for not fulfilling the will of his Father And do you thinke that you shall be taken for dutifull children to God Almightie if while you heare his word you loue it and like it and purpose to follow it and yet afterward by some sinister occasions be hindered in the obedience of it Know this that God will neuer accept of good purposes without good performance nor of good motions in your mindes without good maners in your liues There be some couetous and voluptuous persons farre worse then these of whom Christ here speaketh for these doe heare and receiue the word willingly for the present they are choaked afterward But there be some couetous worldlings and voluptuous Epicures who will not heare at all or not with any patience They will not receiue the seede at all and doe choake it as soone as they receiue it Such were the Pharisies who mocked Christ when he taxed their couetousnes Such were the Iewes who would not heare the Lawe of the Lord but said vnto the Seers See not and to the Prophets Prophecie not vnto vs right things but speake flattering things vnto vs Prophecie errors Who would haue none to be their Prophet but he that would lie falsly would prophecie to them of wine and strong drinke And such be those in our dayes who cannot endure to heare any thing spoken to curbe them of their carnall pleasures or abridge them of their worldly profites who raile against the Preacher hate him as Ahab did Michaiah and heare him with no more patience and liking then the Iewes heard Stephen when their hearts brast for anger and when they gnashed at him with their teeth But if these hearers who giue reuerent attention to the word when it is deliuered haue some good liking of it and a purpose to obey it would obey it but that it doth crosse their pleasures and profites are reckoned in the number of vnfruitfull hearers What may be thought of those that be worse who will not heare it who will not beleeue it who doe mislike it yea maligne him that teacheth any thing that is against their pleasures or profits and are ready to worke him some mischiefe Oh that these would consider their estate and remember how farre they are froÌ„ that profitable hearing which must saue their soules 2. The second thing to be obserued in general respecteth the causes of their choaking which are three in number Cares of the world riches and voluptuous liuing From all which together we may learne that noysome lusts and bad affections in the heart doe greatly hinder the fruitfull hearing of Gods word Yea though the heart be much mooued with the word for a time and be very like to profite by hearing and the hearer haue a purpose to follow the word yet corrupt affections of care couetousnesse and voluptuousnesse wil hinder the fruitfulnesse of the word As thornes are to ground that is sowne so are these affections to the hearers of Gods word You know that although the Soyle were reasonable good of it selfe yet if thornes grow among the corne they will not suffer the grouÌ„d to yeelde any good croppe So if hearers haue indifferent good mindes of themselues especially if some froward affections were expelled yet so long as those affections remaine in
them they will hinder the groweth of the word And therefore Peter exhorteth vs first to lay aside all malitiousâ—es all guile and dissimulation and enuie and then as new borne babes to desire the syncere milke of the word that wee may grow thereby And Iames biddeth vs lay apart all filthinesse and superfluitie of malitiousnes and receiue with meeknes the ingrafted word which is able to saue our soules If grosse humors abide in the stomacke they will not suffer it to digest the meate which is eaten but will make it rather to hurt then to nourish the body So if there be froward and inordinate affections in your harts they will so hinder the efficacie of the word as it shall not profit you to the aluation of your soules This shoulde teach you so often as you come to heare to looke vnto your hearts and to emptie them of all wicked affections remayning in them As you are carefull when you plow and sow your fields to rid vp by the rootes all thornes bryars and bushes left they should hinder the corne So be you carefull to free your heartes from these badde affections when you come to heare Christ biddeh you to be as wise as Serpents Now this is one poynt of the Serpents wisedome as the learned doth teach That when he is thirstie he goeth from his hole to the water yet before he drinke he casteth vp the poyson which was neere his throate Imitate him therein If any poyson of bad affections be found in your hearts expell them lest they hinder the efficacy of the word Yea as the Prophet saith Breake vp your fallow ground and sow not among thornes Be circumcised to the Lord and take away the fore-skins of your hearts that so you may heare to the profit comfort of your soules Let vs now see in particular and seuerally what are the things which like thornes doe choake the seede of the word Three be here named The first of them is Care and because there be two kindes of care the one a godlie and spirituall care to care for the things of the Lord how we may please him and to care for the things of the soule how it may bee saued The other a worldly and carnall care to care for the things of the world how to please men and how to prouide for our bodies in this world In the other Euangelists both in Mathew and Marke they are called for distinction sake Cares of the world These cares are as thornes to choake the word in the hearers hearts They do oftentimes keepe men from hearing at all Martha was carefull to prouide good fare for her guests troubled herselfe about many things when with her sister Mary shee should rather haue heard Christs doctrine Those guests who were inuited to the wedding feast made excuses that one had bought a Farme and must needes goe see it another had bought 5. yoke of Oxen and must goe prooue them another had maried a Wife and therefore could not come Worldly cares keepe many from the Church who would not be absent if their worldly businesse did not draw them another way yet will not bee present if their absence serue for their gaine So doe these cares make their hearing altogether vnprofitable euen as thornes make the sowne ground vnfruitfull Some haue their hearts so exercised with thinking and plotting of worldly matters that they cannot attend to the word deliuered Others hauing beaten their braines and busied their heads before fall to sleepe when they should heare Others that bee awake and listen haue no loue nor liking of that which is taught The thinges of the worlde haue so put their mouthes out of taste as they can finde no sweetnesse in the word Others attend seeme to like all wel for a time yet afterward the cares of the worlde enter into their heades and heartes and driue the worde out of them euen as one naile driues out another There may be in them for a time some striuing and strugling betwixt the world and the word but the world ouercomes in the end and maketh them no better then if they had neuer heard Christ bad his Disciples take heede to themselues least at any time their hearts were oppressed with surfetting and drunkennes and cares of this life and least the last day should come on them at vnawares Because cares of the world doe oppresse the heart as wel as surfetting and drunkennes and make vs vnfit for his comming to Iudgement Our people are much oppressed with worldly cares they rise early and lye downe late and eate the bread of carefulnes they busie their heades they beate their braines they weary their bodies they breake their sleep they weaken their strength they hinder their health and shorten their liues with carking and caring toyling and moyling about worldly affayres and this is one speciall cause why they heare so much and profite so little These then who would be profitable hearers must before and after their hearing keepe these cares out of their hearts Let them remember the exhortation giuen by Christ Be not carefull for your life what you shall eate nor what you shal drinke nor for your body what rayment yee shall put on Is not the life more worth then meate and the body then rayment Which of you by taking care is able to adde one cubit to his stature It is not sufficient for you to free your mindes from these cares while you are in hearing but likewise beware lest they entangle you afterward Expell them so soone as they enter into your mindes euen as you will cut vp thornes bryars and thistles which you see spring vp among the corne after it is sowne If they be in your hearts before you heare they will keepe you from attending from vnderstanding or else from affecting that which you heare And if they enter into your heartes after you haue heard they will hinder you from practising that which before you liked and purposed to obey Such enemies are they to your fruitfull hearing Who then would haue his minde disquieted with them What will some man say must we haue no care of any thing at all must wee set all at sixe and seuen and let the world wag must we be like some idle and prodigall vnthrifts who cast away all care Not so we must distinguish of care Est solicitudo diligentiae solicitudo dissidentiae There is a care of diligence when men in a good manner and due measure vse all honest and lawfull meanes to get and to keepe thinges needfull for this life and for the maintenance of themselues and those which belong vnto them The Wise-man sendeth the sluggard to learne this care of the Pismire who prepareth her meate in the Summer and gathereth her foode in the haruest And the Apostle saith that if there be any that prouideth not for his owne and namelie for them of
