loue one another to teach vs that if we loue not one another professing all the same Gospell w◠loue not Christ for he y t loueth him which begat loueth him also which is begottē and he that loueth the head must néedes loue the mēbers Now if we delight still in quarrelling and contending one with another in censuring and iudging one of an other for toyes and trifles in spiting and vexing in mistaking and misconstruing in racking and rending of wordes and halfe wordes if we continue still in bitternesse and wrath in mallice an enuie and will not be contēt to be curteous and louing and in the bowels of tender cōpassion fréely to forgeue as God for Christ his sake forgaue vs we may be sure we loue not God Againe if you loue me saith Christ doe good to the poore which you shall alwayes haue with you and looke what you do to them I will take it as if it were done to my selfe now if we be so straight laced against the poore as we haue bene and do not exercise the workes of mercy towardes them according to our abilitie how can we say that we loue God I meane not to be a proctour for the idle and slouthfull which can worke and will not for they ought not to eate and in Gods name let thē be driuen to worke or be seuerely punished for if you shall maintaine such when time shall serue they will cut your throats for that you haue to make you amends like Hanun who cruelly and shamefully entreated Dauids messengers when of curtesie and goodwill they were sent to visite him but reléeue while you may those that are impotent aged sickly diseased and labour hard for their liuing would worke if they had it sée to such I beséech you on Christs behalf and encourage the vertuous and godly amongst you you vse to say God helpe you I haue not for you a cold almes God knoweth but if God had suffred our enemies to triumph ouer vs thē we should haue said God helpe vs we haue neither for you nor for our selues therefore while you haue wealth and are able doe good withall do not be-lye the Lord that hath giuen you both for your selues for them too for in such time you may speake it that your wordes may proue truer then you wot of as it did with Ananias his wife who said they had no more left when they had as much more as they sold. Furthermore if we be assured that y e Lord doth loue vs in Iesus Christ we may be bold to pray without feare and not doubting that he will heare vs. Last of all this assurance of Gods fauour should bréed in vs a resolution to leaue all our odd shifts and deuises which we vse to liue by and to rely wholy vpon his prouidence vsing no meanes but good knowing that he which loueth vs will not see vs want any thing that he séeth good for vs. These things may trouble vs but if they do not triumph ouer vs by ouerruling vs thē we are beloued of God striue we then by faith and repentaunce against our affections and in the end we shall surely triumph in heauen for the Church can not be triumphant in heauen vntill it be militant on earth Now let vs pray THE SECOND SERMON OF THE ASSVRAVNCE OF GODS LOVE Nouember 21. Sabboth day By this I know that thou fauorest me c. THe Prophet Dauid careth not what enemies he hath nor how many he hath so that God be not his enemy he regardeth not what the Lord doth vnto him neither how he doth handle him so that he may be sure he doth it in his loue fauour towardes him and not in his wrath and displeasure therefore he prayeth Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath neither chasten me in thy displeasure as if he should say I care not O Lord what y u doest with me in this life so that I may be sure of thy fauour and louing kindnesse This serueth to teach vs that when any trouble or affliction shall come vpon vs we must not so much looke vpon that and séeke to be eased thereof as to looke whether we be in fauour with God or no. And being sure of his fauour in his sonne Iesus Christ to arme our selues patiētly to beare the crosse whatsoeuer it be because whatsoeuer it is outward or inward it is layed vpon vs in loue not to hurt vs but to helpe vs forward in the wayes of godlynesse We will take any thing well at his handes of whom we are perswaded that he loueth vs for the assuraūce of his loue swalloweth vp and swéetly sendeth downe all the rest if he teach vs we take it if he admonish vs we are contented if he reproueth vs we put it vp if he iest with vs we are not gréeued yea if he smite vs we are not offended all is taken in good part because they come frō loue who neuer did hurt his beloued So God dealeth with vs his children he teacheth vs when we are ignoraunt he correcteth vs when we goe astray he admonisheth vs when we are vnruly he reproueth vs when we transgresse he threatneth vs when we are stubburne and he smiteth vs when there is no remedy but is his fauor and mercy he teacheth correcteth reproueth threatneth and smiteth his children that they might not be damned with the wicked world If he woundeth vs his fauour is oyle to cure the wounde if he sendeth floudes and seas of troubles the assuraunce of his fauour is like Noahs Arke to beare vs vp from drowning If his wrath shall burne like fire his fauour is water to coole the heate