A godlie Sermon of repentaunce and amendment of life togeather with the accompt which we must render at the day of iudgement Preached at the Rolles Church in London the second of Maye and taken out of the fifth Chapter of Saint Paule his Epistle to the Corrinthians Cor. 5. vers 10. We must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christe that euery man maye receiue the thinges which are done in his bodye according to that which he hath done whether it bee good or euill AT LONDON Printed by Thomas Purfoote and are to be sold at his shop right ouer against S. Sepulchers Church 1585. A Sermon preached at the Rolles Church in London the 2. of Maye beeing Sondaye taken out of the 5. Chapter of S. Paule his second Epistle to the Corinthians verse 10. The Text. We must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christe that euery man maye receiue the thinges which are done in his bodye according to that which he hath done whether it bee good or euill THe holye Apostle at such time as he wrote this Epistle to the Corinthians beeing persecuted for the testimonye of his conscience and the profession of the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christe protesteth solempnely that the troubles which bee suffered in his bodye did not onelye not discourage him nor cause him to faint but eyther That they did adde zealo and 〈…〉 causing him to continue constaune in his calling and to account those afflitions but tuomentary light in respect of that most excellent and eternall weight of glorye wherewith all in the end he knew he shoulde be crowned the earnest desire whereof caused him to sigh and grone in spirite that he might shortly be losed out of his body and cloathed with his house which the Lord had prepared for him in heauen not that be thought hee coulde preuent the time which the Lord in his secret counsel had already determined For he knew that the Dayes of man surely are determined and that his number of monethes are knowne of God who hath appoynted him his boundes which can not goe beyonde but we know sayth he that if our earthly house of that tabernacle bee destroyed wee haue a buildinge giuen of GOD that is a house not made with handes but eternall in the heauens beeing absent from the Lord whileste we are at hoame in this body Howbeit whether it be the Lord his good wil and pleasure that we shall stil dwell at home in the bodye or remooue from home out of this bodye and dwell wich him we endeuour our selues that we may be found acceptable in his sight at all times and in all places Whereof he giueth this reason For we must all appeare c. Exhorting al men both by his example and doctrine in life to meditate of death in prosperitie to feare aduersitie in the day of mercye to thinke of the daye of iudgement and so to liue in their seuerall callinges as to remember they must giue account of their callinges so to vse the benefites and blessinges of God as not forgetting from whence they haue them and when they muste resigne them according to that counsell of the wise man Remember thy ende That is the certaintie of thy ende the vncertain howre of thy ende the rewarde thou shalt receaue at thy ende the place of ioye or payne that thou must goe to at thy end In all thy doinges remember these thinges and thoâ—â—â—â— shalâ— neuer doe amisse For what causeth such losenes of life in all sortes but the forgetfulnes of death in all sortes What causeth the wicked alwayes to presume of God his mercye but the contempt of his iustice What causeth such generall security in sinne but the generall obliuion of the reward of sinne Whereas if we did alwayes remember our particular endes and our generall iudgements it would cause vs to walke more circumspectly in our callinges which more care of conscience and greater consideration of all our actions which one day must be brought to iudgment To this ende doth the Apostle preach of the daye of iudgement in this place putting vs in remembraunce of three thinges necessary to be thought of and considered of all men before that tyme. 1 First who and what they are whiche must appeare at that day 2 Secondarily where and before whom they must appeare 3 Thirdly to what ende they must appeare If you aske who they are which must appeare at that daye the Apostle saithe All. If you aske where and before whome those All must appeare the Apostle aunswereth Before the iudgement seate of Christ If you aske to what ende those All must appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ the Apostle doth aunswere To receaue euery man according to that which he hath done in his body whether it c. The first part TOuching the substaunce of that doctrine which here is deliuered by the Apostle it was prophesied long since by S. Peter that towards the letter end of the world this doctrine of the generall iudgement and resurrection of all flesh should of all other to the opinions of the wicked seeme most absurd ridiculous and foolish There shall come in the last dayes mockers saith he which will walke after their lustes and saye where is the promise of his comming For since the Fathers dayed all thinges continue a like from the beginning of the creation He termeth the despisers and contemners of this doctrine mockers he saith the dais they shal liue in shalbe the last the manner how they shall mocke it will appeare both in their liues and speeches in their liues for that they shall not walke after the lawes of God but after the lawes of their fleshe fulfilling the lustes therof as prophane and rechles persons void of al godlines and giuen ouer to all sinne and iuniquirye In speeches not ashamed to profes that they beleue nothing lesse then that that should be performed which is promised in the scriptures concerning the comming of Christ in iudgement The reason that moue them to thinke and say so is the obseruation of nature his constant course in all the workes and creatures of God continuing in y e same state wherein they were first created withoute any alteration or chaunge in any of them as those great lights the sunne and the Moone obseruing their vsuall and ordinarye time of their vprising and downe sitting according to the seuerall seales and tymes of the yeare the one ruling and giuing light to the daye the other in the night the starrs remaining firme and fixed as lightes in the firmament of heauen where they were firste planted in the beginning to diuide y e day and the night and to bee as signes and seasons for daies and yeares the earth being vnremooueable vnder our feete bringing forth budde and greene hearbe apt to seede and fruitfull trees euerye one yeilding fruites after his kinde and all these together with the beasts of the