his right hand are pleasures for euermore Those farre excell all the pleasures of the garden of Eden They yeelde full contentment and make all them happie which doe enioy them Therefore seeke especially for them A woefull thing it is to enioy pleasure in this life which is but short and to endure paine in the other life which is eternall If you cannot be partakers of both together seeke for the better Make Moses choyce who refused the delights of Pharaohs Court and chose rather to suffer aduersitie with the people of God then to enioy the pleasures of sinne for a season Lastly from the consideration of all these Thornes together wee may obserue that not one onely corrupt affecction but likewise manye corrupt affections in mans heart doe choake the seede of the word Euen all these three mentioned before A man may as well be hindered by one of them as byan other as well by any one of them as by all of them It is not impossible to finde them all three in one the same man A man may be much perplexed with worldly cares how to get and encrease riches and when he hath gotten them hee may be deceiued by them in thinking too highly of them in louing them too dearely and trusting too much vnto them He may then also liue in pleasure he may be carefull to get riches and to encrease them that so hee may consume them on his owne lustes By reason of his worldly care and the deceitfulnes of his riches he may be sparing and niggard-like in relieuing of others yet in regarde of voluptuousnes he may spend much on himselfe That Rich-man Luke 12. had much goods layde vp for himselfe for many yeares Not any for others but all for himselfe and therefore he would liue at ease eate drinke and take his pastime And the rich glutton which would not giue so much as the crums that fell from his table to poore Lazarus was giuen to pleasure spent much on his owne back belly Such men as these haue many thornes growing in the field of their hearts they haue many impediments to hinder them in the obedience of the word And therefore cannot be profitable hearers and diligent practisers of the word The more thornes growe in a sowne field the lesse corne is reaped at haruest So of all carnall hearers these yeeld the least fruit Yet are these three things distinguished one from another as was shewed before are oftentimes seuered in their subiects one of them may be found in one man and not either of the other And one of the other may be found in another man and not that A man may be carefull and yet poore A man may be rich and yet not giuen to pleasure And all of them haue their speciall and seuerall effects one hindering after one manner and another after another manner And therefore any one of these is able of it selfe to hinder the fruitfulnes of the word You knowe there be many kindes of thornes with vs there be white thornes and black thornes hawthornes and slowthornes And the word in the originall is taken not onely for thornes but likewise for bryars and brambles and any thing that hath prickes And therefore as one kind of thornes if there be many of that kind may as well hinder the fruitfulnes of your fields as many kindes So one kind of corrupt affections in your harts may hinder the efficacie of the word as well as many And therefore as when you plow and sow your ground you rid vp not onely one kinde of thornes and bryars but likewise all of each kind So when you heare the word expell out of your hearts not onely all bad affections of one kind but likewise all bad affections of each kind It is lamentable to see how fondly people deceiue themselues herein Many men doe harbour one noysome lust one corrupt affection or other in their hearts and because they keepe out many others they hope all is well with them The couetous worldling condemnes the voluptuous epicure And the voluptuous epicure condemnes the greedie and miserable worldling The couetous man thinketh that he is a good Christian because he is not giuen to prodigall licentiousnes And the voluptuous man would be esteemed a good hearer because hee abhorres worldly cares and miserable couetousnes But let them both knowe that either of these two sinfull lustes are sufficient to condemne their soules and let them not purge their hearts from the one alone but from both together if they will be fitte soyle for the Lords seede The last thing to be obserued in these hearers is the effect of their choaking namely what is the issue and euent that befalls them when they are thus choaked by those corrupt lustes they bring forth no fruite Though they doe not fall away from their profession as those hearers mentioned in the former verse but still continue professours and hearers of the Gospell yet are they vnfruitfull in their profession The originall word doth properly signifie that they doe not bring forth any full and perfect any ripe and truely fruite As if they might bring forth some kinde of fruite yet no good fruite no full corne nor profitable gaine Corne sowne amōg thornes may yeeld some kinde of fruite yet not such as will please the husbandman It will be an vntimely fruite it will wither away before it be throughly fed and fully ripe It will be very thinne on the ground when it is reaped it will proue nothing but short eares and small gaines and when it is threshed nothing but light corne and vnprofitable Such is the obedience of those men which be giuen to couetousnes and voluptuousnes they may performe some outward duties yet not many onely such as doe not hinder them in their worldly profits nor abridge them of their carnall pleasures And those which they doe performe are very imperfect neither acceptable to God nor comfortable to their owne soules They are not such as God exacted they doe not proceed from such sinceritie of the heart neither are they directed to that right end neither are they performed in such an holy manner as he requireth Though they seeme to begin well yet their inward lusts doe so hinder them that they cannot bring their actions to a due perfection but waxe wearie of doing well And either quite cease from their enterprises begun or else efaint much in their proceedings before they bring any thing to a good end Whence first we may take notice of the nature qualitie and maner of their obedience whose hearts are still possessed with the cares of the world and the pleasures of this life They may performe many good duties yet faile in some maine dutie And yet those which they performe cannot please the Lord we haue pregnant examples hereof in the scriptures Naaman the Syrian being cured of his leaprosie by the Prophet Elisha vowed vnto him to worship none other God
but the God of Israel yet desired he to be tollerated in one point that when he went with his Maister into the house of Rimmon and when his Maister leaned on his hand and he did bowe as his Maister and others did the Lord would be mercifull vnto him therein Though he misliked that idolatry in his heart yet because he could not enioy his gainefull place and office vnder his Maister vnles in that point he dissembled he for his gaine would in outward behauiour ioyne with others in that idolatrous worship he would be a Proselyte so farre as it might stand with his worldly commoditie but no further And the reason was because worldly lustes were not then mortified in his heart Iudas had diuers commendable things in him otherwise Christ would neuer haue chosen him to be one of the twelue he heard his sermons liued a long time ciuilly and preached the Gospell to others yet because couetousnes did still raigne in his heart for money he betrayed his Maister That rich yong man which came to Christ to knowe the way to eternall life had so kept the commandements for outward actes as Christ loued him yet because his corrupt affections were onely kept vnder and not killed he left Christ and had rather breake his commandement then leaue his owne wealth Herod as you heard did many things which Iohn Baptist taught yet because the word was not powerfull in his heart to mortifie his sinfull lustes he would not breake off his incest nor put away his brothers wife If you suffer the like affections to abide in your hearts your obedience will be no better You see by experience that corne growing among thornes is neither so much nor so good as that which groweth in other ground And that it might haue bene more and also better in the same ground if the thornes before the sowing had bene ridde vp Doe not then imagine that your obedience can either be plentifull or acceptable so long as these inordinate affections be harboured in your hearts Knowe this that though other affections be suppressed yet so long as these beare sway in you so long as they doe hinder you in good and prouoke you vnto euill you are not mortified by the spirit of sanctification for mortification is a change and reformation not of part onely but of the whole nature of man yea of all the faculties of the soule and of all the affections of the heart he that is washed saith Christ is cleane euery whit And will God accept of any fruites that come from an heart not sanctified Wherefore purge your hearts from these