liuing man but yet hath no life at all within it so hypocrites séeme to liue by the life of grace yet are they dead in sinne and rotted in corruption They are new vpstart Gyants hauing two faces vnder one hood they come neere vnto God with their mouthes honor the Lord with their lips but their hearts are farre remoued from him Deum laudant in tympano sed non in choro i. They praise the Lord in the Tabor but not in the dance they serue God in shew but not in truth they beare with the figge trée great store of leaues but no fruite at all But alas alas these hypocrites that thus deceiue themselues hauing their reward on earth which they through vaineglory gréedily looke for at the hands of men shall neuer obtaine a crowne of righteousnesse being altogether vnrighteous but they shall haue their portion with hypocrites where shall be weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth For the Lord abhorreth all hollow hearts and double tongues all outward oblations and burnt sacrifices all outward shew and hypocriticall worship he is a Spirit and he will spue all such out of his mouth as worship him not in spirit and truth Simulata sanctitas duplex iniquitas i. Counterfeit godlinesse is so farre from holinesse as it is double vngodlinesse I say therefore vnto thée with S. Chrysostome Aut esto quod appares aut appare quodes i. Either be as thou séemest or séeme as thou art It is not séeming but being that shal go for pay Non auditores sed factores legis iustificabuntur i. Not the hearers but the doers of the Law shall be iustified Nec candem profitentes sed eidem obedientes glorificabuntur i. Not professors but performers shall be glorified Woe therefore to all hypocriticall mock-gods that runne not in the race of Christianity as they boast themselues by profession they shall roare at the gates of heauen and say Lord Lord haue we not by thy name prophecied and by thy name cast out diuels and by thy name done many great workes haue we not professed thy Gospell and borne the name of thine But because they did not the will of our heauenly father our Sauiour shall send them packing to hell with a Nescio vos professing on this manner vnto them I neuer knew you depart from me yee workers of iniquity O ye viperous serpents ô yee generation of vipers how shall ye escape the damnation of hell Let euery Christian therefore beware of the leauen of the Pharisées which is hypocrisie Beware of false Prophets which come vnto you in sheepes cloathing but inwardly are rauening wolues ye shall know them by their fruits do men gather grapes of thornes of figs of thistles Walke wisely towards them that are without redeeming the time for the dayes are very euill That you may therefore preuent the damned traditions of this diuellish brood I say vnto you as our Sauiour sayd vnto his Apostles a little before his passion Behold I haue told you before Let euery Christian therefore auoiding all counterfeit and hypocriticall profession runne in the race of godlinesse seruing the Lord with all his heart with all his soule with all his strength in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of his life God calleth for our hearts My son giue me thy heart The Lord as saith S. Augustine Quia totum fecit totum exigit i. Because he made all he will haue all not a péece of the heart nor a roome in thy heart but the whole hart for the Lord is a iealous God and as a iealous husband cannot endure that his wife should giue her heart or any part thereof to any other man so the Lord cannot abide that we should giue any part of our hart from him He calleth not for a stony heart nor for a double heart but for a fleshly heart a hart purged by faith in Christ Iesus bathed in the bloud of the Lambe and throughly clensed by the fire of the spirit not an old heart neither a corrupted heart but a new hart and a new spirit for which the Prophet Dauid begged create in me a new hart ô god and renew a right spirit within me Let vs therefore I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God giue vp our bodies a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable vnto God which is our reasonable seruing of God and let vs not fashion our selues like to this world but let vs be changed by the renewing of our minde In stead of dead beasts let vs giue vp our bodies which are liuely sacrifices and in stead of the bloud of beasts which was but a shadow and pleased not God of it selfe let vs giue vp the acceptable sacrifice of the spirituall man framed by faith to godlinesse of life Let vs sanctifie the Lord God in our harts who daily calleth for our harts let vs say with Dauid My soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name Let vs praise him in his sanctuary and in the firmament of his power let vs praise him in his mighty acts and according to his excellent greatnesse let vs praise him in the sound of a trumpet vpon the viole and harpe yea let euery thing that hath breath praise the Lord And that not onely in word and in tongue but in déede and in truth not in outward shew and profession only but in our pure liues and holy conuersations that so running in the race of godlines to the ende of our liues wée may bée blessed for euer