why the word is so ineffectuall in many places as it is For first many of vs that be Ministers come to preach our selues and not Christ Iesus and to vent our owne gifts and let them take winde and not to seeke the saluation of our hearers and therefore God denyeth to worke by our Ministerie Againe a number of you that bee hearers come for gapeseede to gaze the Minister in the face or to see the variety of mens gifts or to gleane vp some quaint phrases and witty sentencess and not with any desire to further your owne saluation and therefore you goe away as you come without Gods blessing And so the word is made fruitlesse and vnprofitable vnto you Whereas if wee would account the soules of Gods people deare and precious in our sight Phillip 18. and long after the saluation of them all from the very heart rootes as the Apostle saith and therefore before wee come to deliuer his word craue Gods blessing by earnest prayer vpon our labour and if you would come to heare the word with a desire to profit and to growe in grace by it and for that end would pray to God to open your heartes as hee did the heart of Lydia that you may diligently attend to that that shal bee taught it would appeare that you should reape more profit then by one sermon then you doe now by twentie Then Peter remembred c. The Apostle Peter neuer came to himselfe hee neuer began to bethinke himselfe of the hainousnesse of his fact before such time as the Lord by the meanes aforesaid had moued his heart But what did Peter in the meane while did hee any whit further or helpe forward himselfe to repentance Surely he did as much as lay in him to further himselfe to hell For as wee haue heard hee was swearing and cursing himsele in most horrible manner that he neuer knew Christ But after that he was outwardly rowsed by the crowing of the cocke and inwardly awaked by Christs looking backe vpon him then hee began to consider the danger of that estate wherein he stood From hence then wee learne Doct. The whole worke of our conuersion is frō God alone Rom. 9.16 Heb. 12 2. that the whole worke of our conuersion is from God alone There is not the least endeauour in any man to further the worke of grace in himselfe as the Apostle saith It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie And for this cause our Sauiour Christ is called both the authour and also the finisher of our faith Yea whatsoeuer good worke is wrought in any of Gods children Phil. 1.6 the Lord by his holy spirit doth both begin and performe the same Yea if there bee but any will or desire to doe good it is from the Lord. Phil. 2.13 For it is God that worketh in vs both the will and the deede of his good pleasure And therefore wee read Act. 2.47 that in the Primitiue Church The Lord added to the Church from day to day such as should bee saued It was not in their power to ioyne themselues with the Church of God and to become true members thereof but it was the gratious worke of the holy spirit of God But most fully and clearely doth the Prophet Ezechiel set out the truth of this point speaking in the person of God A new heart saith he will I giue you Ezech. 36.26 and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your body and I wil giue you an heart of flesh And I will put my spirit within you 27. and cause you to walke in my statutes c. Where the Prophet wholly disableth man for the worke of his regeneration and ascribeth both the beginning and progresse thereof vnto the Lord. For as there is not any softnesse in a stone nor the least disposition to bee made soft and pliable so in the stony heart of man there is no root from whence this blessed worke of grace might bee produced no inclination to good whereby it might be furthered no faculty wherewith it might be effected As we were not able at the first to effect our naturall generation and make our selues men or women nay as our Sauiour saith Mat. 5.36 wee cannot make our haire white or blacke So it is not in our power to effect our spirituall regeneration to make our selues the sonnes or daughters of God But we must confesse in both respects Psal 100.2 as Dauid saith It is he that hath made vs and not we our selues And for this cause the Apostle saith wee are his workmanshippe created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes c. Epbes 2.10 And this made Dauid to pray Create in mee a cleane heart O Lord and renue a right spirit within me Psa 51.10 acknowledging that there was nothing at all in him whereby this worke might bee furthered but God by his almightie power must miraculously create it of nothing § Sicut in natiuitate carnali omnem nascentis hominis voluntatem praecedit operis diuini formatio sic ia spirituali natiuitate nemo potest habere bonam voluntatem motu proprio nisi mens ipsa id est interior homo noster reformetur