lustes And be willing to yeeld obedience as well to those commandements which seeme hard and vnpleasant vnto you as vnto those that be more easie and delightfull For this is not thanksworthy to obey those commandements which doe nothing crosse your worldly profits and carnall pleasures but herein is your dutifulnes especially seene if you be content to forgoe your profit and abridge your selues of your pleasures that so you may keepe the commandements of the Lord. Moreouer if those which bring forth such fruites as these be condemned what shal we say of them that be worse then these that bring forth very little or no fruit at all which heare much and practise almost nothing who receiue Gods seede into their hearts but bring forth the diuells fruits in their liues We haue many such hearers as the Prophet Ezekiel had the people came vnto him and sate before him and heard his words yet would not do them but with their mouthes made iestes and their hearts went after their couetousnes Let such knowe that not the hearers but the doers of the lawe are iustified And that they who be hearers onely and not doers of the word deceiue their owne soules To shew their folly and their daunger Christ compared them to a foolish man which built his house vpon the sand The raine fell the floods came and the windes blew and beat vpon that house and it fell and the fall thereof was great Iames likeneth them to a man that beholdeth his naturall face in a glasse and when he hath considered himselfe goeth his way and forgetteth immediatly what maner of one he was They doe not onely lose their labour and reward but likewise prouoke the LORD to wrath and procure fearefull iudgements against themselues Their punishment shall be more grieuous then if they had neuer heard Christ shall say to them which heard him preach in their Cities and would not obey him Depart from me yee workers of iniquitie I know you not And hee sayd of the Iewes to whom he preached If I had not come and spoken vnto them they should not haue had sinne but now haue they no cloake for their sinne The Ministers which haue preached vnto them shall one day be witnesses against them and their Sermons shall be so many billes of inditement against them As it is an haynous thing in the Ministers to say and not doe so is it also an haynous thing in the people to heare and not do yet are many of our people faultie this way There is no sinne forbidden but they may often heare it condemned by the word As the filthy sinnes of Whordome the beastlie crime of Drunkennesse the prophane sinne of Swearing the impious sinnes of polluting the Lords Sabboth the vncharitable sins of Iniustice fraude and oppression the malitious sinnes of rayling backbyting and slaundering and yet the people will not forsake them But like the presumptuous Iewes they steale murther commit adulterie sweare falslie and practise other sinnes and yet will come and stand before the Lord in the house where his Name is called vpon There be no duties of the first or second Table which they owe to God or man but they are often taught them and yet they doe as carelesly omit them as if they neuer heard them They content themselues with bare and idle hearing as if that were all which God requires as if that were sufficient to saue their soules Oh remember you what Christ sayth If yee know these things blessed are yee if you doe them Though you heare them neuer so often though you know them neuer so well yet are you not blessed except you doe them Would it not greatly discontent you to send your seruants each yeere to sow your fieldes with the best seede and yet after many yeres sowing to reape no croppe but to lose both labour and cost And doe you thinke that the Lord will bee well pleased to send his Ministers from yeere to yeere to sow the good seede of his holy word among you and yet after many yeeres labour to reape no fruit at all The Apostle teacheth that the land which drinketh in the rayne and bringeth forth fruit for them by whom it is dressed conceiueth blessing from God but that which beareth thornes and bryars is reproued and is neere
vnto cursing whose end is to be burned Are you as soyle sowne with the Lords seede and dressed by his Husbandmen and yet yeelde no fruite for his glory and for the comfort of those that take paines among you And will you expect a blessing from the LORD Those that be such may rather feare a curse Did not CHRIST curse the Figge Tree which bare leaues but no fruite if they still continue barren their case shall be worse then theirs of Sodome and Gomorrah for if the Sermons which haue beene preached among vs had beene preached in Sodome and Gomorrah they had repented long agoe in sack cloath and ashes but therefore shall it be easier for them of Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of Iudgement then for these disobedient people Take heede lest by your contempt of the word you lose it Christ taketh his Kingdome from them that be vnfruitfull and will giue it to a Nation which shall better bring forth the fruits thereof If you often sow a fielde with good corne and at haruest can reape no good croppe you will sow it no longer you will let it lie and sow some other And can you thinke that GOD will still continue his worde to you if after long sowing you will not yeeld any fruit It is a speciall fauour and mercie of God to haue the Gospell among vs. God hath not dealt so with euery Nation Happie are our eyes to see those things which we see and happie are our eares to heare those thinges which we heare Many righteous men would haue beene glad to haue seene and heard them and yet could not Let vs walke worthie of this blessing that it may bee continued to vs and to our posteritie Uerse 15. But that which fell in good ground are they which with an honest and good heart heare the word and keepe it YOV haue alreadie heard the exposition of three sorts of ground and what kinde of hearers were signififyed thereby Now see the exposition of the fourth and last kinde of ground And that was good ground in which the seede sowne sprang vp and brought forth fruit with great encrease Vnto this ground good and profitable hearers are compared As all the other groundes set forth to our view the nature and properties of bad hearers so this describeth the conditions of good hearers Before we come to the speciall properties of these hearers in particular we are to obserue one thing in generall and from the coherence to wit That although Christ had diuers sorts of hearers and nany of them were bad some one way some another way yet all of them were not bad some were good and profitable hearers all his seed was not lost some sell on good ground yeelded plentifull encrease Though the Scribes and Pharises and many of the common multitude were bad hearers yet the Apostles and many other Disciples were good hearers did keepe the word in their hearts and brought forth fruit in their liues And therfore he told the Iewes that whereas they neyther receiued Iohn nor him Iohn came neither eating nor drinking and they said he had a Diuell The Son of man came eating drinking and they sayd Behold a glutton and a drinker of wine a friend of publicans and sinners They woulde neither receiue the one for his austeritie nor the other for his affabilitie yet Wisedome is iustifyed of her children And hee gaue thanks vnto his father because that although he had hid these thinges from the wise and men of vnderstanding yet he had reuealed them vnto babes Though some of his hearers in Capernaum tooke offence at his doctrine of eating his flesh drinking king his blood and from that time went backe and walked with him no more Yet the Apostles would not forsake him but frely ackdowledged that they would neuer leaue him because he had the words of eternall life and they did beleue that he was the Christ the Sonne of the liuing God When he preached in the Temple at the Feast of the Tabernacles there was dissention among his hearers Some sayde Of a truth this is the Prophet Others sayd This is the Christ. Some sayde Shall Christ come out of Galilie Others said Neuer man spake like him At another time some that heard him saide hee had a Diuell and was mad and blamed men for hearing him any longer Others said These are not the wordes of one that hath a Diuell Can the Diuell open the eies of him that was borne blind Such diuersity of hearers had Christ his worde did not worke alike in all that hard it Some waxed worse some were made better by hearing of it The like effect was seene in Pauls hearers When he and Barnabas preached at Iconium a great multitude both of Iewes and Graecians beleeued though there were some vnbeleeuing Iewes that stirred vp and corrupted the mindes of the Gentiles against the brethren In that deuision of the Citie though some were with the Iewes yet some were with the Apostles And when he preached at Athens some mocked him for his doctrine of the Resurection some would heare him againe as if they were not fully resolued but desired to be further instructed yet certaine men did cleaue to Paul beleeued as Denys a Iudge of Mars Streete Damaris a woman and others with them And thus it pleaseth GOD still to blesse the Ministerie of his seruants Though they cannot conuert all yet they doe conuert some they doe not altogether lose their labour As there is no field so barren but if it be sowne some seede will come vp and yeeld encrease so is there no place or congregation so bad but if the truth be there sincerely taught it will in time winne some Though some continue obstinate and remaine as ignorant as Popish and as prophane as euer they were before they heard Yet Wisedome shall be iustifyed of her children as many as are ordayned to eternall life shall beleeue Some shal be called and by hearing shall grow in knowledge in grace and obedience This may comfort and encourage vs in our labours Though it bee some griefe to see many non proficients who heare much and are neuer the better yet if it please the Lord to giue some happie issue vnto our labours that wee edifie some though not all that wee profite a few though not many wee should therewith be content and praise the Lord for it If indeede wee should conuert none at all yet must wee not faint but still continue our paines and expect a reward at the Lords hands for he will reward our laboures though we should do others no good thereby And therefore the Prophet sayd I haue laboured in vaine I haue spent my strength in vaine and for nothing but my iudgement is with the Lord and my worke with my God It is not our worke but the Lords worke to conuert soules Paul may plant Apollos may water but it