and glorifying the Lord God by our holy conuersations in this world we may be eternally glorified of the Lord our God in the world to come So runne that ye may obtaine The last thing to be obserued in this heauenly race is praemium promissum The promised reward to all those that runne lawfully So great a reward it is as should stirre vp euery Christian to runne in the race of godlinesse If the king of his princely bounty would offer a 100000. pounds to him that should first come at a miles end would not thousands hazard their liues and aduenture a surfeit willingly that they may obtaine the same But the Lord hath offered vs a kingdome yea it is the pleasure of our heauenly father to giue vs a kingdome an habitation not made with hands nor purchased with gold and siluer but with the bloud of the immaculate Lambe And shall not we labour and streine our selues with might and maine to runne the race that is appointed for vs How will men toyle and moyle for a little worldly trash how will men vse all their wits and bend all their studies to be worldly rich Alas these are as doung in respect of this reward shal we not therfore much more labour for the meate y t shall neuer perish and for this glorious reward y t shall neuer be taken frō vs The greatnesse
THE RACE CELESTIALL OR a direct path to heauen By HENRY GREENVVOOD maister of Arts and Preacher of the word of God 1. COR. 9.24 So runne that yee may obtaine Printed at London by N. O. for Henry Pell dwelling in holborne neere to the Crosse Keyes 1609. HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE TO THE MOST high and mightie most gratious and religious Prince Iames by the grace of God of great Brittaine France and Ireland king defender of the faith Apostolicall c. All blessed hap in this life and eternall blisse in life to come THE picture of Puritie and patterne of Piety most gratious and dread soueraigne Lord holy Bernard by name deciphereth out at large the grosse enormity of that vgly vice Ingratitude saying that it is Inimica animae exinanitio meritorum dispersio virtutum c. An enimie to the Christians soule an exile of merits a ruine of vertues and a consuming fire that scorcheth vp the fountaine of all godlines Lest therefore I should cōdemne my self of this sensual sin and challenged be of grosse ingratitude I haue presumed crauing pardon for my arrogant audacitie herein in token of my loyall dutie to your sacred maiestie to transport these lines Laconicall and letters impolite to the happy hauen of your Princely heart wishing to your royall grace the siluer of all earthly prosperity the gold of all celestiall felicitie If your highnesse respect the matter it is celestiall if your supremacie the manner it is too too terrestiall Yet pardon most religious Prince this my bold attempt partly weighing the compulsion of entire affection and partly considering the necessity of your simplest subiects erudition Thus ceassing further troubling your maiesties sacred eares prosterning my selfe vpon the knees of submission at your highnesse footstool for pardon for my presumption herein I beg without intermission before the throne of grace that it would please the almightie to blesse protect and defend your royall maiestie your blessed bedfellow and all your royal issue in this life present and in the life to come crowne you all with the Crowne of immortall glory and that for Iesus Christs sake our onely Lord and euerliuing Sauiour Amen From Sampford Magna in Essex this 16. of October 1608. Your maiesties most humble seruant and most loyall subiect H. Greenewood The Race Celestiall or a direct path to heauen 1. COR. 9.24 So runne that ye may obtaine BOetius in his booke De consolatione philosophia saith Quod vnicuique viro bono inserta est quaedam cupiditas boni i. That in euery good man there is inserted a feruent desire of that which is good Now the true and chiefest good thing that may possibly be desired of mortall man in which onely the soule of man is fully satisfied is the Lord God according to that of S. Augustine Fecisti nos Domine ad te inquietum est cor nostrum donec quiescat in te i. Thou hast created vs O Lord for thine owne selfe and our hearts are disquieted vntill they find a firme rest in thy selfe And as well saith S. Bernard Illud est verum summum gaudium quod non de creatura sed de Creatore concipitur i. that is the true and chiefest ioy which is conceiued not of the creature but the Creator Now the Lord that is Omnium summum bonorum Of all good things the chiefest can by no meanes be obtained but by a true and liuely faith in Iesus Christ his welbeloued sonne prouing it selfe by good fruites of amendment by whom we are reconciled againe to the Lord and brought into the fauour of the most High of which by our sinnes wée haue iustly béene depriued as well saith Leo Non dormientibus peruenit regnum caelorum nec otio nec desidia torpentibus praemium aeternitatis promittitur sed vigilantibus benè viuentibus i. The kingdome of heauen falleth not to the sluggards share neither is eternall blisse promised to idle and euill persons but onely to those that liue by faith and are vigilant in the workes of godlinesse The holy Apostle therefore hauing