whereof Diues in hell could not get a drop if he send sicknesse either of body or minde the assuraunce of his fauour is a present remedy like the brasen Serpēt if he sendeth sorrow ouernight his louing fauour shall bring ioy in the morning and a ioyfull tidings like Sonne be of good cheare thy sinnes are forgeuen thee If he chide vs his fauour that he beareth vnto vs will not suffer him to chide for euer if his wrath be kindled against his children his fauour puts out all againe if he sets vs vp as markes to be shot at he sets his fauour before vs with the assuraunce whereof we are defended as with a shield When he punisheth his childrē he pitieth them for he doth not punish them as an enemy but as a father therefore Dauid saith As a father hath compassion on his childrē so hath the Lord compassion on all those that feare him A fathers anger is rather loue then anger and his correction is to be compted rather a loue token then a punishment So is Gods anger towardes his children which feare him and keepe his couenaunts and therefore his correction is a loue token and no punishment Aske Salomon and he will tell you so nay the Lord himselfe will tell you
this life and her perfection in the world to come yet â—s it not idle but working nor naked â—ut clothed with good workes the fruites of faith so soone as it is begotten to this iustifying faith is alwayes ioyned the sanctifying spirite which worketh by loue and is continually occupied in purifying the hart â—or Christ Iesus and in applying of Iesus Christ vnto the hart of the owner And thus â—aue you heard both by what meanes the Lord doth conuay the assuraunce of his loâ—ing fauour vnto his children in affliction â— also how we are to vse the same meanes Let vs then diligently and carefully vsâ— these meanes and then shall we be effectually assured of Gods loue and fauour in Christ Iesus and being once assured oâ— that we may baldly cast downe the gantâ— let bid defiance to hell and all the deuilâ— in hell and make that chalenge which thâ— Apostle Paule doth make in the behalfe oâ— all Gods children Who shall separate vâ— from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine oâ— nakednesse or perill or sword As it iâ— written for thy sake are we killed all thâ— day long we are compted as sheepe for thâ— slaughter Neuerthelesse in all these thingâ— we are more then conquerours through hiâ— that loued vs. For I am perswaded that neiâ—ther death nor life nor Angels nor priâ—â—cipalities nor powers nor things presenâ— nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shalbe able to sepaâ—rate vs from the loue of God which is â—â— Christ Iesus our Lord. To this Iesus Chriâ—â— which hath so dearely purchased this fauoâ—â— for vs to the Father of our Lord Iesâ—â— Christ which hath so fréely bestowed suâ—â— fauour vpon vs and to this holy spiriâ—â— which doth so comfortably assure vs of this fauour thrée persons and one eternall God be all prayse glory for euer Amen THE THIRD SERMON Nouember 28. 2. Sabboth And as for me thou vpholdest me in mine integritie and doest set me before thy face for euer THe Prophet Dauid by two sortes of arguments assureth himselfe that Gods fauour belongeth vnto him the first is drawen from his outward estate in respect of the world which was very good in as much as his enemies did not triumph ouer him The second ariseth from a view of his owne inward estate in respect of God which was much better for that the Lord vpheld him in his vprightnesse and had a continuall care both of his soule and body The first argumeÌ„t of Gods fauor is strong but being ioyned to the second it is sure The first is great but because it is a generall thing and may be giuen to the vngodly to ouercome his enemies I meane the enemies of his body therefore Dauid resteth not in that but searcheth within himselfe to sée if he can finde any inward tokens of Gods fauour and searching he findeth two within himselfe the first was Gods hand vpholding him from falling away from his God the second was Gods eye alwayes vpon him for his safetie And hauing found these at home in himselfe he triumpheth and blessed God the giuer So that now the king sheweth what inward token he had receiued of Gods fauour for God doth more for his children then for the wicked he speakes comfortable things to the soules of his people Ioseph loued all his brethreÌ„ but Beniamin he loued with a more speciall loue and therefore he gaue messeâ— of meate to them all but Beniamins messâ— was fiue times so much as the rest so Goâ— giueth liberally to all his creatures as a good and a louing God in so much that the earth is full of his mercies but his loue to his elect children by Christ is a thousand times more then to the rest for them he vpholdeth in their integritie and doth set them before his face for euer Gods loue is more to men then to beasts of men his fauour is more to his Church then to all the world besides for he loueth the gates of Zion more then all the dwellings of Iacob he hath chosen that for his resting place he hath a delight in that there brake he y e bow he knapped the speare in péeces he burnt y e chariots with fire yea he wounded euen