is God that giueth the encrease Wee haue receiued and taken vpon vs Curam non curationem A care and a charge not a curing Non est in medico semper releuetur vt ager It is not in the power of the Physition to cure his sicke patient at his pleasure Euery one of vs shall receiue a reward Secundum laborem non secundum prouentum according to his labour not according to his fruit As Bernard well obserued And therefore Paul sayd not I haue profited more then all but I haue laboured more then they all And rather reioyced in the abundance of his labours then in the fruitfulnesse of his laboures It a quaeso fac tu quod tuum est Nam Deus quod suum est satis absque tua solicitudine auxietate curabit Doe then I pray thee that which is thy office and dutie God will haue care enough of that which belongeth vnto him sayd the same Bernard But if we conuert and edifie some by our poore Ministerie we may comfort our selues by them and say of them as Paul did of the Corinthians Yee are the seale of our Apostleshippe in the Lord. And as hee did of the Thessalonians What is our hope or ioy or crowne of reioycing Are not euen you it in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at his comming When wee sow good seede in the Lords field the enuious man soweth tares Wee must not looke that in a populous congregation all should be good and true hearers If some onely be good and profitable hearers let vs praise GOD for them and pray vnto him dayly to encrease their number But to come neerer to the properties of these hearers in particular In the description of them and by comparing them with the former hearers wee may easilie perceiue that in some thinges they doe agree with them in some thinges they differ from them and doe much excell them There were some commendable thinges in diuers of the former hearers and would haue wrought good in them if they had beene well vsed In these things doe these good hearers agree with them They haue the selfe-same things though in a better maner and with better vse 1. They agree with them in that they heare as well as the rest All the persons spoken of in this Parable are hearers both good and bad and they all heare one and the same doctrine though not after one and the same maner nor with the like efficacy and fruit And therefore those which refuse to heare eyther through error as our Recusants or through contempt and negligence as some carelesse and carnall people are so farre from beeing the ground here mentioned as that they are worse then the bad ground spoken of before There cannot be any goodnesse in their hearts nor yet in their liues Can any field yeeld a good crop of corne at haruest which was not sowne at the seede time They are worse then many reprobates haue beene and are How then can they looke to be as good as the Elect are and shall be 2. They agree in the vnderstanding of the word for it is sayd in Mathew He that receiueth seed in good ground is he that heareth the word and vnderstandeth it And although the first sort of bad hearers are sayd to heare and not vnderstand Yet the other two sortes are insinuated to haue vnderstood for how could they receiue the word with ioy vnlesse they vnderstood it How could cares of the world the deceitfulnesse of riches and voluptuous liuing choake the word after it was heard vnlesse it had beene vnderstood So that as the vnderstanding of the word is not sufficient to make you good hearers so on the other side the want of vnderstanding declareth you to be bad hearers All good hearers vnderstand the word though not onely they Good hearers must practise that which is taught them But how can they practise that which they vnderstand not 3. They agree in their affection to the word Those that be as stony groūd receiue the worde with ioy So also doe these good hearers though the thing it selfe be not expresly mētioned The Gospell is glad tydings and reioyceth the hearts of all that embrace it There is no commendable propertie in the reprobate and vnprofitable hearers but it is found in the elect and profitable hearers and that in a more excellent manner And therefore those who are nothing mooued nor comforted by the word are worse then some bad hearers and must not be reckoned in the number of good hearers Notwithstanding in this description of these good hearers wee may perceiue that in diuers other things they differ much from all the former hearers and therein doe greatly exceede and excell them all They are described by three properties and by them all they differ from the rest 1. By the manner of receiuing the word They receiue it with an honest and good heart 2. By the maner of reteyning it They keep it 3. By the maner of practising it They bring forth fruit and that with patience and plentie Touching the first propertie 2. things may bee noted The one more genenerall and that is the instrument of hearing it is with the heart The other more speciall and that is the qualitie and disposition of their heart it is an honest and good heart 1. Concerning the former we may hence obserue that those who will be profitable hearers of Gods most holy word must heare it with their hearts not onely with their eares to harken vnto the sound of it while it is vttered nor onely with their heads to vnderstand that which is deliuered but likewise with their hearts to keepe it and obey it The Lord required of the Iewes that the words which he commanded them should be in their heart The wise man thus exhorted his sonne Forget not thou my law but let thine heart keepe my cōmandements binde them on thy necke and write them vpon the table of thine heart And for this cause when Lydia went to heare Paul the Lord opened her heart that so she might attend to the things which Paul spake If her hart had bene shut so as the word could not enter in she had bene an vnprofitable hearer but God opening her heart that shee might receiue the word into it shee became a profitable hearer And there is great reason why al profitable hearers should receiue the word with the heart and into the heart 1. For the reformation and direction of the heart by nature mans heart is corrupt yea all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart are onely euill continually And out of the heart remayning corrupt come euill thoughts Murthers Adulteries Fornications Thefts false Testimonies Slaunders such like sins which defile the man as Christ teacheth Now the worde is an Instrument of sanctification Christ said his Disciples were al clean through the word which he had spokē to them And praied to
digest it before it be sent to other partes but eyther leaues it rawe or turnes it to grosse humors No more can sound Doctrine profite that man that hath a corrupt and wicked heart If this be so that no man that hath a bad heart should come to heare and if he doe come he shall loose his labour and neuer be made better by hearing But wee knowe the contrarie manie haue beene amended by hearing yea theyr bad haue bene made good This must be vnderstoode of the whole acte of hearing Not onely of the time before they come to heare but also of the whole Time while they are in hearing Those men which had badde hearts before they came to heare and still haue badde heartes all the time of their hearing and goe away with as badde hearts as they brought with them shall neuer reape profite by theyr hearing But if theyr heattes were badde before yet are changed and sanctified by their hearing they are profitable and fruitfull hearers The hearts of those three thousand which were conuerted by one of Peters sermons were not good till they heard him preach but then were their harts pricked and made good And at that instant they became fruitfull hearers For they receyued the worde gladly were baptized added to the church and continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers The heart of Lydia was not good before shee heard Paul but God then opened her hart by opening it made it good and it being made good caused her to attend to his doctrine and to bring forth the fruites of it by kind entertaining of her teachers That vnbelieuer and vnlearned man which as the Apostle writeth came in when all did prophecie brought a bad heart