in the former chapters of this his first Epistle to the Corinthians earnestly and industriously taught them the true path that leadeth to life hauing also perceiued that they had imbraced his doctrine willingly and runne in the same in some measure chéerefully he doth here in this golden simile that they might haue their portion in the Lord exhort them to perseuerance holding out to the ende of their liues knowing that of our Sauiour in the Gospell to be true He that endureth to the end the same and none but the same shall be saued In which words the Apostle borroweth a similitude A certamine cursorio from a terrestriall race for a temporary price for as in that race many runne but one receiueth the prize namely he that all the rest out-strippeth and commeth first at the ende euen so in the race of Christianity no man shall be crowned but he that holdeth out to the end of his life yet notwithstanding there is this difference in this similitude that in the race terrestriall he is onely guerdened with reward that toucheth first the but and in this race celestiall not onely one but all may be crowned with euerlasting blisse In which excellent Simile the Apostle compareth Cursui vitam stadio pretatem praemio salutem i. our life to a race or running piety and godlinesse to a race wherein we must runne and euerlasting blisse to a promised reward So runne that ye may obteine That is so liue in this life vnder the Gospell of Christ Iesus that ye may obteine euerlasting life in the life to come In which heauenly exhortation of Paul we may generally obserue these thrée things First Quid sit currere what is meant by this word Runne Secondly Qualiter quid currendum how must we runne to obteine So Runne Thirdly Praemium promissum the reward promised to all those that run lawfully First Runne By this race or running is vnderstood this present life of man The life of man is compared to many things Some of the Philosophers haue compared it to a bubble some to a sléepe some to a dreame some to one thing some to another Iob compareth it to a wind the Prophet Dauid compareth it to a shadow Iames to a vapor Peter to a flower Esay to grasse and the Apostle Paul in respect of the celerity and swiftnesse thereof compareth it here to a Race or running Quid aliud saith S. Augustine est vita nostra nisi quidam cursus ad mortem vita dum crescit decrescit vita mortalis mors vitalis i. what is our life but a certaine running to death our life while it increaseth decreaseth our life is dying our death is liuing The traueller the longer he goeth on his iourney the nigher he is his iourneys end the children of Israel the longer they wandred from Egypt
head and ouercomming his chiefest power fulfilled the law in euery point and tittle satisfied Gods iustice for vs appeased his wrath against vs purchased celestiall mansions to vs by offering himselfe in sacrifice to the Lord of hosts vpon the crosse at Golgotha for the sins of the whole world by his death and passion by vanquishing hell by conquering death by his glorious resurrection and ascension and by sending of the holy Ghost He went from the father and came into the world And in short time yea in the space of 33. yeares wrought the redemption of all beléeuers And left this world and went againe to his father The spouse of Christ considering her husbands great velocity celerity and swiftnesse saith Behold he commeth leaping by the mountaines and skipping by the hils my welbeloued is like a Roe or a yong Hart c. Venit vidit vicit He came from heauen he sawe the earth and ouercame the dragon Thus after Christs example should we that professe our selues Christians runne swiftly in the race of godlinesse holinesse purity and obedience to the commandements of our heauenly father thus should we run Investigijs Iesu In the footesteps of Christ Iesus who is Via veritas vita i. The way the truth and the life and the true way to life euerlasting To the performance of which duty the Lord graunt to vs his grace for of our selues we are not able to set one foote forward to heauen that so we may be able to his glory and our soules euerlasting good to do his will in earth as willingly swiftly and as spéedily as the Angels do it in heauen Now déere brethren that we may runne thus swiftly in the race of godlinesse and in the course of Christianity two things are necessary First Vt simus intus vacus That we be empty within Secondly Vt simus extra exonerati i. That we be vnladen without First we must be empty within Now what is that which cloggeth vs so sore within and hindreth vs from running in this godly race Surely that is sinne So weighty a thing is sinne As it sunke downe Sathan from heauen So weighty a thing is sinne as it caused the earth to open her mouth and swallow vp cursed Core diuellish Dathan and that abiect Abiram with all their trecherous crue The Prophet in respect of the weight thereof compareth it to Lead and that worthily for as lead in the clocke causeth by the weight thereof the cogs whéeles and gimmers successiuely to moue one after the other euen so the weight of sinne doth draw the cogs of our carnall concupiscence the whéeles of our leud desires and the gimmers of our vntamed