to his owne thoughts and against his owne knowledge when he saw the people of Israell were gone he flies to strength of warre he calles his Captaines he musters his people he gathers his Chariots he pursues with all might and maine till at last both he and his ouer whelmed in the sea receiued the fearefull and finall iudgement of wilfull disobedience Now then let all the earth know the goodnesse of the Lord and wisely obserue his loue vnto mankinde for euer It is true Pharaohs heart was Hardened and he with his Nobles vtterly ouerthrowne But before this ouerthrow all meanes possibly that could be were vsed to winne Pharao Blessing vpon blessing before receiued punishment vpon punishment after inflicted Moses still and againe prayed for him Aaron euer and anon perswaded him the plagues to astonish him were sodaine and exceeding wonderfull the deliuerance to winne him was present and more miraculous the Enchanters confessed the People cried out his Seruants were offended Aegypt was almost quite destroyed the land of Goshen was still vntouched God againe and againe and still againe was entreated and yet Pharao remained obstinate Shall we then say that God Hardened Pharaohs heart Be it farre from vs for it is directly set down in the 9. chap. 34. verse And when Pharao saw the haile and thunder were gone he sinned againe and Hardened his heart and againe the 8. chap. 15. verse When Pharao saw that he had rest he hardened his owne heart Oh I would to God it were onely Pharaohs case and that we also being Christians did not abuse the long forbearance and much louing kindnesse of our God For now feare of the storme is ouer but euen one yeare or two now that our louing God through his vnspeakeable mercie hath so sweetly set all in order Behold our vnthākfulnes to God enioying so religious and peaceable a Prince that all Nations round about vs stand amazed now that he hath setled amongst vs a most happie and religious peace now that he gath giuen honor plentie and rest throughout all the land still still we dally and trifle with the Lord according to our priuate humors and seuerall sectes we will not prosesse the Gospell except we first condition as Pharao did both with our God and King with humble hearts we do not submit our selues peaceably to serue the Lord For this blessed Catastrophe our soules flame not with thankefull loue neyther as they ought breake foorth into euerlasting prayses Nay whereas the word of GOD came tenne times to Pharao willing him to let the people of Israell goe and serue the Lord the same word comes an hundred times tenne to our heartes crying and beating vpon vs to haue vs let goe our contentions our carnall and peruerse affections and yet wee neuer relente at the same A mans heart will tell him more then seuen watchmen in a Tower Wee know Ecceus 37.14 we know euery one in his owne bosome the sinnes which we secretly foster and will not let goe But as Saint Paule exhorteth the Iewes Hebrewes 3.12 so I aduise you in the name of GOD. Take heed take heed least in any of you there bee found a false and an euill heart to depart from the liuing GOD. For assuredly it is a fearefull and bitter thing to carye euer a selfe-wild and peruerse minde to respect meerely the applause of men and fading pleasures of this life so inwardly falling away from God and losing the blessed comfort of our saluation O Sauiour sweet and secret hope turne vs that we may be turned bow our heartes and the heartes of our seede vnto thee that we may feare thy iudgements acknowledge thy goodnesse and stand fast in thy loue for euer The third poynt is to show how men become Hardened in opening whereof wee are to vnderstand that there are three sortes of Hardening Naturalis Voluntaria Hidicialis The first is by Nature the second by Habite and Custome the third by the Iust iudgement of GOD. The first is the forgetfulnesse or dulnesse in a naturall man when hee ouershootes himselfe for want of wise obseruation and remembrance In this sixth of Marke our Sauiour Christ fed fiue thousand men with fiue loaues Mark 6. and two fishes a miracle sufficient to prooue vnto his Disciples that he was the Sonne of GOD. Yet presently after when he came walking on the Sea and caused the winde to cease they stoode amazed and did not acknowledge his Diuinitie for saith the Scripture in the two and fifteth verse Gods children may be blinded in mind and hardened in heart for a time They considered not the miracle of the loaues because their hearts were Hardened that is through naturall imperfection they had for got it Secondly there is an Hardening by habit when through a carelesse securitie men doe continue in sinne and take such a custome as they can hardly leaue So Simon Magus his heart by custome was so long bent and set vpon couetousnesse that being conuersant amongest the Apostles and daily imployed in most diuine and holy actions Yet euen then his minde and