man hauing once got possession when a man is fallen away from grace and his heart Hardened how fearefull how mournfull a case it is it may manifestly appeare in this for that such men they can haue no true ioy of temporall things in this world nor any true comfort of the sweete graces in the life to come First concerning spirituall blessings There is nothing more cheerefull vnto man then the knowledge of his minde nothing more excellent in him then the light of his vnderstanding This knowledge this light of nature this vnderstanding and iudgement is vtterly extinguished Suffocatur naturae lumen cùm ad huius abissi ingressum Calâ— accedimus the light of nature is choked wheÌ„ they once enter into this gulf of Hardning In man there is a threefold light The light of the body which is the Eye the light of the mind which is Reason and Faith the light of the soule Eph. 1 1â— 1 Cor. 4. â— by which we discerne things that are not seene In the obstinate their bodilie eye is full of adultery and cannot cease to sinne 2. Pet. 2. 14. 2. Pe. 2. â— The light of Reason which is the law of nature is extinguished Rom. 1. 28. Lastly Faith which is Rom. 1. 2 the light of the soule is wholy blinded for such cannot see to take hold of the mercies of God nor to apprehend his comfortable promises Ebre 4. 2. Now if the Eye which is the light Ebr. 4. 2. of the body if Reason which is the light of the minde if Faith which is the light of the soule be dimmed If all that light which should bee in vs bee darknesse Iustissima poena vt qui sciens Aug. de li 〈…〉 be arbit lib. 3. rectum non facit amittat scire quod rectum saith Saint Augustine it is a punishment that hee who knowing doth not well at length should loose the knowledge of wel dooing so is it with the Hardned as Iob. saith The light of the vngodly Iob. 18. â— shall bee darkened and the wicked shall become blind Zeph. 1. 1 because they haue sinned against the Lord. The iudgement of the minde beeing thus peruerted and Faith which in all stormes and temptations should guide the sterne being ouerthrowne there fellowes a generall shipwrack of conscience The word of God is said to bee sharper then a â—br 4. 12. two edged sword it pierceth the very sinewes marrow it diuideth the soule and spirit asunder how wonderfull it is in operation how mightie to conuince our thoughts howe powerfull to quicken the soule how comfortable to strengthen our faith I doubt not but most here to their endlesse comfort do effectually know This word this mighty word which for the piercing operation is resembled to fire able to soften yron this word it cannot mollifie the hardened But as the bright beames of Sunne doe harden clay and soften wax and as the sweete drops of raine do mollifie earth and harden sand so the heauenly and eternall word returneth not in vaine but by reason of different disposition in the subiect it illuminateth it melteth the rightous it obdurates and Hardens the wicked their Esay 6. 9. heartes being fat their eyes heauie and their eares shut they shall heare indeed but shall not vnderstand they shall see and not perceiue Where the word of God cannot preuaile there can be no repentance It is true The scripture saith at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent Eze. 1â— him of his sin froÌ„ the bottom of his hart God wil put all his wickednes out off his remembrance Therevpon many take their pleasure glut themselues in sin at last they thinke to make all good by repentance Indeed it is true if they can repent but they must obserue what S. August saith Qui promittit paenitenti veniam non promittit peccanti paeniteÌ„tiam God who promiseth vnto euery one Aug. that repeÌ„teth forgiuenes doth not promise vnto euery one that sinneth repentance RepeÌ„tance is the gift of god such as are hardened because in times past they despised the riches of his bounty grace his long suffering mercy that did cal them to repeÌ„tance when they wold they caÌ„not repent Ro. 2. 5. after hardnes the heart it caÌ„not repeÌ„t If there can be no repentance then lamentation teares are bootlesse Teares they are the bloud of the soule and the Wine of Angels most Bern. pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God Yet the hardened though they should wash theÌ„selues in their owne teares it will not preuaile Nihil prosuÌ„t lamenta si replicantur peccata tears are not accepted where sinnes are still and againe double Ebr. 12. 17. Esau found no place to repentance Ebr. 12. 1â— though he sought the blessing with teares The holy blessed Sacraments now presently to be administred are Pledges of Gods loue and Seals of our saluation By Baptisme he breaks the Rom. 4. 1â— heads of the Dragons in the Waters et per Baptismum coeli ianua aperitur And by baptisme euen the dore of heaueÌ„ is set open The sacrament of the Lords supper it is canalis gratiae et lauacruÌ„ animae 〈…〉 l. 74. 