done and I heid my tongue and thou thoughtst wickedly that I was suen a one as thou thy selfe but I will reproue thee and lay before thee the things that thou hast don Let vs not flatter our selues in our sins therfore thinking bicaus God doth dissemble theÌ„ make as thogh he saw them not that therefore be doth forges them or allow of them but assure our selues that one day he will reproue vs and laye our faultes before our eyes We do many thinges in secret and huggermugger which for shame we woulde not if we knew we were seen of anye how much lesse ought we to do theÌ„ since we are seene of God We haue many secret thoughts phantasticall imaginacioÌ„s wherin we much please our selues and delight our flesh and would blushe to haue them knowne of others which one daye the Lorde will make knowne to our neighbours when he shall make manifest the thinges of the darcke and open the secreates of all heartes I will search Hierusalem sayth the Lorde in that day with a lanterne Alas who can hide him selfe so secretlye or dissemble so deeply but the Lord wil find him and found euen the vnserchable depth of his heart when he shall search Hierusalem with a lanterne Let vs remember this all the sort of vs least as the Prophet Dauid sayth we forget God and perish from the right waye The witnesses which shall come in againste vs shall be especiallye the testimonye of our owne heartes and consciences The bookes shal be opened and the dead shalbe iudged of these things which are written in the bookes These bookes are the consciences of our good deeds and bad which as the Apostle witnesseth shall then excuse vs or accuse vs iustiste vs or condemne vs make with vs or against vs. And there is no man to whom God hath not giuen one of these bookes to carrye with him alwayes in his bosome neyther is anye man so ignoraunt but the Lorde hath giuen him knowledge to reade them But most men are so carelesse to vnclapse them as they neuer read or marke the contents of them till it is to late for them When God had placed Adam in Paradise forbidding him to eate of the fruit in the middest of the garden hee gaue him a booke and for his memories sake hee wrote in it What day soeuer thou eat thereof thou shalt dye the death But Adam neuer vnclaspt this booke till he had in deede transgressed Goods commandement and then his booke beeing opened he sawe the vglesome deformitie of this sinne whereto he had brought him selfe and his posterity but it was too late Caine carried this booke in his bosome but he neuer opened it til he had murdered his brother and then vnclasping it he found written in it Thou shalt not kill but thou hast killed thy brother ergo sayth he My suâ—e is greater than that it can be forgiuen That same frantike 〈◊〉 of whom mencion is made in Euripides after he had staine adulterouâ—â— Egisthus aud Clytemnestra his owne mother hauing no man to accuse him but his own conscience he looked in his booke and there he found written Bloud will haue bloud and therevpon though he was acquit by the law he presemlye ran mad and was neuer his own man afterward One demaunding the cause thereof in Euripides Quid muli te perdidit Orestes What ill hath betide or what hath caused thee lose thy wits Orestes He aunswereth him conscientia my conscience for Quid si omnes excusant sola conscâ—enâ—ia accusat what if all meÌ„ in the world excuse a man if his owne conscience accuse him which is insteed of a thousand witnesses shal more foâ—er confound him then they al. And therfore Nullam peccatoruÌ„ tuoruÌ„ conscium magis timueris quaÌ„ teipsum aliuÌ„ potes effugerâ— teipsum nun quam feare no maÌ„ y â— in priuie to thy sins so much as thy selfe thou maist auoyd an other maÌ„ but thou canst not flee froÌ„ thy self nor thy own knowledg conscience which according to the Etimologye of the worde is nothing els but a ioynts knowledge which an other hath with thee and thou with him which is God and thy self and is very aptly termed of Chrisostom in psal 50. Coaeâ— in quo conscribanâ—â— quotidiana peccata A booke wherin is recorded our daily sins which howsoeuer they be dissembled of vs now shall then be reuealed brought to light and punished when we must appear c. And therfore is this day and time of our appearaunce termed of the Apostle dies declarationis the daye of declaration not that anye thing shall then be declared to the Lord more then he knoweth already For he that planes the care how can he but heare he that made the eie how can he but see heauen is his seate earth is his footstoole what can be dâ—n in heauen or earth wherof he hath not knowledg he knoweth our down sitting our vprising he vnderstandeth all our thoughtes long before he spieth out all our waies not a word in our tong but he knoweth it altogether if we climbe vp into heauen he is there if we go down into hell he is there if we remaine in the vttermost partes of the sea he is there also if we think darknes shal hid vs the darknes is no darknes with him but the night is as cleare as the day darknes light are both alike To conclude all thinges are naked and open to his eies and there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight but wherfore is the daye of iudgemente tearmed of the Apostle the day of declaration for that nothing is so secretlye concealed of vs nowe but it shall be manifestly