with him For he was rebuked of all and iudged of all and the secrets of his heart made manifest yet was his hart made good in the very time of hearing and therefore did he fall downe on his face and worship God and said plainely that God is in you indeed Wherefore knowe this that so long as thy heart is bad thy hearing cannot be good but so soone as thy heart is changed thy hearing shall be profitable Some write that Manna tasted according to the disposition of the caters to the good it had a sweete and pleasant taste euen such a taste as they desired but to the bad a bitter and loathsome taste Though this be vncertaine Augustine once wrote it for certaintie but afterward doubted of it because he could find no warrant for it but onely in Apocrypha yet the like may be seene in the word of God our heauenly Manna It tasteth it nourisheth and profiteth the hearers according to the seuerall dispositions of their hearts To them which haue good hearts it is sweet comfortable and profitable to them which haue corrupt hearts it is loathsome terrible and vnprofitable This should teach euery one of vs to looke to our hearts and see that they be good that so we may be fruitfull hearers husbandmen haue great care to make their ground good and fertile before they sowe it If it be barren they will marke it they will set mucke and dung on it to make it more fruitfull As carefull should thou be to make thy heart good seeing it is the soyle in which the Lords heauenly seede must be sowne If it be not good alreadie vse all good meanes to make it good pray earnestly vnto God that he would sanctifie it by his holy spirit And if it be good labour to make it better the better it is the more fruitfull shall thy hearing be And for this purpose heare the word oftner for it will make thy heart better The longer that the ground of your fields is tilled and sowne the more bare and barren it will be But it is not so with the ground of your hearts the oftner and the longer they are sowne with the seede of Gods word the more fruitfull will they be Such is the nature of this heauenly seede that it will not make the ground more barren but more fertile by often sowing As the seede is good that is sowne in your hearts so let the soyle be made answerable vnto it and then you neede not to doubt of a plentifull encrease Let not so good seede be lost by lighting into bad soyle heare with penitent hearts with sanctified hearts with beleeuing hearts with resolued hearts to receiue and obey whatsoeuer is taught out of the word and you shall be happy hearers 2. Furthermore we may hereby discerne who haue good hearts who haue bad It is the goodnes of the heart that makes the hearer to bring forth fruit It is the corruption of the heart that hinders his fruitfulnes Those then that heare much and practise little haue bad hearts but those that heare and practise the word in their liues haue honest and good hearts Though none knowe the heart of another immediately and directly but God alone who is the onely searcher of it yet as the Physition can iudge of the inward temperature of the body by the pulse and as wee may iudge of the tree by the fruits so may we iudge of the inward goodnes and badnes of the heart by the outward behauiour in the life And to keepe me to the present comparison of this parable If a man knew a field sowne in a good sort with good seede yet afterward did see the corne to be thin and course and yeeld no good crop he will say the ground is barren But if he passe by a close toward haruest time and see the corne very thicke and rancke and beare a long eare full of corne he will say it is good land So if we knowe people to be well taught and yet yeeld little obedience in their liues we may iustly suspect that their hearts be not vpright before God but if we see them reforme their liues according to the word auoyd those sinnes which it forbiddeth and practise those duties which it commendeth and that in a constant course of their conuersation we may be assured that their hearts be honest and good If therefore you would haue others to thinke that you haue honest and good hearts shew forth the fruits of the word in your liues The second speciall propertie in these hearers is their keeping of the word They doe not onely receiue it with their hearts and lay it vp in the bottome of them but likewise there they keepe it fast They will not let it goe out thence nor suffer any to take it from them The originall word as some haue obserued is very emphaticall and importeth a keeping with much labour and difficultie And so fitly expresseth the manner of their keeping which is with striuing and strugling against their owne corruptions against Sathans suggestions and against the worlds allurements Though all conspire and ioyne their forces together yet doe they keepe it
so safe and sure as that they cannot wrest it from them And herein they also differ from all the former hearers The first sort lost it as soone as they receiued it euen while they were in hearing the diuell tooke it from them The second sort kept it a while but not long for they beleeue for a time they keepe the word no longer then they kept their faith Though they kept both in time of peace yet they lost both in time of persecution The third sort kept the word yet not long when as afterward it was choaked by cares and pleasures it was taken from them But these kept it for euer neither the diuel by his suggestions nor other men by their persecutions nor their owne lusts by their prouocations can depriue them of the word Such an hearer was the blessed virgin the mother of Christ she kept all her Sauiours sayings in her heart she did not onely lay them vp but also kept them And not onely in her head but also in her heart and not some onely but all his words And such keepers are all profitable hearers for if the word enter into mens harts and afterward goe out againe it will doe them little or no good at all Though the meate which a man eateth be receiued into his stomacke yet vnlesse it continue there for a time and be there digested it will not nourish and feede his body Though seede be cast into the furrowes yet vnles it doe there remaine for a season to sprout and take rooting it will not yeeld any crop to the reapers Euen so though the word should be receiued into the heart yet vnles it doe there abide it cannot fructifie in the life But if it be there safely kept it will bring forth plentifull encrease And therefore Christ said Happie are they which heare the word of God and keepe it Yea he accounteth them more happie for that their keeping of it then was the wombe that bare him and the pappes that gaue him sucke The benefite of this keeping is double 1. It serueth for direction for the word kept in the heart will direct a man in his life teaching him what sins to auoyd what duties to performe It will be a lanterne vnto his feete and a light vnto his path It will be a guide to say vnto him this is the way walke in it when he turneth to the right hand or to the left And therefore Dauid said of himselfe I haue hid thy promise in my heart that I might not sinne against thee As if the hiding keeping of the word in the heart were a speciall and an effectuall meane to keepe men from sinne And he also writeth of others The mouth of the righteous will speake of wisedome and his tongue will talke of iudgement for the lawe of God is in his heart and his steps shall not slide If you will carefully and safely keepe the word in your hearts you shall shew forth the fruit of it in your liues 2. It serueth for perseuerance It will make a man constantly to continue in grace in obedience in the Lords fauour and in state of saluation It is certaine that so long as men keepe the word in their harts they cannot wholy fall away from God Now those that heare with good and honest hearts shall alwaies safely keepe it neither can the diuells tentations nor the worlds persecution rob them of it neither can their owne corrupt affections being mortified expell it out of their hearts Though other hearers may loose the word by those meanes yet not any of these which haue these honest good harts And therefore as they are now in grace in state of saluatiō so shal they continue therein for euer Whereupon Iohn saith Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not for his seede remaineth in him neyther can he sinne because he is borne of God He cannot sinne totally and finally so as he should thereby quite cut off himself from grace and from saluation Wherefore this propertie of these hearers confuteth their opinion who hold that a man once in state of grace may vtterly fall away and become a reprobate If any will obiect that so long as they keepe the word in their hearts they cannot fall away but they may loose the word it may be taken out of their hearts and then they may perish I answere That in this their argument they begge the question for neyther can any other take the word from them neyther shall they lose it of themselues For this perpetuall keeping of the word is a speciall propertie in these good hearers whereby they differ from all other hearers As their hearts are farre better then the rest so shall they better keepe the word then any of the rest Those bad hearers which had their hearts mollified but in part or had their hearts fraught with worldly cares and voluptuousnes may receiue and keepe the word for a time and loose it