14 the coduit of grace the bath of the soule What can be more ioyful then by receiuing the signe of the crosse to fight vnder the banner of Chirsts loue to be knit into the misticall body of his saints what can be more ioyful then to receiue that pure princely blood the least drop wherof being able to redeeme a thousaÌ„d worlds I may rest assured it is a full perfect satisfactioÌ„ for all my sinnes so that if my body hath sinned his body hath made ameÌ„ds if my soule haue sinned his soule hath made recompence therefore both soule and body are his and so we firmly and fully setled in a Christian ioy for euer These holy and heauenly Sacraments are not effectuall in the obstinate Iudas notwithstanding he was a disciple of our Sauiour and that blessed hand which after for his sake was nayled on the Crosse did reach him the bread of life yet he was so hardened with secret sin a trayterous disposition that as soone as he receiued the sop the deuilentred into him tooke ful possessioÌ„ 〈…〉 h. 13. 27. of him so brought him to a most feareful end Prayer what maruailous things it hath brought to passe and indeede what greater comfort can there be to a distressed minde then to open our griefe to poure out our complaints and ease our wounded hearts by making our mone vnto God by faithful and humble prayer yet in those that are Hardenedned prayers of themselues are frutelesse Ioh. 9. 31. God heareth not the prayer of sinners that is of such as reteine a will to sinne Dauid saith He that enclineth his heart vnto wickednesse Psa 6â— God will not heare his prayers To hope in the prayer of
that for the most part our thoughts words and workes are guided by the good spirit of God for as many as are led by the spirit 〈◊〉 8. 14 of God those are the sonnes of God then wee may assure our selues that we are Iustifyed How soeuer we be chosen from the beginning by Gods loue and after Called by his word yet there is neuer assurance vnto vs vntill the Holy Ghost hath sealed it vp in our hearts which sealing is our Iustifycation Thus to assure vs of our Iustification it is not enough to be Called to the knowledge of Saluation in Christ by his word but after this knowledge to lay hold vpon Christ by a working faith and so to hold on and continue still an holy Christian and sincere course of life that at length as Salomon saith In water face answereth face so in this 〈◊〉 27. 19 worke of Iustification our spirit may answer vnto Gods spirit that we are his Euen as the pure and Christall Glasse doth liuely represent the Image which is set before it so the heart once Iustifyed by a liucly faith in Christ in some good measure doth expresse the image of God and striueth to come vnto this marke which is here propounded namely our Glorifycation Glorifying THe fourth Linke of this Cheine is Glorifying Which Glorifying is the highest steppe of Salomons Throne it is the exceeding great reward which God promised vnto Abrahā it is that eternal weight of glory wherof I neither know how to begin nor how to make an end of speaking In vita aeterna faciliùs Au◠sim◠possumus dicere quid ibi non sit quà m quid ibi sit In describing the glorie of the world to come it is easier to expresse what is not there then what is there For there is no discontentment nor griefe no faintnesse nor infirmitie no mourning nor miserie no corruption nor death but ioy fulnes of ioy for euer such ioy as if we had once tasted wee would despise the pleasures of a thousād worlds in hope of assurance to inioy it For after we haue waded through the miseries of this life at length in the twinckling of an eye in a moment with the sound of a Trumpet wee shall bee carried into the heauenly Paradise into Abrahams bosom thousand thousands of Angels and Saints shall receiue vs with ioy and singing Our meate shall bee that bread of life and that Heauenly Manna which will tast like whatsoeuer thing wee desire our drinke shall be the water of life which if we haue once tasted we shall neuer thirst again our mirth and musicke shall be the song of the Saints Alleluia honour and praise and glory bee vnto him 〈…〉 13. that sitteth vpon the Throne and vnto the Lambe for euermore There shall we reioyce continually in the presence of the holy ONE wee shall be his Saints and he shall be our God neither shall we feare death any more neither sorrow nor crying nor feele any want againe The Lord of Hostes who is the King of glory he will take vs by the right hand and leade vs to the garden of comfort to the fountaine of ioy where all our garments shall bee washed pure in the blood of the Lambe and allteares shall be washed from our eyes There shall we see the Courts of the Lord of Hosts new Ierusalem the Citty of the great king Where there is no night nor any candle nor yet the light of the Sunne for the Lord himselfe shal be our light and with him we shall shine as the starre in Heauen Heere