thought still ranne vpon money vpon gaine This is Habitualis obduratio an Hardening which growes by continuance in sinne He that is in this case it standes him vpon to gather vp his spirits and strongly to resist sinne to sequester himselfe ost-times vnto deuout and priuate Meditations to ioy in hearing the word with reuerence to receiue the blessed Sacramentes especially to bee feruent in prayer for so Saint Peter willed Simon Magus Acts. 8.22 Repent and pray that if it bee possible the thoughtes of thy heart may bee forgiuen The third and last is Iudicialis obduratis an Hardning which proceedes from the iust iudgemente of God Cumpeccatum fit paenapeccati when sinne becomes a punishment to him that committeth it Rom. 1.2.7 as Saint Paule sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a recompence of former errors when the thought is so poysoned the minde and soule so generally infected that the spirit of God is vtterly quenched no light of nature no priuate counsell no publicke exhortation out of the worde no inwarde motions of Gods spirite can preuaile but he goeth on so long and is so farre spent that beeing past all feare to offend careleslye hee maketh no scruple of any sinne whatsoeuer till at length finding in himselfe no hope of recouery eyther God strikes him apparantly with his iudgement as hee did Pharao or else by his death hee passeth silent to the graue without repentance as Diues or in this life as Iudas did doeth plunge himselfe in the gulfe of desperation This is that Hardening which is heere meant of Pharao This Hardening is not all on a suddaine Non ruimus primo impetu vt Deo reluctemur Calw no man is Hardened at the first Nemo fit repente miser Hebr. 3.13 Take heede least anie of you be Hardened through the deceitefulnesse of sinne The deceitfulnesse of sinne The Aquin. it
AN OTHER SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE KING AT GREENEWICH ON Tuesday before Easter being the 26. of March 1605. BY ANTHONIE MAXEY Bachelar in Diuinity and Chaplaine to his Maiesty The points herein handled are these 1. That there is an Hardening 2. That God Hardeneth not 3. How men become Hardened 4. The meanes to auoid it PRO. 28.14 Blessed is the man that feareth alway but he that Hardeneth his heart shall fall into euill IN DO MINO â—ONâ— DO AT LONDON Printed by George Snowdon and Lionell Snowdon for Clement Knight and are to be sould at his shoppe in Paules Church-yard at the Signe of the Holy Lambe 1605. HARDENING EXOD. 10.20 And the Lord hardened Pharaohs heart and he did not let the children of Israell goe THE heart of man is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things Ier. 17.9 who can know it Although the heart of man be so little that it will scarce serue a Kite for a baite yet ther are not more windings nor more turnings in a Maze or in a Laborinth then are in the heart of man The Heathen were so forward in acknowledging a diuine power that rather then they would be without a god they gaue diuine honour to any kinde of creature The Assyrians worshipped Idols the Persians stars the Aegyptians plants and all manner of beasts the Graecians their owne conceipts and the Romanes made their city a shoppe for all kinde of gods So many were the windings and so infinite the turnings of the heathen touching diuine worshippe that Varro obserued in the world thirtie thousand gods The dissolute cunning Atheist he hath a fetch by himselfe alone he lets lose the reines followes the streanie of his sensual affections because hee conceiues in his heart and cleane contrarie to the Heathen saith there is no God at all Psal 14 1. There is a third kinde who though in show they outwardly acknowledge God yet they againe haue an other winding secretly to themselues they plod on swallowing any sinne for why Zeph. 1 12. The Lord will neither doe good nor euill Because there is not present punishment for euerie sinne Tush all is well no harme shall happen vnto vs For God careth not for any thing Psal 10.12 Lastly in these our daies there is yet a fourth sort who haue a more strange turning then all the former For many hauing a generall notion of Gods omnipotencie hearing and reading sometimes of Gods Election and Reprobation whereof they vnderstand no ground nor conceiue aright they will presume to commit any sinne for say they All is in God no man can resist his power if he hath chosen me to life I am sure for one if otherwise as he did with Pharao hee hath appointed me a Vessell of his wrath it is not possibly to be auoided Such are the windings and these are the turninges in the heartes and secret thoughts of men eyther euerie creature a God or else no God eyther a God that regardeth not sinne or else a God that causeth vs to sinne Esay 29.15 These turnings and deuises in the sight of the Lord are esteemed as clay before the potter To conuince the palpable errors of the three former I hold it not