ex Deo Fulg de incarnat grā Christi cap. 19. And indeede if the matter bee well considered the worke of regeneration will be a farre more hard and difficulte worke and of greater labour then was the worke of creation For as Dauid saith By the word of the Lord were the heauens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth Psal 33.6 and hee commaunded and they were created Psal 148.5 As we see in the story of the creation that when God beganne to raise this wonderfull and glorious frame of heauen and earth and to furnish them with varietie of creatures hee did but speake the word saying Let there bee this and that and presently it was so Gen. 1. But for effecting our regeneration there was a great deale more to doe Christ Iesus must leaue the heauens and the glory which hee had with his Father and bee incarnate in the forme of a seruant and suffer a shamefull and an accursed death to the killing and subduing of our sinnes and the efficacy of his resurrection to the reuiuing and quickning of vs to newnesse of life a Praegrauatus animus quasi pōdere suo a beatitudine expellitur nec redire potest effusts perditis viribus nisi gratia conditoris sui ad paenitentiam vocātis peccata cōdonātis Quis enim infelicem animū liberabit a corpore mortis nisi gratia Dei per Iesū Christum Aug. de Trin. lib. 12. cap. 11. And to this purpose S. Augustine hath many excellent sayings The soule of man saith he being as it were oppressed with the owne burden is expelled and banished from blessednesse and hauing
let vs retaine that holinesse in our mindes which our outward habite cloaketh and couereth c Estote discipuli Christi non in salsitate sed in veritate non in veste sed in corde Bern. ibid. Serm. 1. Let vs bee the Disciples of Christ not in falshood but in truth not in the garments but in the heart d Non confidamus in latitudine soliorum in expansione ramorum in viriditate frondium ibid. Serm. 10. 1. Pet. 3.4 Psal 45.13 Wee must not stand so much on the largenesse of our leaues nor on the spreading of our branches nor on the greennesse of our boughes considering that euery branch though neuer so flourishing if it beare not fruit it must bee cast into the fire to be burnt as our Sauiour saith Ioh. 15.6 And herein wee may all goe to the schoole to a couetous worldly man There is no man but he had rather be rich then bee accounted rich hee had rather bee wealthy then seeme to bee wealthy So should wee rather desire to bee godly and religious indeede then to seeme to be so It is true that outward holinesse and the fruites thereof are necessary to commend vs vnto men but our chiefest care and indeauour should be that the hid man of the heart whither onely the eye of God can peirce may be adorned and beautified It is said of Salomons spouse which was a type of the Church that howsoeuer her cloathing which did set her out to the world was of brodered gold yet her chiefest beauty and greatest glory was within So should it bee with vs wee should labour for a good inside whatsoeuer the outside is That which the Apostle saith of Circumcision is true also of Religion That is not religion which is outward in the flesh Rom. 2.28.29 but that is true Religion before God as Saint Iames calleth it which is within the heart whose praise is not of men but of God Al actions without this though neuer so feruēt are but froth like the hot enterprises of Iehu who made great boast of the zeale which hee had for the glory of God Come with me 2. King 10.16.31 saith he to Ionadab and see the zeale that I haue for the Lord but for all this his heart was not vpright in the sight of God Acts 24.16 But the Apostle Paul was otherwise affected who endeuoured himselfe to haue alway a cleare conscience toward God and toward men First and principally hee studied to approue himselfe to God and then afterwards to men also And this is that which God especially respecteth as he said to Samuel 1. Sam. 16.7 God seeth not as man seeth for man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord beholdeth the heart And when Dauid lying on his death-bed exhorted Salomon his sonne to serue God with a perfit heart 1. Chron. 