shall we bee clothed with white robes the innocency of Saints wee shall haue Palmes in our hands in token of victory We shall be crowned with a diadem of pure gold which is immortality and seruing God a while in this short life there shall we haue riches without measure life without death liberty without thraldome solace without ceasing ioy without ending O blessed are they Lord that dwell in thy house where the Sonne of God in glory is light vnto their eyes musicke vnto their eares sweetnes vnto their tast and full contentment vnto their hearts where in seeing they shall know him and in knowing they shall possesse him in possessing shall loue him and in louing shall receiue eternall blessednesse that blessed eternity the Garland we run for and the crowne we fight for In a word Here we shall come vnto the end of all our desires for what else is our end but to come to that endles glory which hath no end The Queene of Sheba when she had seene the 1. Ki 〈…〉 riches and royalty of Salamons Court she said vnto the King It was a true word which I heard in mine owne land of thy prosperity happinesse but now I haue seene it with mine eies lo the one halfe is not told mee so concerning the glorious fruition of eternity in the life to come whatsoeuer may possiblie he deliuered by the tongues of men yet vndoubtedly the one halfe cannot bee told vs. By this place of Scripture thus rising by degrees the Katharistes the family of Loue and the Puritanes of our times would gather this conclusion Forasmuch as here are certaine degrees set downe whereby Gods Church is builded and whereby the members of the same do grow vp in Religion therefore now in this life by a Godly reformation we may attaine vnto perfection This selfe conceited and head-strong opinion of theirs hath beene the first cause and ground of all the troublesome contentions which long since haue beene raised and now at this day are continued in our Church For diuers men while they take themselues as Iob saith The Onely-wise men and pure in their owne eyes dreaming still of a certaine imagined perfection they neuer ceasse to bee clamorous to the Christian Prince troublesome to the quiet state and diuers of them very dangerous people to the whole Church of God In this verse of our text there is an end propounded there is a marke set vp where-vnto euery Christian must labour to attaine and striue by all good endeuor to come But alas who can say that his heart is cleane and man that is borne in sinne and conceaued in iniquity while hee is clothed with sinfull flesh how can he attaine perfection That the Militant Church of Christ hath had imperfections in all ages it is a plaine and an vndoubted truth For if euery mēber be imperfect how can there be perfection in the whole Perfectio nostra magis constat remissione peccatorum quà m perfectione virtutum Our perfection consisteth rather in the forgiuenes of our sinnes then in the perfection of our vertues In truth thus stands the estate of a Christian mans life in this world As a man trauailing a long iournie to a far cittie hee doth not continually go but hee resteth here and stayeth there hee baiteth in one place and lodgeth all night in an other yet still hee is going forward and
Then is the estate of condemnation certaine when foule sinnes are not onely commited but are delightfull also The sixt staire is Desiderabile when through 6 Desiderabile delight men grow to such a custome that they inwardly desire to sin so that as S. Gregory said Si nunquam moreretur nunquaÌ„ vellepeccare desineret such a maÌ„ if he should neuer die he would neuer cease to sin for though he did not commit it in action yet still he would desire it in thought The seauenth staire is defensibile When hee hath 7 Defensibile gotten a forehead of brasse â—say 48. 4. as the Psalmise saith wheÌ„ the tyrant doth boast that he can Psal 1. 1. do mischiefe when hee sits in the seate of the scorner when hee doth not onely by habit desire to sin and delight in it but nowe he will take vpon him to defend it Peccatum porta mortis defensio Origen est lumen inferni Sin is the high way to death but the defence of sin is the very next step into hell At this point were the Iewes who being reproued for idolatry the Scripture saith they said desperately we haue loued strange Gods and them will we follow againe they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder stopped their eares and Zach. 7. â—â— made their hearts as an Adamant stone Impius cùm â— 2. 25. â—0 18. 