affections from one sinne to another according to that of S. Gregory Peccatum quod per poenitentiam non deletur mox suo pondere ad aliud trahit i. If sinne by repentance presently be not done away by the weight thereof it will draw a man to more sinne â—â— we find it exemplified in the Prophet Dauid who fell from idlenesse to concupiscence from concupiscence to adultery from adultery to murther Of the weight of sinne the Prophet Dauid speaketh Mine iniquities are gone ouer mine head and as a weighty burthen they are too heauy for me The Prophet Esay calleth the bands of wickednesse heauy burthens intollerable to be borne The sinnes of the world being layd vpon the shoulders of Iesus vpon the crosse were so weighty and heauy as they forced him hauing the weight of Gods wrath for them also vpon him to cry out on this manner to his God Eli Eli Lamasabacâ—thani My God my God why hast thou forsaken me If the yoke of Christ be easie and his burthen light then of necessity on the contrary must the yoke of Sathan which is sinne be vneasie heauy and intollerable to be borne By which it may appeare that sin is an intollerable burthen and a great impediment to this Christâ—â—â— race Let vs therefore as the chosen vessell doth exhort vs cast away euery thing that presseth vs downe and the sinne that hangeth so fast on Let vs runne with patience the race that is set before vs. Where it is euident that we cannot runne with patience the race that is set before vs vnlesse we do cast away our sinnes from vs which do hang so fast on vs. Moses was not permitted to come nigh the Lord before he did discalciate himselfe Put off thy shoes for the place where thou standest is holy ground So must we put off the durty shoes of iniquity and abandon sin from the castle of our hearts before we can be able to stand in the path-way to ioyes which is an holy ground therefore much lesse are we able to runne in the same and most vnapt to runne swiftly Let vs therefore in the name of God purge our soules and bodies from sinne with the hysope of Gods grace Let vs separate them from vs and our selues from them as farre as the East is from the West and North the South Let vs loath detest and abhorre them because the Lord doth loath detest and abhor vs for them as we haue giuen our members as weapons of vnrighteousnesse to the seruice of Satan in vngodlinesse of this life euen so let vs giue them as weapons of righteousnesse to the seruice of the Lord in godlinesse of life as we haue runne in the race of the first Adam by commission of sinne so let vs runne in the race of the second Adam Iesus Christ the righteous by performance of righteousnesse let vs cease from sinne and do that which is good let vs séeke peace and ensue it Let vs Plangere plangenda bewaile our sinnes that ought to be lamented Grauia peccata grauia desiderant lamenta saith Isodore great sinnes require great lamentation swéet meate must haue sower sauce reioycing in sinne must haue mourning for sinne let vs therefore be Tam proni ad lamenta sicut fuimus ad peccata As prone to lamentation as we haue béene to transgression as ready to lament them as we haue béene to commit them let vs swéepe euery corner of our hearts cleane with the broomes of penance and let vs water them with the salt teares of earnest contrition so that we may be sit receptories for the Lord to dwell in and being annointed with the oyle of grace wee may runne swiftly in the race that is set before vs and obteine the reward prepared for vs. So runne that ye may obteine Secondly if we will runne swiftly in the path way to heauen we must be Extrà exonerati i. vnladen without Those that runne in a race will lay aside their cloakes doublets and such like outward vestiments that they may runne the more spéedily and obteine the more assuredly And so in like maner we must be vnburthened of all outward matters whatsoeuer especially of the excessiue care and affection that naturally we beare to this
are daily wrought and subiect to much trauell The barren trée is not beaten but the trée that is planted by the riuers side and bringeth foorth his fruit in due season is sorely shaken and yearly beaten The stones that were for Salomons temple were squared and heiuen before they were layde in the building So euery Christian who is a liuely stone in this spirituall building as saith S. Peter must be hewen with the are of affliction and squared with the saw of correction before he can be receiued into the triumphant Church whereof Christ Iesus is the head corner stone Ideo Dominus quibusdam hic parcit non feriendo vt in aeternum feriat ideo hîc ferit non parcendo vt in aeternum parcat i. The Lord spareth some for a time that he may punish them for euer and he chasteneth some for a time that he may spare them for euer Diues that was spared on earth was tormented in hell and Lazarus that was corrected on earth was spared in heauen For qui vult cum Christo conregnare in regno coelorum i. He that will reigne with Christ in the kingdome of heauen must cum Christo compati in valle lachrimarum i. must suffer with Christ in the vale of teares qui vult consequi must sequi i. he that will obteine Christ must follow Christ he that will