conuenient For to thinke there is any one heere present who doth acknowledge no god at all or such a GOD as regardeth not the actions of men I hold it wrong to this holy assembly and I hope better things of this Christian audience But to meete with this latter sort who leauing all good meanes of their saluation doe inwardly fall away from GOD and yet in their willfull ignorance would shift off and shoue the cause of their condemnation vpon God For such chiefely haue I vndertaken the exposition of this Scripture in opening whereof I will touch these foure points First that there is 1 An Hardening 2 That God Hardeneth not 3 How men become Hardened 4 The meanes to avoid it Concerning the first point There are in the Scriptures two Greeke verbes which are commonly vsed for this Hardening The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth properly signifie to drie vp and wither vsed often in the 3. to the Hebrewes 8.13.15 verses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Harden not yoour hearts The other verbe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to obdurate or to make hard Ephes 4.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They became strangers from the life of God through the hardnesse of their hearts Hauing thus recourse vnto the Greeke tongue we shall see that in the heart of man first there is a drying vp and a certain withering For in naturall things and also in the soule as there is a watering which is good and comfortable so there is a drying vp and withering which is dangerous and hurtfull In the earth there is a watering for the hils are the teates and the springs the milke to moysten and to water the valleyes Psalm 104. verse 10. Hee sendeth the springes into the riuers which runne amongest the hilles In the earth there is a drynesse Ioel. 1.20 for saith Ioell The people mourne for want of moisture the riuers of waters are dryed vp and the trees of the field are withered In the bodie there is a watering for the Liuer is the spring of bloud that runneth into euerie veine and therefore Salomon calleth the Liuer Ficcles 12.7 The golden well In the bodie there is a withering for Dauid complaineth in the Psalme 22.15 verse My moisture is like the drought in Summer and my bones are dryed vp like a potshard As in the earth and bodie of man so likewise in the soule there is a watering and a withering In the 4. of Saint Iohn and .14 verse there is mention of a well of liuing waters for the soule The preaching of grace in Christ is called the watering of Apollo 1. Cor. 3.6 The prophet Esay saith Esay 12.3 with ioy ye shall draw waters out of the welles of saluation Contrariwise where this grace doth not water Greg. mag there is withering Si spiritus irrigatio defuerit omnis plantatio exarescit Euery planting that hath not the watering of Gods spirit it withereth and dryes away therefore saith the Psalmist the godly they are like the tree panted by the riuers side Psal 1. â— there is watering but the vngodly are as a Garden that hath no water and as the broken leafe that fadeth there is withering Esay 1.30 The other Greeke verbe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to harden There bee Phisicae aethicae vicissitudines there is a naturall and a spirituall Philosophie In the naturall course of thinges there is a congealing and an hatdening Iob. 38.30.31 as of the yce and frost which Iob verie fitly calleth the bands of Orion because by the cold East and North windes the water becomes as a stone and the clods are bound together Contrarie to this Haraening Psa 147.18 there is a melting
Hee sendeth out his word and melteth them As when the frost doth giue and the showers fall which Iob calles in the same place The sweet insluence of Pleiades Both in nature and in the soule also there is a Resoluing and a Hardening Deut. 32. vers 2. The word is called Dewe and there is a thaw or spirituall melting when the heauenly dewe doth cause the soule to giue and to resolue into teares of Repentance so in the 2. of Kings 22.10 Iosias heart did melt when he heard the law read When King Dauid had committed murder and adultery very grieuous sinnes he neuer be thought himselfe of the matter but begann to congeale and to be Hardened in his sinne but assoone as the prophet Nathan had awaked him and his heart like Gedeons fleece had drunck vp the heauenly dew then presently Dauid began to relent his soule melted with sorrow and as appeareth in the 51. Psal he resolued into teares of Repentance Hezechias when God had giuen vnto him a sodaino and triumphant victory ouer the host of Zenacharib presently after in the pride of his hart he forgat God and began to congeale in sinne but assoone as the word of the Lord came vnto him by the prophet Esay then presently his heart melted the bloud of his soule flowed forth in his repentant teares as appeareth in the 38 of Esay he turned his face vnto the wall Esay 