kings in the day of his wrath for Zions sake that is for y e loue that he bare towardes his chosen people Againe in this visible Church he fauoreth his elect more then the rest and his louing fauour to themward is greater then to all the world besides For Gods Church is like a noble maÌ„s house wherein are vessels of gold and vessels of earth and his vessels of gold are set vp safely kept more daintily vnder locke key theÌ„ the other Sing vnto the Lord saith Dauid sing vpon the harpe vnto our God which couereth the heauen with cloudes and prepareth raine for the earth and maketh the grasse to grow vpon the mouÌ„taines Which giueth to beasts their foode and to the young raueÌ„s that cry Thus much he doth for all his creatures but as for his seruaunts which feare him atteÌ„d vpon his mercies he delighteth in them and takes great pleasure in theÌ„ such pleasure he takes not in the strength of a horse nor in the legs or stature of a man From all the creatures in generall he descendeth to the Church in particular and saith Prayse the Lord O Ierusalem prayse thy God O Zion For he hath made the barres of thy gates strong and hath blessed thy children within thee He setteth peace in thy borders and satisfieth thee with the flower of wheat But hath he done no more for his Church then so Yes that he hath He sheweth his word vnto Iacob his statutes and his Iudgements vnto Israell He hath not delt so with euery nation neither haue they knowledge of his iudgements In the first of the Canticles the Church desireth to be kissed with y e kisses of Christes mouth that is to haue more testimonies and tokens of his loue then one or of one kind for by outward things saith the wiseman a man can not know loue and hatred because all things come a like to all Therefore saith the Church vnto her spouse kisse me with the kisses of thy mouth for thy loue is sweeter theÌ„ wine that is let me haue a continuance of thy fauour towardes me and many sure tokens thereof for no pleasure or profit is comparable to thy loue The kisses of Christ are his blessings bestowed vpon his Church his blessings are either teÌ„porall or eternall corporall or spirituall His spirituall blessings are of two sortes either outward or inward His outward yet spirituall blessings whereby he witnesseth his loue to his Church they are the preaching of the word and the administration of the Sacraments these be great benefites and swéete kisses of the Lord our God but
his wordes Wherefore doe the wicked liue and waxe old and grow in wealth to shew that a man may be a wicked man though he be a wealthy man and that honestie goeth not by riches he goeth on saith Their seede is established in their sight with theÌ„ and their generation before their eyes Their houses are peaceable without feare the rod of God is not vpon them Their bullocke gendreth and faileth not their cow calueth and casteth not her calfe They send forth their children like sheepe and their sonnes dauÌ„ce They take the tabret harpe and reioyce in the sounde of the Organes They speÌ„d their dayes in welth sodenly they dye or go down to the graue That is they lye not loÌ„g sicke Now sée theiâ— Religion They say vnto God depart from vs for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Who is the almightie that we should serue him and what profit should we haue iâ— we should pray vnto him Now sée their endâ— They shalbe as stubble before the wind and as chaffe that the storme carrieth away God will lay vp the sorrow of the father for hiâ— children when he rewardeth him he shall know it his eyes shall see his destruction and he shall drinke of the wrath of the almighty Aske the Prophet Dauid and he will iustifie as much for thus he speaketh of the wicked They are not in troubles as other men neither are they plagued with other men Their eyes stand out for fatnesse they haue more then hart can wish They set their mouth against heauen and their toung walketh thorough the earth Now sée their blasphemy against God And they say how doth God know it or is there knowledge in the most high Lo these are the wicked yet prosper they alwayes and increase in riches Now sée their end Surely thou O Lord hast set them in slippery places and cast them downe into desolation How sodenly are they destroyed perished and horribly consumed If this be not sufficient he can proue it by an example of the Israelites of whom he maketh this report They lusted with concupiscence in the wildernesse meaning wheÌ„ they desired the flesh pots of Egypt againe And saith he The Lord gaue them their desire for he sent them quayles but he sent leannesse into their soules for he cursed it it did them no good but they dyed with the meate in their mouthes what became of the rest that had their desire they rebelled against Moses Aaron whereupon y e earth swallowed vp some and fire from heauen deuoured other some If you aske the Prophet Esay he will auouch this to be true for speaking in the person of God to the stubburne Iewes he saith thus Wherefore should you be smitten any more for you fall away more and more the whole head is sicke and the whole hart is heauie Meaning that he would correct them no more séeing