afterward as you heard before but these who haue honest and good hearts shall keepe it and bring forth fruit This is a maine difference betwixt them that the rest keepe it for a time these keepe it for euer If these hearers might afterward loose it as well as the rest and bring forth no fruites of it then were there no difference betwixt them and the former But certainely there is great difference And therfore those who receiue it and keepe it not long receiue it with bad hearts Those who receiue it with good and honest hearts shall keepe it vnto the end In this respect Christ compared him that heard his words and did the same to a wise man which built his house vpon a rocke the raine fell the floodes came and the winds blew and beat vpon that house and it fell not for it was founded on a rocke So firmely is this hearer built on Christ that sure immoueable Rocke that no troubles tryals persecutions or tentations can ouerthrow him In the same respect Christ said Euery branch that beareth not fruit in me my Father taketh away and euery one that beareth fruite hee purgeth that it may bring forth more fruit To signifie that none are cut off but barren branches those that be fruitfull shall neuer be cut off but be made more fit to beare more fruit If it be further obiected that so long as their hearts are honest good they shall keepe the word bring forth the fruits thereof but their hearts may be corrupted and lose that goodnes and then they shall lose the word I also answere that if their hearts be once made such good honest hearts as be here spoken of they shall neuer be wholy finally corrupted they shall keepe their goodnes to the end For as the Apostle saith The gifts and calling of God are without repentance He who first made them good will cōtinue them in goodnes He will confirme thē vnto the end that
they may be blameles in the day of the Lord. Hath he not promised to make an euerlasting couenāt with his people and neuer to turne away from them to doe them good and to put his feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from him For this purpose did Augustine alleadge that and other places And further saith Sicut operatur vt accedamus sic operatur ne discedamus As he worketh that we may come to him so doth he worke that we may not depart from him I confesse the grace and goodnes of the heart may lie for a time as fire vnder ashes yet is it neuer vtterly extinguished A man in a traunce seemeth dead for a time yet doth he reuiue because his soule is in him So shall these within a while recouer because grace still remaineth in them Hence then must we learne to keep the word that so we may enioy these benefites and be reputed good hearers The Apostle exhorteth vs to let the word dwell in vs plenteously teaching and admonishing vs. It must not lodge in vs as a stranger doeth for a night in his Inne but haue continuall residence and abode as a man hath in his dwelling house The voyce of it must not be like the stroke of a Musitian which onely affecteth a man while he heareth the sound but rather like the receipt of a Physition which worketh in the body a long time after it is taken It may be while you heare some doctrines you knowe no present vse of them yet keepe them in your hearts for the time to come Heare for afterwards as the Lord speaketh by his Prophet As Ioseph in yeeres of plentie layd vp store for yeeres of famine And as the Ant in summer gathereth prouision for winter So must we at one time learne instructions which may stand vs in stead at another time In time of peace we must furnish and prepare our selues for warre in health for sicknes in prosperitie for aduersitie in life for death The Lord will not admit vs to be of his priuie Counsell to acquaint vs before hand how hee will vse vs and what he will bring vpon vs wee must therefore so keepe the word as we may be prepared for all occasions and know how to behaue our selues in all estates We must be like the wise Virgins who kept Oyle in their Lamps for al seasons A carefull Householder will not cast away an implement because he hath no present vse of it but will keepe it for 7. yeeres thinking the within that space he may need it No more do you reiect any doctrine which serues not for your present purpose keepe it stil in your hearts the time may come when it may much comfort your hearts much edifie your soules and bee a good direction for your liues We haue in these dayes few such hearers Many mens hearts are like a broken pitcher that will hold no water Or like to Siues which hold water no longer then they are kept in the water There be some who are desirous to heare much and yet they keep little they forget as fast as they learne As it is better to eate lesse meate and keepe it in the stomacke and digest it then to eate much and presently to cast it vp againe So is it better to heare lesse and keepe it well then to heare much and presently forget it No more shall profit vs then that we keepe What must we doe that we may be able to keepe it 1. Emptie your hearts of euil thoughts and wicked imaginations worldly cares and carnall lustes and if they be once expelled keepe them still out for as you often heard they will choake the word Isaack and Ishmael could not dwell together in one house The Arke of God and Dagon could not stand together in one Temple No more can the word and these lustes be kept together in one heart therefore keepe them out that it may be kept in Countrey Farmers hedge and ditch and make good fence round about their sowne fieldes lest beastes should breake in destroy the corne So must thou gard defend thy heart lest these vngodly lusts break in and destroy the seede of the word 2. Meditate often of that which thou hast heard that is also a good meanes to keepe it it will imprint it more deeply in thy heart and cause it to worke more effectually vpon thy affections In this respect he is reputed a blessed man that doth meditate in the Law of God day night Beastes after they haue eaten their meate will chew the cudde fetch it vp againe out of their belly and chew it ouer a new Such were cleane vnder the Lawe fittest for meate vnto man and for sacrifice vnto GOD. The best learned in olde and late times haue thought that holy meditation is signisied thereby You must then after you haue heard call the doctrine to minde againe meditate of it so it will best nourish your soules and make you most fit for the Lords seruice He that neglecteth this cannot long keepe the word 3. Vse holy and Christian cōference with others touching that which you haue heard This was commaunded vnder the Law The Lord enioyned the Iewes that the words which he commaunded them should bee in their hearts yet not that onely but they must rehearse them continually to their children Yea euery one must talke of them when he taried in his house when he walked by the way when he did lie downe and when he rose vp It was practised and approued vnder the Gospell The two Disciples that trauelled to Emaus conferred together touching Christ Christ liked their conference so well as hee vouchsafed them his presence made a third person in the conference and opened to them the Scriptures which foretold his death and resurrection and made their heartes to burne within them while hee talked with them and did manifest himselfe to them to confirme their faith in the truth of his resurrection So graciously did he approue and blesse that holy exercise In conference we may helpe others and others may helpe vs one bringing that to the others memorie which hee had forgotten So also we may helpe our selues for that which is then repeated is more surely imprinted in the memorie and is not afterwards so easilie forgotten 4. After thou hast heard pray earnestly vnto God that hee will imprint his word in thy heart He promised by his Prophet that in the new couenant of grace he would put his Lawe in the inward parts of his people and write it in their hearts The Lawes of the former concnant hee wrote in Tables of stone but the Lawes of the latter couenant hee will write in the fleshly tables of mens hearts If he write them in your hearts by the finger of his holy spirit they shall neuer be rased or blotted out Wherefore pray earnestly vnto him that hee would write them and