3. venerit in profundum contemnit a dissolute liuer once growne to the height of sin becomes desperate Thus Sin first it is importable secondly heauie thirdly it becomes light fourthly past feeling fiftly delightfull sixtly desired and lastly to be defended Here is descensus Auerni these be the stayres that lead to the chambers of death the stepswherby the reprobate do descend vnto final destruction Indeed at the first when sin is importable that we are wonderfully grieued for coÌ„mitting of it there is great hope of recouery he that so feeling the wound of sinne doth there stay the course of it it is an excellent signe of saluatioÌ„ Initium salutis notitia peccati the first step of repentance is the first finding out acknowledgement of sin In the second of the Acts wheÌ„ they saw and knew their sin they cried out Men brethern what shal we do to be saued This horror this troubled mind it made them seeke for comfort and so brought them to repentance Secondly when sin is a burden vnto our soules so that we would faine be eased of it there is yet good hope We may see it by Dauid in the 38. Psalme 4. verse Mine iniquities are gone ouer mine head and are as a burden too heauy for mee to beare The weight of this burden made Dauid in the 18. ver following to confesse his wickednes and to be sory for his sin it made him flie vnto God for ease O cast your burden vpon the Lord for he will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer Thirdly when men make light of sin surely danger is not far off for a threefold cord is not easily broken and the third letting of bloud in the same veine is exceeding dangerous but yet still there is some hope for though in the hot chase of our blinde and youthful desires though then for a time we account it a light matter to commit this or that sinne yet God may touch our hearts Christ may looke backe vpon vs as he did on S. Peter who denied him thrice His word may so strike vs that we may come to know our selues to see in what case we are to bewaile our infirmity so turne vnto god by praier repeÌ„taÌ„ce All these things as Iob saith will God worke twice Iob. 33. â— O bewâ— and sin more or thrice with a man But if we come to Insensibile the fourth stayre so that we grow past feeling we sin daily and haue no sense of it if there be no remorse no griefe nor dislike of sin wo be vnto vs 2. Amos. 6. For three transgressions and for foure I will not turne to Israel saith the Lord. Without the infinite and extraordinary mercie of God we are the sons of wrath for theÌ„ followeth this deadlie wound of Hardening It is a principle in Phisicke grauissimè is aegrotat qui se non sentit aegrotare if a man bee sicke and know it not out of question hee is very dangerously and deadly sicke hee that findes in himselfe no want of any thing as the Church of Laodicea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I stand not in need of any thing This deadnesse â—uel 3. 17 this vnfeeling numnesse it is a plaine foreteller of death for example if a man haue taken a grieuous wound in his body if it ake if it pricke and shoote if it paine him eyther it is healing or else there is hope to heale it but as Saint Augustine saith Quod non dolet non pro August sano sed pro mortuo computandum if the wound be such that it neuer causeth griefe if it neuer ake nor smart vndoubtedly it is dead flesh of necessitie it must be cut off To commit actuall and presumptuous sinnes when a man 's owne knowledge and Gods spirit cryeth in him to the contrary these are wounds and grieuous woundes vnto the soule and whosoeuer hath gone on so far that he doth delight in these sinnes so often so long that his minde is neuer troubled his thoughts neuer checked his soule neuer grieued surely such a one being vtterly past feeling is very neere to this fearefull estate of hardening Thus haue I shewed how and after what sort men become Hardened not of my selfe but as S. Augustine saith Ligatus teneor non ferro alieno sed meaferrea voluntate velle meum tenebat inimicus et inde mihi funes fecerat et consuetudini dum non resistitur fact a est necessitas A man becomes hardened he is fettered not by any other chaine but by the cordes of his owne sinne the deuill by deceit gets power ouer the will and so doth snare vs and because in the beginning wee did not resist custome at length it groweth to necessity This is the very same in effect setdown by Saint Paule in the 4. to the Ephesians 18. where this manner of Hardening is also expressed first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the minde is darkened they cannot rightly discerne what to do then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they become ignorant thirdly comes in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when the soule for want of heauenly dewe beginnes to wither and harden fourthly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 past feeling and lastly giuen ouer to commit all sinne with greedinesse Most wofull to be hardened NOw what a grieuous and lamentable estate is it to be hardened let it please you with patience to obserue a while you shall briefely vnderstand The comfort of mans life in this world it consisteth in the enioying either of temporall or spirituall blessings But the strong