they were neuer the better for correction but to let them do as they listed that his indgemeÌ„â— might be excéeding great and iust vpon theÌ„ For the followeth in the 7. verse Your land is wast your Cities are burnt with fire strauÌ„â—gers deuour your land in your presence anâ— it is desolate like the ouerthrow of strauÌ„gers And the daughter of Zion shall remaine likâ— a cottage in a vineyard like a lodge in a garâ—den of cucumbers and like a besieged Citie And all this came vpon them wheÌ„ the Lorâ— left them to themselues to do what they liâ—sted All which places doe shew and prouâ— how mad foolish they are which measurâ— Gods loue and fauour towardes them bâ— outward prosperitie and his anger by ouâ—â—ward aduersitie On the contrary his children he puts thâ— alwayes in minde of their duetie by whipping them with his fatherly rod they do not so soone step awrie but by and by he fetcheth them home againe What is Diues the better for all his wealth being now in hell torments Lazarus a poore man yet a godly man was kept vnder in this life but now is exalâ—ed And God indéede doth many times kéepe â—is children vnder and geueth them but sroÌ„â—and to mouth and yet loueth them neuerâ—helesse As a father kéepeth his sonne heire â—hort without any money in his purse or any thing els at his owne will till the time come that he shall inherite in great wisedome he doth it for if his sonne should haue â—he inheritaunce presently he would wast â—t spend it vaynely so God dealeth with his children and for no other cause both in singular wisedome and loue that they may say afterward By this I know that thou â—ouest me c. So that this is not the thing that can assure vs of Gods fauour to haue no enemies and no troubles for if we be Gods children we must looke for both Therefore is the Church called militaÌ„t alwayes in battaile alwayes beset with enemies Therefore is y e Gospell called y e word of the Crosse. Therefore S. Paule describing the way to heauen saith we must passe through many tribulalations Therefore Esaw and Iacob shall no sooner haue life but they shall striue together in their mothers belly Therfore Abraham shall no sooner receiue the promise but he must looke to be banished and therefore Abell shalbe enuied of his owne brother so soone as the Lord regardes his sacrifice Thâ— righteous man is like Lot amoÌ„gest the Soâ—domits and like Sampson amongst the Phiâ—listins This is the state of the Church calleâ— militant it is like a ship tossed with the waâ—ues driuen with the winds beset with Piâ—rates on the one side with rockes sandeâ— on the other side alwayes vpon the sea anâ— when it is safest there is but a bord between life and death Their peace is persecution their rest is labour their riches is pouertieâ— their glory is reproch their libertie is imâ—prisonment And yet by this they know that God doth fauour them because he doth so tâ—â—â—per these cuppes vnto them with his graceâ— holy spirite that in persecution they finâ— peace in labour they finde rest in pouertâ— they finde contentement therefore great riches in reproches they finde glory in imprisonment they finde libertie and in death they finde life It is no new thing you sée for good men to haue enemies nay the better men the more enemies as Peter the more faithfull to Christ the more sifted by Sathan but as Christ then prayed for Peter that his faith might not fayle so he prayeth still for the faithfull that their faith may not fayle so that still they may say with Dauid By this I know that thou louest me because my enemies do not triumph against me But what did not Dauids enemies triuÌ„ph against him when they said A mischief is â—ight vpon him and he that lyeth shall rise no more As appeareth in the 8.
of an Angell of light and put vpon a fowle matter a faire cloake of holinesse The truth wherof may sufficiently appeare in the kingdome or Poperie amongest the Monkes and Friers which vnder pretence of holinesse commit all kinde of wickednes I haue knowen some Arian heretiques whose life hath bene most strickt amongest men whose toungs haue bene tired with Scripture vpon Scripture their knées euen hardned in prayer and their faces wedded to sadnesse and their mouthes full of prayses to God while in the meane time they haue stoutly denied the diuinitie of the sonne of God and haue not sticked to teare out of the Bible all such places as made against them such were Hamond Lewes and Cole heretiques of wretched memorie lately executed and cut of in Norwich what shall I say of Fraunces Ket another Arian which succéeded them in opinions more monstrous then his predecessours for he held that whosoeuer wilbe saued must before he dye go to Ierusalē that Christ with his Apostles are now personally in Iudea gathering of his church that y e faithfull should miraculously be preserued at Ierusalem with a wall of fire be fed with Angels foode from heauen but these were his dreames yet such dreames as rather then he would for go them hauing once embraced them caused him to plunge him selfe ouer head and eares in most damnable cursed heresies for behold to maintaine his former fancies he held most impudently that Christ Iesus