follow Christ must take vp his crosse and follow him Christ suffered before he entred into glory so must euery Christian first suffer before he can be glorified The seruant must not be aboue his maister Si ergo compatimur conregnabimus i If we suffer with him we shall reigne with him Dulcia non meruit qui non gustauit amara i. He deserueth not to taste of the swéete that will not taste of the sower Iouinian a king hauing two vessels of wine in his pallace the one swéete wine and the other sower decréed that whosoeuer would taste of the swéete wine should first taste of the sower So whosoeuer will taste of the swéete ioyes that runne through the celestiall paradice must first with Christ sup of the cup of salt teares of affliction No maruell therefore if the Prophet in generall saith that many are the troubles of the righteous No maruell if he compareth afflictions to waues of the sea for as one waue dasheth ouer the necke of another so one affliction continually followeth another for God is not like a waspe that hauing stung once can sting no more but there is a plurality of crosses with God he can sting againe and againe as one sorrowfull messenger came to Iob after another euen so one affliction visiteth the Christian after another as the viper leapt vpon Paul and leapt off againe euen so afflictions leape vpon Gods seruants and leape off againe Those therefore that runne in the race of godlinesse must not thinke this strange neither must they thinke themselues frée from afflictions for they are hedged in on euery side with sundry kinds of troubles and haue thrée deadly enemies continually warring against them Whereupon Iob calleth the life of man a warfare vpon earth and that worthily for we fight against thrée mighty enemies the Diuell the World and the flesh The first enemy that withstandeth vs in the way to heauen is the diuell who in respect of his cruelty and might is compared to a roaring Lyon The Diuell like a roaring Lyon goeth vp and downe seeking whome hee may deuoure The second enemy is the world which is as subtill as the diuell is powerfull for by the profits and pleasures therein it draweth many to the seruice of Satan The third enemy which is the flesh is no whit inferior to either of them for Caesar being asked what was the greatest thing in the world to ouercome sayd Scipsum vincere to ouercome a mans owne selfe and his vntamed affections It doth alway rebell against the good motions of the spirit it is a Iudas to betray our soules into the hands of old Leuiathan The prophecy must be fulfilled I will put enmity betweene thee and the woman betweene thy seede and her seed Therefore the Church of God in this respect is called Ecclesia militans a warring Church a Church y e fighteth manfully vnder the banner of Christ against y e aduersaries abousaid No maruell therefore our life being a warfare if this world be called vullis lachrimarum a vale of teares for afflictions are so common that we haue alwayes cause to shed foorth a whole Ocean of teares with the Prophet Dauid who although he were a man according to Gods owne heart was a Pellicane in the wildernesse of this world whose nature is alwayes to haue teares trickling downe her bill his teares were his meate and drinke he watered his bed with salt teares and washed his couch with continuall weeping This is the state and condition of all Gods children in this life that will runne in the race of Christianity so that we may conclude with Iob and say Man that is borne of a woman is of short continuance is ful of trouble Séeing then that we are borne to trauell as the bird to flying let vs arme our selues w t patience let vs possesse our soules with patience and let vs runne the race that is set before vs with patience knowing that Non sunt condignae passiones c. that the passions that we can suffer in this world are not worthy of the ioyes in the world to come And séeing we are withstood in this way by thrée mighty enemies let vs like wise souldiers put on the whole armor of God the helmet of hope the brest-plate of righteousnesse the shield of faith the girdle of sincerity the shoes of peace and let vs alway haue ready drawne the sword of the spirit which is the word of God which is able to quench all the fierie darts of Sathan and slay the dragon in the deepe Moreouer let euery Christian that runneth in the race of godlinesse know that as afflictions are by no meanes to be auoided so are they necessary for the good of Gods children All things worke for the best to them that loue God And it is good for me saith y e Prophet that I haue beene in trouble for therby haue I learned thy law For affliction to y e godly Medicina est non poena castigatio non dānatio i. is a curing medicine not a destroying punishment a profitable chastisement not a deuouring condemnation For diuerse causes therefore doth the Lord suffer his déere children to be afflicted First to weane and winne them from the loue of this wicked world for in prosperity we are ready to be forgetfull of God and of our selues also we are ready with the deafe adder to stop our eares at the voyce of the charmer charme hee neuer so wisely the wéde is ready to ouergrow the corne and the