38.3 and wept bitterly Now as there is a Melting so also there is an Hardening in the soule and that is when the custome of sinne hath beaten such an hard tracke and so trampled the soule that the word of God the seede of life cannot enter This is expressed in the 13. of Saint Mathew by the parable of the seede which fell by the high way side where there was such an hard way such a beaten path made by the common entrance of sinne that the seede could take no roote but the diuell comes like an Harpie and deuoureth it before it can enter For example heereof we will take Cain and King Pharao whom my Text concerneth Cain hauing slaine his brother Abell and committed horrible murder the word of the Lord came vnto him saying Where is thy brother Abell did Cains heart relent did he confesse and say I haue finned or did he resolue into teares with Dauid no such matter but first he answered with a foule word I cannot tell where he is then he dispised the Lord to his face as if he should say you may goe looke him am I my brothers keeper marke but this answer of Cain and his cariage therein and you neede no other example of an heart that is Hardened neyther affection in kinred could touch him nor shame of the world check him nor the bloud of his slaine brother moue him nor the glorious presence of the Lord astonish him nor the guilt of his owne thoughts rase him nor at last the quickning word of God which is powreful to raise the very dead none of these could any whit reuiue him Triplex circa praecordia ferrum as Iob saith of LeuiathaÌ„ â—orat Tob. 41.15 his heart was harder then the nether milstone Pharao wheÌ„ the word of God came vnto him by Moses Aaron Pharao he was so far from yeilding that he seemed presently as though he would haue fought with GOD Who is the Lord I know no Lord neither will I let Israell goe And whereas the word and miracles ioyned with that word were sufficient to conuince any liuing Pharaohs heart was so stonie that though by a strange miracle al the water in the land were become bloud and did sauour most vnholsomely yet it is said Pharao went home Exod. 7 2â—â— and all this could not enter into his heart it could not pierce him When the Prophet cried to the Altar of Ieroboam O Altar Altar heare the word of the Lord the Altar heard and elaue a sunder 1. Kina 3. But the word of God which in Ieremie 23.29 is called an Hammer because it bruiseth the stonie hearts of men this Hammer with tenne miracles gaue tenne mightie strokes at Pharaohs heart and yet it could neuer bruise it Thus we may plainely see there is a watering by grace and a meiting by Gods word as appeareth by Dauid and Hezechiah who resolued into teares againe through want of grace there is a withering and by custome of sinne there is an Hardening as in Cain and Pharao whose hearts the word of God could not pierce but the more they were beaten on the more hard and flintie they became It remaineth in the second point to discusse whether this Hardening be of God In opening whereof it is strange to heare how vntruly how vncharitably we are charged by our aduersaries not onely Campion and Bellarmin but especially in certaine ARTICLES or Forcible Reasons lately published wherein it is directly set downe that the Protestants doe make God the author and onely cause of sinne that deride Gods permission Artic. 5. and plainly affirme God is worse then the diuell and so are bound in conscience neuer to aske God forgiuenesse of their sinnes Oh fearefull blasphemie and wordes vnseemely Christian eares Where is Modestie where is truth and Christian pietie Is this our doctrine doe we thus teach no verely both in word and writing we acknowledge the Lord our GOD to be full of compassion and loue the bowels of his merciesweete and amiable he would not the death of any he is gratious and kinde gentle and readie to forgiue and to the death we affirme more then most holy pure and iust are all his workes and waies therefore the Lord be iudge betweene them and vs and lay not this sinne vnto their charge Touching this doctrine how sinne first came to be how it came in where it first tooke beginning and that GOD is not the author of it I haue shewed heeretosore in handling the Golden Chaine the meanes of our saluation namely that the diuell was Primitiuus peccator Iohn 6. the first offender from him sinne first boyleth vp as out of the maine Sea from Sathan when it comes to Adam it ariseth as out of a Spring from this Spring it is reserued in nature as in a Conduit from nature conueyed to concupiscence as by a pipe and from thence doth flow all the mischiefe and wickednesse that is in the life of man Well then if sinne doe proceede from the suggestion of Sathan woorking through our owne coucupiscence and so GOD wholly freed from all imputation of euill why is it so often said in the Scripture Deut. 2.30 And the Lord hardened the heart of Sihon King of Heshbon and made him obstinate Ioshua the 11.20 It came of the Lord to harden their hearts and heere often in the booke of Exodus and the Lord hardened the heart of Pharao To make this plaine it is a poynt well knowne vnto the learned that this speech where it is said God Hardened