28.9 he vseth this as a reason to perswade him For the Lord saith he searcheth all hearts and vnderstandeth all the imaginations of thoughts To conclude this is a mans greatest comfort both in this life 2. Cor. 1.12 as the Apostle Paul saith This is our reioycing euen the testimonie of our conscience that in simplicity and godly purenesse we haue had our conuersation in the world c. And also at the houre of death And therefore when Hezekiah that good King had receiued the sentence of death and for any thing that he knew was to leaue the world in a comfortable assurance of his owne conscience he betaketh himselfe to God Jsa 38.3 I beseech thee Lord saith hee remember how I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfit heart c. Vse 3 Thirdly it serueth to admonish vs further to take heede that we be not deceiued As all is not gold that glistereth so all are not good Christians that seeme to be It is a true saying Neuer age was more fruitfull of religions and yet neuer lesse religion in any age And therefore it standeth vs vpon to take good heede least whiles we approue that which is counterfait for current we be seduced and drawne either into errour in religion or into corruption in manners And therefore we must pray with Dauid in the like case Psal 141.4 Incline not mine heart vnto euill that I should commit wicked workes with men that worke iniquitie And because hypocrites are so common we must desire the Lord to discouer vnto vs who are indeede true members of the Church that we may ioyne our selues to them and who are dissemblers that we may auoide them Psal 15.1 as Dauid doth Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle c. Which betraied him This is the sinne of Iudas wherein we may consider first the occasion and secondly the quality of it The occasion of his sinne was couetousnesse as may appeare in the former chapter where hee went to the high Priests and asked them Mat. 26.15 What they would giue him to deliuer Christ vnto them From hence then wee may learne Doctrine A couetous man will commit any sinne though neuer so hainous 1. Tim. 6.10 Metropotis omnium vitiorum Subtile malum secretum virus pestis occulta doli artifex mater hypocrisis liuoris parens vitiorum origo criminum fomes virtutum aerugo tinea sanctitatis c. Bern. n ps 91. serm 5. Ephes 5.5 Col. 3.5 that a couetous man may be easily drawne to commit any sinne bee it neuer so hainous There is nothing too hot nor too heauy for him And therefore the Apostle saith and not without cause that couetousnesse is the roote of all euill Yea the Heathen man called it The head of all vices It is as Bernard saith A subtile euill a secret poyson an hidden plague a deuiser of craft the mother of hypocrisie the breeder of enuie the fountaine of vices the nurse of sinne the rust of vertue the moth of holinesse c. In a word there is not any one of all the ten Commandements but a couetous man will easily yeeld to breake it First the Scripture hath put it out of question that euery couetous man maketh his riches his Gods And the reason is euident for a couetous person loueth his riches more then God he had rather forsake all religion then part with any of his commodities And wee haue experience of many that only in hope of gaine renounce the religion which they seemed to professe and become Papists Againe hee feareth the losse of his riches farre more then the losse of Gods fauour he is lesse afraide to breake any of Gods Commandements though it bee to the prouoking of his wrath then hee is to diminish or impaire his out ward estate And he trusteth more in his wealth then he doth in God As we see in that rich man in the Gospell who secured his soule Luke 12.19 because he had much goods laid vp for many yeares And therefore the Apostle willeth Timothie to charge rich men 1 Tim. 6.17 that
Knights of the Post who for a small matter may be hired to giue testimonie any way of that which they neuer knew Thus we see what a spawne of sinne is engendred of this one vice of couetousnesse Besides euery calling both in Church and commonwealth is corrupted with it For Ministers I feare me we may ouer iustly renue the complaint of Bernard d Ipsa quoque Ecclesiasticae dignitatis officia in turpem quaestum transiere nec in his animarum falus sed lucrum quaeritur diuitiarum Jn ps 91. serm 5. Ezech. 34.3 that the duties of the Ecclesiasticall dignity are turned into filthy lucre and they seeke not the saluation of soules but the gaine of riches We haue too many that care more to eate the fat and cloth themselues with the wooll then to feede the flocke committed vnto them Insomuch as there is a very reprochfull prouerbe spoken of our calling and I would none of vs had giuen occasion of it That if couetousnesse were lost it would be found in blacke coates And are not many of our Magistrates like the sonnes of Samuel 1. Sam. 8.3 that turned aside after lucre and tooke rewards and peruerted iudgement Doe not many of them loue gifts and follow after rewards Isa 1.23 5.23 that they cannot iudge the fatherlesse c. Doe they not many times iustifie the wicked for a reward and take away the righteousnesse of the righteous from him Amos. 5.12 And doe they not oppresse the poore in the gate Let a man that is neuer so wicked take a gift out of his bosome and may hee not with many Officers of iustice wrest the waies of iudgement Prou. 17.23 as Salomon saith b Pecuniosum hominem quamnis fit nocens neminem posse danari Cic. in Verrem Proem primae act Ierem. 