offend him 2. Againe as some haue erred in taking those to be fruits which are not so on the other hand some haue erred in taking those to be no fruits which indeed are good fruits Know you that the practise of euery dutie coÌ„manded in the word is good fruit Notwithstanding as there be diuers kindes of seede some of one graine some of another also diuers kindes of fruits some of one graine some of another So there be diuers kinds of doctrines diuers kinds of duties And as al fields are not sowne with the same graine but some with one kinde some with another as they will best beare So all doctrines and duties are not imposed and enioyned to all persons but some to one some to another according to their calling place and estate And therefore as all fields doe not bring forth the same graine but euery one that kind wherewith it was sowne So all persons cannot performe the same duties but some one kinde some another according to their estate and calling The Magistrate therefore bringeth forth one kind of fruite the minister another the people another The father one kind the child another the Maister one kind the seruant another The rich one kind the poore another Yet as that is accounted a fruitfull field which bringeth forth a plentifull encrease of that graine wherwith it was sowne though it be not the least graine of all So those persons are fruitfull hearers who carefully performe all such duties as belong to their place state and calling though they be not able to performe such good workes as are accounted the greatest and most profitable Some haue imagined that the Founding of Colledges and Schooles erecting of Hospitalles buylding of Churches bountyfull Almes giuen to the Poore and such great good workes which can be performed by a fewe are the onely or chiefest good-Fruites Though wee will not denye but that these be excellent fruits in theyr kinde if they proceed from a good roote and bee directed to a right ende Yet are there many other good Fruites that may bee as acceptable to God and as comfortable to the dooers Not onely the common dutyes of all Christians but likewise the particular dutyes of euery mans especiall calling and estate though it be neuer so meane and base in the iudgement of the world if they be performed in such a sort as the word directeth are most acceptable fruites such as God will approoue and reward Hee that is a seruant and in his seruice is put to many base workes yet if hee performe the common dutyes of all Christians and likewise performe the workes of his calling in such a manner as the word teacheth him the work of his seruice are good fruites And therefore Paule bad seruants bee obedient to theyr Maisters in singlenesse of heart as vnto Christ not with eye-seruice as men pleasers but as the seruants of Christ doing the will of God froÌ„ the heart As if by seruing theyr Maisters in a good sorte they did serue Christ Yea he lets them vnderstand that God would reward that their seruice for whatsoeuer good thing any man doth that shall hee receiue of the Lord whether he be bond or free And elswhere the Apostle teacheth that if ther be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not This bringing forth of fruite is amplified two wayes 1. by the maÌ„ner 2. by the measure of it First by the maner of it for they are said to bring forth fruit with patience And herein may also be seen a difference betwixt these one sort of the other hearers Those that are compared to stony ground in time of tentation fal away so faile both in profession and practise and the reason is because they want patience to beare the crosses that doe follow the word But these at all seasons and in all estates continue constant both in their profession and practise because they be endued with patience to endure all troubles that doe befall them for the words sake After ground is sowne with corne it endures many violent stormes and intemperate seasons faire weather and fowle frost and snowe cold and raine in winter heate and drought in summer before it can beare fruit in haruest So those who heare and receiue the word for the saluation of their soules doe oftentimes endure great troubles and suffer much affliction before they can bring forth the fruits of it Yet if they be endued with patience they will be content to beare all Hence it is that the Apostle telleth the Hebrewes that they had neede of patience that after they had done the will of God they might receiue the promise As if by patience they might be made able in those bloodie daies of cruell persecution to doe the will of God and so to receyue the promises And thorough want of patience they should fayle in the deede and not obtayne the promise And for this cause hee exhorteth vs to runne with patience the race that is set before vs. As if none could holde out to the ende of the Race but onely the patient And therefore in the midst of the greatest persecutions the patience and faith of the Saints is commended and admyred As when it was said Heere is the Patience and the Fayth of the Saintes Because by patience in bearing the Crosse and by faith in belieuing to receyue the Crowne they were made constant Thus will Patience arme a man against all Crosses so that by it hee shal be made able manifestly to encounter with them and safely to passe thorough them and not be hindred by any of them in the obedience of the word Howsoeuer in others Crossâ—s and Tribulations doe breede faynting and Relapse yet in these Hearers Tribulation bringeth foorth patience patience experience experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed What is the cause that one hearer to preuent some inconuenience which hee feareth or to remoue some trouble that hee feeleth will refuse to performe the dutie taught him And another will rather chuse to endure all Crosses and losses all disgraces and dangers yea imprisonment and death then sinne against his God but because the one wanteth patience the other is endued with patience So necessarie is patience for our practise So greatly doth it further vs in our obedience This should be a motiue to perswade euery one of you to seeke for patience It is in vaine to heare Gods word with intent to obey it vnles by patience you possesse your owne soules For otherwise your owne crosse will stoppe your course to turne you out of the way that leadeth vnto life The more patience the more obedience the lesse patience the lesse obedience we should loue Religion so dearely wee must bee content to suffer persecution for the profession and practise of it and rather lay downe our liues for the maintenance of it then fayle in the
obedience of it The same minde ought to be in vs which was in the blessed Apostle Paul who knowing that bands and afflictions did abide in euery place yet passed not for them Neyther was his life deare vnto himselfe so that hee might fulfill his course with ioy And when he was tolde by Agabus the Prophet that hee must be bound in Ierusalem did openly protest that hee was readye not onely to be bound but also to dye there for the Name of the Lord IESUS Yet consider that you cannot endure the least of those things vnlesse you be endued with patience you knowe not what may befall you heereafter and therefore pray vnto God that he will grant you patience to beare that which shall come In time of publike peace and when the Gospell is defended by the authoritie of Magistrates men may endure some secret and priuate persecution by inferiour persons Especially in these popish parts where some hold of Christ some of Antichrist where papists grow head-strong through impunitie And where many are Protestants in shewe but Papists in Truth If they cannot persecute you by the Sworde they will persecute you by the tongue If not by fire and fagot as they were wont yet by priuate wrongs and spitefull displeasures Yea the Church is no better nowe then was Abrahams house in which the sonne of the bond-woman by scoffes and mocks did persecute the sonne of the free woman Did not Cayne and Abel sacrifice together yet Cayne enuyed Abel because his Sacrifice was better accepted and afterwardes slewe him for it Was not Paule often in perilles among false Brethren And did you not heare out of Bernard howe the Church complained that in her peace shee had greatest bittâ—rnes Of a peaceable time he said Et pax est non est paz There is peace and there is not peace peace from Pagons peace from Heretikes yet not peace indeede from the sonnes Many friendes were foes indeede We must therefore in all times looke to receyue some Affliction for the Gospells sake And therefore seeke for patience at all seasons that so in the time of persecution and in the time of peace you may continue constant in the profession and practise of Gods word 2. Moreouer this theyr bringing forth of fruite is amplified by the measure of it which was great in all yet not alike in all All were fruitefull yet there was great difference and variety in the qualitie of theyr fruite some brought forth lesse some more Though this be not heere noted in this Euangelist yet is it mentioned by the other two Euangelistes and that both in the propounding of the Parable and in the Exposition of it They say Some brought foroth thirtie folde some fixty folde some an hundred fold So much did each Seede multiplie and encrease Wherein CHRIST speaketh according to the qualitie of the best ground in Iudea The whole land was very fertile as the Scripture teacheth It was a land that flowed with milke and hony and therefore would yeelde great encrease of Corne. The worst of it was as good as the best of our grounds and therefore the best must needes bee exceeding fruitfull The ground of other lands haue yeelded great encrease When Isaacke sowed corne in Gerar he receiued an hundred measures for one that he sowed Forraine writers record that ByzazuÌ„ in Africa for one bushell of seede yeelded an 150. of encrease That the countrey of the Euhesperites yeeldeth an hundred fold The countrey of the Cynopeans three hundreth fold And the land of Babylon in some parts hath bene so fruitfull that it neuer yeelded lesse then two hundred fold sometime three hundred fold Now the land of Canaan especially in some parts and in a seasonable yeare was not inferiour to them and therefore would yeeld great encrease yet not all alike some parts of it was more fertile then other and so brought forth greater store of fruit Theâ—…by doth Christ set forth the diâ—â—â—sitie of fruitfulnes in his hearers All good hearers yeeld plentie of fruâ—… yet some more some lesse The word worketh powerfully