creepeth like a canker worme it gathers it steales vpon vs and so vnder the foreknowledge of God men come vnto Hardening by degrees Naturalis est ordo vt ab imperfecto ad perfectum quis moueatur It is a naturall course euen in euill sayeth the schooleman by degrees to come vnto to perfection Psal 34.7 As they that dwellin Gods house will bring foorth more fruite and then appeare before the God of gods in perfect beauty so on the contrary the wicked are not Hardened all at once but as they offende more and more so by little and little they grow to the height of sinne and they doe fall from one mischiefe to an other Iudas was first a cunning Dissembler Mat 26.8 Ioh. 12.5 Mat. 26.25.48 Mat. 27.5 secondly he became a secret Thiefe thirdly he grew to bee an impudent Lyar fourthly he proued a bold Traitor lastly a desperate Reprobate The diseases of the bodie they do not grow at one and the selfe-same time they do first appeare but by riot and destemperature vsed long before so the soule infected with vncleane thoughtes and in youth accustomed to euill actions at length commeth to the vncurable disease of Hardening Aug confess 8 Saint Augustine in the 8. of his Confess doth open this point verie plainely First August the diuell by concupiscence suggesteth euill thoughts euill thoughts egge on delight delight towleth on consent consent engendereth action action bringeth forth custome custome groweth to necessitie and necessity in sinning is the forerunner of death For example First the diuell suggesteth euill thoughts so he did vnto Eue he wound her in by tainting her thought by telling her she should haue all knowledge and be as GOD this euill thought egged on delight for as appeareth in the sixth verse the Apple grew pleasant in her eyes this delight towled on consent for then shee tooke of the fruite lastly of consent came the action for shee did eate and gaue it to her husband Now when the action of sinne is committed there doth not presently follow Hardening for if the heart doe melt and thaw if the soule doe giue and resolue into teares of repentance for the same then there is no Hardening But if from one action committed wee come vnto another and so to the custome and continuance in sinne then are wee snared with the cordes of our owne iniquity and fettered with this chaine against the generall day of Gods Iudgment To make this plaine I will show you by seauen degrees as it were by seuen stayres how men do discend into this pit of Hardening The first step is importable Sinne at the first it is importable it seemes vntollerable to be borne Importabile One that hath beene religiously brought vp hath beene accustomed to a milde and honest conuersatioÌ„ and hath bene fearefull to offend at length if through bad company through his owne weaknes and the allurements of Sathan he falleth into any foule sinne at the first it is importable it doth strike such an horror into him that he is in a wofull taking and greiuously tormented This wee may see by Dauid who hauing alwaies a tender conscience loath to offend yet after ouer taken by committing murder and adultery assoone as he saw what he had done he was mightely troubled whersoeuer he became his offence so stuck in his thought that in the 51 Psal 3. he cryeth out my sinne is euer before me it is continually in my sight The second stayer is Graue heauie for sinne being committed twise or thrice Graue it is not as it was at the first importable but it is heauie Hee sorrowes and is grieued but hee is nothing so troubled in minde nor afflicted in conscience as hee was before The third stayer is Leue light For hee that hath vsed himselfe more often to sinne that which at the first was importable and afterwardes heauie at length becommeth light This appeareth by the vnchaste woman spoken off in the Prouerbes who hauing had some practise in sinne she makes no more matter of it but lightly passeth it ouer with wiping her mouth Pro. 30-20 and saith she hath not sinned The fourth stayer is insensibile past feeling for after that sinnne bee made light of Ensensibile and that there bee no remorse nor griefe for sinne then they grow past feeling such were the Israelites of whome the Prophet Ieremy speaketh in his 5. chapter and 3. verse Thou hast smitten them but they haue not sorrowed for they haue made their faces harder then a stone that is they haue sinned so long that now they are past feeling The fift staire is Delectabile When men take pleasure in sinne as Solomon saith They reioyce in doing euill and delight in wickednesse Delectabile Hereof Saint Augustine saith Pro. 2.14 Tumest consummata infoelicitas vbiturpia non solum committuntur