5.27 2. Pet. 2.15 Isa 5.8 Act. 1.19 Nay may not that auncient prouerbe bee renued againe That a Money-man can hardly bee cast in his cause though it bee neuer so badde And is it not true of many that the Prophet spake of some such in his time that as a Cage is full of Birdes so are their houses full of Bribes and of the wages of vnrighteousnesse whereby they are become great and waxen rich ioyning house to house and land to land But let them take heede that their fields proue not like that which was bought with Iudas his money Aceldama euen a field of bloud And as couetousnesse preuaileth with Magistrates so also with all sorts of people It maketh Landlords rack their rents so vnmercifully that the poore Tenant cannot liue in any comfortable sort It maketh Lawyers defend many bad causes and set faire colours on false matters to delude the right It maketh tradesmen to vse false ballances Micah 6.11 and deceitfull waights which are abhomination to the Lord Prou. 11.1 or if they haue true waights yet to falsifie them by deceit Amos. 8.5.6 Yea to make the Ephah that is the measure small and the shekel that is the price great and to sell euen the refuse of their wares So true is that saying of Ecclesiasticus Eccles 10.9 There is nothing worse then a couetous man there is not a more wicked thing then to loue money for euen such an one would sell his soule And therefore to make vse of this doctrine Vse Math. 7.17 let vs be admonished to bee out of loue with this corrupt tree which bringeth forth such euill and cursed fruit Let vs follow the counsell of our Sauiour Christ Take heede Luke 12.16 and beware of couetousnesse And as much as lyeth in vs let all our conuersation bee free from it Coll. 3.5 But because it is an hereditary euill bred in the bone and therefore will hardly out of the flesh We must vse all holy meanes to mortifie and subdue it that it may not haue Dominion ouer vs Especially Psal 119.36 wee must continually vse the prayer of Dauid Incline my heart vnto thy testimonies and not to couetousnesse Betrayed him The qualitie of Iudas his sinne is treason euen high treason against the King of glory Christ Iesus A sinne most hainous if wee consider the circumstances of it Mat. 16.16 Hee knew that Christ was the Sonne of the liuing God as Peter had confessed him Hee had heard many sweete and gracious Sermons of our Sauiour wherein many terrible iudgements were denounced against sinne and many comfortable promises made to them that repent He kept company with Christ and saw his kindnesse towards all his Disciples He was imployed in as honourable a calling as any of the rest Mat. 26 21 25. John 13.26.27 6.70 as we haue heard before In a word Christ had diuerse times admonished him and vsed meanes to bring him to repentance and yet all this could not keepe him from betraying his Master whom he should haue loued and his God in whom hee should haue beleeued Doct. No sinne so hainous but an hypocrite may fal into it VVhereby wee are taught that there is no sinne so hainous nor so grieuous but an hypocrite may fall into it If a man in hypocrisie make much of one sinne though neuer so small he is easily drawne to any sinne if occasion be offered Gene. 4.8 If the heart be not found the Deuill will preuaile with a man in whatsoeuer hee list Kain being an hypocrite how easily was he brought to a most unnaturall sinne euen to embrue his handes in his brothers bloud Marke 6.27 Herod counterfeiting onely a loue to the word was soone brought to put innocent Iohn Baptist to death Acts 5.1.2.3 Ananias and Saphira pretending holinesse which they neuer had did most impudently lye against the holy Ghost So Iudas in this place Nothing at all could doe good on him They that of purpose came to apprehend Christ returned conuerted by his doctrine affirming to the high Priestes Iohn 7.45.46 that man neuer spake like him But this hypocrite nothing could moue It is reported of Darius Aelian var. Hist lib. 6. cap 14. that when some of no meane place about him had conspired to kill him as hee was an hunting hee was not a whit afraid but commaunded them to bend their weapons against him and looking sternely vpon them he asked them why they did not execute that they came for But they when they saw his vndaunted courage did not onely leaue off their enterprise but also were so stricken with feare that they cast away their speares and alighting from their horses with all humilitie yeelded themselues vnto his mercy Our Sauiour Christ did more to Iudas and yet coul not reclaime him Iohn 13.27 For after hee had vndertaken to betraye him hee putteth him in minde of the greuiousnesse of the fact and biddeth him to doe quickly what hee meant to doe And when hee came to put his treason in execution Mat. 26.50 hee spake to him in the mildest manner that