in them all yet more powerfully and effectually in some then in others So fruitfull is the seede of the word that of a few graines there springeth an admirable encrease of all vertues A plentifull store of all graces in the heart many heauenly meditations holy thoughts and godly motions in the minde all sorts of good words in the mouth and all manner of good workes in the life yet all good hearers haue not all these in the same qualitie and number In some they more abound in others lesse And therefore as before you sawe some difference betwixt bad hearers so here you may behold some varietie and difference among good hearers For one doth much exceede another in the multitude and encrease of fruites according to the measure of Gods grace giuen to euery one The Rhemistes teach that this difference of Fruites is the difference of merits in this life and rewards for them in the next life according to the diuersitie of states As that the hundred fold agreeth to virgins professed threescore fold to Religious widowes thirty folde to the marryed And hence would many popish writers proue the excellencie and dignitie of single-life aboue Widow-hood and Mariage But therein they manifestly declare that they neyther vnderstand the scope of the Parable nor the meaning of Christs Exposition 1. For first it is apparant that Christ spake it not of receyuing fruites or rewards but of bearing and bringing forth fruites of obedience Though these be so linked together as the one sorte doth certainely followe the other yet doo they much differ The one sort of fruites are our deeds performed by vs vnto God the other sorte are Gods rewardes which hee in mercy bestoweth on vs and which wee receyue from him The one sort are the fruites of grace heere brought foorth for a time on the Earth the other are the fruits of glory receyued and enioyed in Heauen for euermore Of the former kinde Christ speaketh For it was not his purpose to shew the difference betwixt men in heauen but a difference betwixt good hearers in bringing forth the fruits of the word on the earth Euen as before he noted a difference betwixt bad hearers not as they shall be hereafter in hell but as they are now liuing in the world how then can his words proue any merit of workes or difference of merits in the next life 2. Christ in this parable spake not of any outward estates or different degrees of men in the world but onely of diuers sorts of hearers People of all estates and conditions did then heare him and afterward heare the Apostles and doe now heare vs. Now Christ teacheth that of what state or condition soeuer they be whether single persons or maried or widowes they shall beare fruites according to the manner of their hearing and according to the inward
say with the Apostle It is not I but the grace of God which is with me and by his grace I am that I am The more lowly thou art the better are thy fruites The more and the better graines that an eare of corne hath in it the lower it will bowe downeward but the fewer and the worse graines it hath the higher and straighter will it stand vp Euen so the more good fruites for number and the sounder for qualitie that any man hath the more lowly and humble will he be The prouder he is and the more he insulteth ouer others the fewer worse be his gifts and fruits Therfore be lowly and humble not Arrogating to thy selfe but ascribing to God the glory of all thy fruites Not disdayning any for the small measure of their fuits but honoring them for their good beginning and praying to God that they may abound more and more And this I pray for you all as the Apostle did for the Phlippians that your loue may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all iudgement that yee may discerne things that differ that yee may be pure and without offence vntill the day of Christ filled with the fruites of righteousnes which are by IESUS CHRIST vnto the glorie and prayse of GOD. The Lorde graunt you all these things for his mercies sake in his beloued Sonne Amen A POSTSCRIPT to the Papists in Lancashire I Am not ignorant how hasty and rash manie of you bee in condemning all things spoken and written against the Doctrine of your moderne Priestes If you vouchsafe to reade our wrytings you commonly giue no more fauourable Censure of them then Iulian the Emperour gaue of the Ancient Fathers bookes who thus said of them I read I vnderstood I condemned And we might iustly answere you as Basil and other Learned Byshops answered him Thou hast read but not vnderstod For if thou hadst vnderstood thou wouldst not haue condemned Some of you are like those men whereof the Apostle Iude spake who condemne those things which they knowe not Others of you knowe and vnderstand more yet reiect all things as erronious and Hereticall which you knowe to be contradictorie to the positions of your popish priests Yea many of you be such vnequall iudges that although you cānot but approue almost all points in the booke yet if there bee but one only thing which you distaste you presently condemne all the rest for it And take it to bee as a leafe of Coloquyntis which marreth a whole messe of pottage and as a deade Flye that spoyleth a whole boxe of Oyntment In regard whereof I may iustly feare your sharpe and bitter censures of these my Sermons nowe put foorth to open sight I can expect no more indifferencie and fauour at your hands thē others my betters haue formerly found Notwithstāding as often hereto fore I haue laboured by many meanes to giue you satisfaction in your Doubtes and demaundes both by priuate Conference with diuers of the Layitie by seuerall Answeres made to the wrytings of the learned on your side and also by open disputations with your priests as some of you cannot denie if you would testifie truth So would I now giue you full contentment if any reasonable thing will content you for all such exceptions which I thinke you wil take against these Sermons Whereas the learned on your side doe charge vs that in our sermons and writings we interpret the Scriptures according to our owne fancies and priuate conceits and not according to the vniforme sense giuen by the Fathers and the common exposition of the Church and thervpon would perswade you not to heare or reade or belieue any thing which we proue by the scriptures I will make it apparant that in those points of cōtroucrsie touched in these sermons and confirmed by seuerall texts of scripture I haue the consent of the ancient Fathers and also of many of your owne late wryters Cardinall Bellarmine acknowledgeth that before the Pelagian heresie arose the Fathers did not exactly handle the questionof Praedestination by grace but onely when occasion was offered did briefly set down their opinions And that Chrysost did not plainly preach preuēting grace because at that time they were not risen vp which denyed it As if the Fathers did speake and write plainely fully of those poynts onely which were controuerted and impugned in those dayes Now is it certaine that few of those poyntes which I mentioned were called into question in their dayes There were many controuersies de eo quod creditur non de eo quo creditur as the M. of Sentences out of Augustine distinguisheth of the things to bee beleeued or of the obiect of faith yet not of the habite of faith or of the gift or qualitie whereby we beleeue And therefore the trueth is not to be gain-sayed though we could not produce very pregnant and plentifull testimonies out of their writings touching the nature and kindes of faith Notwithstanding they haue not left themselues without witnes in that they do vpon occasions declare their iudgements therein which serue to confirme the trueth on our side These testimonies of theirs and the testimonies of your owne Doctors I did forbeare to recite in the Pulpit or write in the copie of the Sermons that so I might auoyde tediousnes Yet hauing diligently perused them and hoping that they would be of force with some that duly consider them I thought good to set them apart by themselues and to adde them as a postscript after all SECT II. WHereas I taught that the word of God is the spirituall seede which must bee sowne in our hearts to make vs fruitfull in all good workes And that Preachers ought to teach and people ought to heare and receiue nothing but the word and did limit the word to the word written I know it crosieth the doctrine of some in your Church and therefore may perhaps be misliked by you First your countrey-man Doctor Stapleton writing a Postill for the instruction of Popish Preachers could not finde in all this Parable any poynt to be obserued against vs but onely this that the word is the seed And will haue not the word written but the word preached to be the seede Yea he maketh two words of God the one Now what is preaching but expounding of Scripture and deliuering the true sense of it As appeareth by the practise of Ezra and the Leuites who reade the Lawe of God distinctly and then gaue the sense and caused the people to vnderstand what was read Those then who in their Sermons deliuer the true sense of the word written according to those seuerall kindes of expositions must needes deliuer the word of GOD euen the selfe-same word that is written Againe not onely the things expresly set downe in the Scriptures but likewise such things as by sound and necessarie consequence bee collected thence are taken for written truthes and not