sedetiam delectant Then is the estate of condemnation certaine when soule sinnes are not onely committed but are delightfull also The sixt stayre is Desiderabile Desiderabile when through delight men growe to such a custome that they inwardly desire to sinne so that as Saint Gregorie said Si nunquam moreretur nunquam vellepcecare desineret such a man if he should neuer die hee would neuer cease to sinne for though he did not commit it in action yet still he would desire it in thought The seauenth stayre is defensibile When he hath gotten a forehead of brasse Esay 48.4 as the Psalmist saith when the tyrant doth boast that he can doe mischeif when he sits in the seate of the scorner Defensibile Psai 1.1 when he doth not only by habyt desire to sinne and delight in it but now he will take vpon him to defend it Peccatum porta mortis defensio est limen inferni Sinne is the high way to death Origen but the defence of sinne is the very next steppe into hell at this point were the Iewes who being reproued for idolatry the Scripture saith they saide desperatly wee haue loued strange gods and them will wee follow againe they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their cares Zacha. 7 â—1 and made their hearts as an Adamant stone Ier. 2.25 Pro. 18.3 Impius cum venerit in profundum contemnit a dissolute liuer once growne to the height of sinne becomes desperate Thus sinne first it is importable secondly Heauy thirdly it becomes Light fourthly past feeling fiftly delightfull sixtly desired and lastly to be defended heere is descensus auerni these be the stayers that leade to the chambers of death and the steppes wherby the reprobate do descend vnto finall destruction Indeede at the first when sinne is importable and that we are wonderfully grieued for committing of it there is great hope of recouerie and he that so feeling the wound of sinne doth there stay the course of it it is an excellent signe of saluation Initiune salutis notitia
and dam it vp that we shall neuer get out againe Consuetudinem vincere dura pugna saith Augustine Augâ—in psa 36 It is a difficult fight to ouercome custome for in all humane things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 custome is the most intollerable tyrant Horatius the Romane being to fight with three enemies at once did single them out and then slue them one by one so the force of sinne is to be cut off in euery seuerall action least by gathering strength it ouerthrow vs. He that trusteth his own heart is not wise Pro. 28.26 In this case it is good for a man to suspect his owne heart to call his owne waies to remembrance to take sometimes a suruey and a viewe of the manner of his life and daily actions and if he finde in himselfe that God hath suffered him so sarre to be tempted that he is fallen into any soule offence which he knoweth is directly both against God and his owne conscience then presently to bestirre himselfe neuer to suffer his eyes to sleepe nor his eyelids to slumber til he haue poured out his hart vnto God made bitter lamentation craued pardon with repentance and vowed by Gods assistance neuer to offend in any such sort againe Otherwise if lightly he passe it ouer and so go on as Mithridates accustomed his bodie so much to the receipt of poyson that at length no poyson would worke on him so he that hath once taken in with the custome of sinne shall at length come that to passe that the greatest sin that is he shall neuer feele it Aug. inser ◠〈◊〉 adv Dom. Owne peccatum vilescit consuetudine fit homini quasi nullum the greatest sinne by custome comes to be accounted nothing When the bodie is sore hurt and wounded there is no driuing off of time but presently it must be looked to so when the soule is wounded we must not deferre to turne vnto the Lord but flie vnto him with importunate prayer with a broken and mourning heart for feare the wound doe fester inwardly and so there be no recouery I make it plaine by example thus If a man take in the Spring three or foure plantes and set them all togither at one time if hee come by and by or within a while after hee may easily pull vp one of them if he stay a fortnight or a moneth he may pull vp an other but it wil be somwhat harder if he stay a yeare or two till it settle and take roote then he may pull and straine his very heart stringes but his labour is lost he shall neuer be able to pull it vp One sinne one offence if we labour to pull it vpp in time it may be forgiuen it may be taken away if wee lett it go on to two or three with vnfeigned repentance with bleedinge teares with vncessant outcryes vnto a gratious God they may be rased out and wiped away but with greater difficulty at length if a man giue ouer himselfe vnto sinne so that it take deepe roote in the heart and be setled in the soule hee shall neuer be able to pull it vp nor to arise from the death of sinne To draw then to an end forasmuch then as