is not God but a good man as others be and that which was neuer heard before that Christ hath suffred once for his own sinnes and shall before y e end of the world suffer again for the sinnes of the world and that being done he shalbe then made God after his secōd resurrection And yet as monstrous as he was in opiniō sée how holy he would séeme to be in his outward conuersatiō The sacred Bible almost neuer out of his handes him selfe alwayes in prayer his toung neuer ceased praysing of God when he went to the fire he was clothed in sackcloth he went leaping and dauncing being in the fire aboue twentie times together clapping his handes he cried nothing but blessed be God blessed be God blessed be God and so continued vntill the fire had consumed all his neither parts and vntill he was stifled with the smoke that he could speake no longer all which I was a witnes of my self But shall we thinke that the Lord tooke any delight in the prayers or prayses of such a deuill incarnate farre be it from vs. A straunge and fearefull example of a desperate of a hardened and a cursed creature and yet not to be wondered at for the deuill hath his souldiers and martyrs aswell as the Lord and oftentimes they are more resolute in the deuils quarrell then some are in Gods quarrel As for his willing and ready going with his cōstant enduring it was no more then is perfourmed by such as hang them selues or drowne themselues but what pleasure hath the Lord in the sacrifices of such What shall we say of our English Donatists our schismaticall Brownists followers of Barrow and his crue they hold our Church for no visible Church neither that we haue so much as a face of a Church amōgst vs they cōdēne all our assemblies at their pleasure terming vs our Churches to be but dunghils and Sinagogues of Sathan our Ministerie no Ministerie our Sacramēts no Sacraments our teachers they terme Baals Priests the taile of the red dragon the whole Church of England they call Babilon Sodom Egipt all that naught is thus they cast mire in y e face of their mother in whose bowels they were first begotten if euer they were begotten to the Lord separating thē selues frō all the holy things of God because euery thing is not iust as they would haue it But in the meane time to get more credite vnto their pretended cause of separation they séeme to be very deuout in prayer and as though the spirite of prayer were proper vnto them they condēn◠all other mens prayers their mouthes alwayes thundering out the iudgements of God while they take a felicitie in condemning their brethrē they come vnder a cloake of sinceritie and reformation while they go about to plucke vp the Lordes vineyeard by the rootes and none more zealous in their profession none more deuout in praysing of God none more ready in the Scriptures then they yea as plentifull in their proofes and textes of Scripture they séeme to be for vpholding of their errors shcisme as Kett was for the defending of his heresies but what pleasure the Lord hath in such schismaticall prayers prayses which haue nothing to present them to the Lord but a spirite of pride and errour I feare to speake y e Lord open their eyes to see their sinne that so many as belong to him may be conuerted and be saued Thus we sée it manifest both by testimonies and examples that the sacrifices of the wicked vngodly are vile before the Lord how holy soeuer they séeme to be amongest men and they can not prayse him but as the deuils did confesse him But if any come before the Lord as his beloued spouse decked with their garment of diuers colours I meane their soules clothed with the riches of Gods fauour as true repentaunce a liuely faith brotherly loue lowlinesse of spirite integritie of hart patience in affliction ioy in the holy Ghost if any come to the Lord depending on Gods grace naked in himself yet clothed in Christ doubting of himselfe yet assuring himselfe of Gods fauour both promised purchased in y e bloud of Christ Iesus they may bring their offering w t Dauid say Blessed be the Lord God of Israell and the king of glory shall then haue delight in their beautie for he loueth the prayses of his people and of none els This doctrine if it were throughly applied and closely layd to the conscience of euery estate calling it would I hope make vs all more warie and carefull in offering our selues with our presents of prayses and prayers vnto the Lord while we liue And first of all what will Idolaters and persecuters of Gods Sainctes say vnto this In a merry note they sing Te Deum laudamus Benedictus Deus Israel c. But whether such Popish and bloudy seruices be accepted of God or no I would wish them to consider In our Church if there be any in y e plate of seers watchmen ouer the Lords people and yet haue neither will skill nor courage to lead the people of the Lord in the wayes of righteousnesse and also do wearie them selues in the wayes of loosenesse and prophanesse and yet wil come into Gods house and without repentance offer vp cōfessions prayers thākesgiuings for themselues the people how acceptable such sacrifices are vnto the Lord I would wishe them also to consider Agayne there are some called