God desireth not the death of any sinner but most louingly offereth his grace and means of saluation vnto all seeing sinne doth proceed from our owne vile concupiscence and we neuer striuing to stay the course of it in our thoughts do so secretly fall away seeing by degrees against their owne knowledge men doe wound their soules with many actual sinnes therevpon God doth with-hold his grace and so forsake them and this forsaking is such a forlorne estate that as Iob saith 12.14 God shutteth a man vp and he can neuer be loosed O how feruent ought wee to bee in prayer thereby to kindle in vs the heat of Gods spitit how deuout in sweet and heauenly meditations to stirre vp in vs the good graces of God how diligeÌ„t to shew the fruites of our faith euer stirring in the works labours of our calling giuing no aduantage to our aduersary how careful wheÌ„ we heare the word of God to do it with an humble spirit with great reuerence thereby to keepe a tender heart a mind and cogitation that may easily be touched with remorse how desirous and secretly ioyfull at this holy time to prepare our selues to the receiuing of the blessed Sacraments to haue our hearts stripped of worldly vanities to call home our affections to appease our thoughts so peaceably to bath our soules a fresh in the pretious bloud of our euerlasting redeemer That so feeling our selues as it were newly created againe soule and bodie heart hand and tongue may neuer cease to sound prayses vnto him who doth neuer cease to renewe his mereies vnto vs. The holy and kingly prophet Dauid he is a worthy example for this royall presence set him before your eyes and obserue the whole course of his life How sweete and milde was his spirit in forbearing to take reuenge for him selfe how couragious and inuincible his faith wheÌ„ it stood in the quarrel of Gods honour how dearely affected to his people when he saide to the destroying Angell not these sheepe but it is I that haue offended what melting kinde affection did he show towards Ionathan and those whome he loued what a mournefull and repentant heart wheÌ„ he knew that he had offended how full of diuine meditatioÌ„s to better his thoughts how frequent in praier flowing from him as a continual stream how ioyful in Gods seruice dancing before the Arke how reuerend in Gods house kneeling and bowing in the temple before all the people what a thankfull heart in offering to build a glorious temple to the Lord what an humble minde saying what am I and what was my fathers house that thou hast brought vs hitherto what a chary tender care of Gods glory whersoeuer he became how abundant in prayses and thanksgiuing calling euery member of himselfe and all the creatures both of heauen and earth to make one quier in setting forth singing and sounding the euerlasting prayses of his God but why did Dauid thus to what end was al this that he might be sure still to hould fast by God to be entirely knitt vnto him by all meanes possible to retaine his loue for feare least God hauing raysed him to the height of renowne deliuered him miracolously out of many eminent and bloudy daungers and so set a crowne of blessings vpon his heade if Deuid should haue showen any vnthankfullnes any contempt or the least neglect of his loue a mighty and ielous God he also vpon iust cause might haue withdrawne his loue and laide all his honour in the dust againe Now therefore with all humblenesse and duety I entreate you by the tender mercyes of Christ Iesus and in the name of the liuing God I challenge euery Christian which hopes for any ioy in the life to come take heede of actuall and presumptuous sinnes in no case let them haue dominion cuer you doe not wound your soules as Pharao did with willfull offences against your owne knowledge try and examine all your thoughts how and wherein they stand affected and aboue all greiue not the blessed motions of that comfortable spirit which keepes the very Life and Beeing of the soule To conclude let all slaunderous mouthes be stopped and all the factious scismatiques in the land ashamed in beholding your Christian and princely example continew still to be louingly and kindly affected one towards another celebrate this holy time in a true religious manner Sanctifie the ioyfull beginninge of this new yeares raigne with new deuotion vnto God lay all your Honours downe at the foote of the altar Receiue the holy Sacraments ioyntly together and so be faithfully knitt in loue and in one head Christ Iesus go cheerefully on delight still in doing good and the Lord God of our fathers encrease in you good desires giue you zeale to performe them confirme vnto you and to your seede all his good promises and vnto euery one of vs heere grant pardon for offences past giue vs comfort and strength in temptations to come euen for his blessed Sonne Christ Iesus sake who with the Father and the holy Ghost be blessed and praysed for euer Amen