reuealed then The daye of this lyfe is one daie and may be tearmed the day of our dissimulation the day which followeth immediately after this life is the lords and is tearmed the daye of declaration For then the verye heauens saith Iob shall declare the wickednes of the wicked and the earthe whiche nowe doeth beare him shall then take parte againste him Now the ten virgins go together walke together talke together eat and drinke together but at that day it shall appeare who are wise who foolish who haue slept who haue watched whiche of them had oyle in their Lampes and which way which of them shalbe admitted vnto the marriage and whiche excluded and shut oute Now the corne chaffe lie together on a heape in one flowre and are not yet scucrd but at that dtye the Lorde shall come with his â—ari in his hande and purge his flower thorowlye carrye his wheate into his garner but burne his chaffe with vnquenchable fier Now the wheate and tares growe together in one fielde and are not yet weeded out but at the daye the lorde of the haruest will saye to the reapers gather the eares and bind them vp in
bundels to burne them but carry the wheate into the barne Nowe the sheepe and goates go together feede together and are foulded together but at that daye shall the chiefe sheapehard seperate the sheepe from the gouts placing the shepe one his righte hande and the goates on the left Now the world doth deride and the children of GOD doe weepe and lament but at that day they shall be comforted and the other shall be tormented Nowe all the creatures of God do grone and trauaile in paine with vs looking when the sonnes of God shall appeare but at that daye they shall bee freed of the bondage of corruption and vanitye whereunto they are now subiect Nowe the very heauens are not pure in his sight but at that day the heauens being on fire shalbe dissolued and the elements shall melt with heate and wee looke for a newe heauen and a newe earthe according to his promise wherein dwelleth righteousnesse In the meane time let vs possesse our soules in patience and reioyce to be partakers of Christe his sufferinges that when his glorie shall appeare we may be glad and reioyce being certainly perswaded that the afflictions of this life are not worthy of that glory which shall then bee shewed vppon vs. Onely let vs be dilligent that wee maye be found of him in peace without spot and blameles in holy conuersation and godlines our hartes being pure from an ill conscience washed in oure bodies with pure wator and that so much the rather bicause we see the end of al things to drawe neere and the daye of oure appearaunce to bee euen at hande Thus much of the first part The second part Where and before whome we must appeare THe place where wee shall appeare the apostle calleth it The iudgemente seate The person before whome we must appeare is Christ For the father hath giuen all iudgement to the son the articles of our Christion faith do teache vs to be leeue that hee shall come to iudge the quicke and the deade not that God the father and God the holy ghost shall then be excluded and not ioyned in iudgement with him but for that the visible execution of this iudgemente shall bee doone by the second person in trynitye God the sonne who shall then sitte one his seate of iudgemente to giue euerye man c. Nowe hee sitteth one his seate of mercy as oure mediator and aduocare making continuall intercession to God his Father for vs Sitting on his seate of iudgement hee shall pronounce the sentence of condemnation against vs. Now be offereth himselfe to be intertained calleth al men to be his clientes that are opressed with their ennemies the world flesh or diuell come to me all ye that labour and are laden and I will refresh giue ease to your soules Those which now resist to come when he thus calleth them in mercy he wil refuse them when he shall come in iudgement and whereas now he biddeth them come they will not come he will then commaund them to depart Now he knoweth those that are his but those that nowe will not knowe him be will not knowe them Nowe hee hathe neyther beautie nor fauoure nowe the worlde hath no lust to him nowe hee is despised and abhorred of all men nowe hee is counted so vile as men are ashamed of him and hide their faces from him nowe hee is reckoned as a worme and no man a reproche of men the verye â—f coome of the people But when hee shall come in iudgement as the sonne of God in glorie of his father accompanyed with a multitude of heauenlye souldiours in the sound of the trumpe and in flaming for to render vengeance to suche as know not God nor beleeue not the gospell his presence shall bee so hotte that no man shall be able to abide it his lippes full of indignation his tongue as a consuming fire his breath is a vehement flood of water that reacheth to the necke insomuch that euen kinges of the earth great men rich persons graund captaines and mighty men euery bondman freeman shall hide themselues in dennes and amongst rockes of the mountains saying to them fall on vs and hide vs from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne from the wrath of the lambe for the great day of his wrath is come and who can stand Now he appeareth in him little then be shall appeare in maiestie nowe wee see him in pouertie then we shal see him in glorie Now he seemeth to be but a man then shal be shew himselfe to be god Now is hee iudged of all men then shall hee come to iudge al men Now he commeth as a lambe then shal he come as a lyon Now be commeth to call then shall hee come to condemne Now he commâ—th intreating of vs then will he come thre aâ—eâ—nge of vs. The signes and tokens which shall goe immediately before this his seas 〈◊〉 comming the scripture sheweth to be manie Christ himselfe saithe you shall heare of warres and rumoures of wares Hearing hath relation to speaking And therefore when be saith you shall heare of warres he thereby signifieth vnto vs that towards his coÌ„ming y e diuel shal disperse sediciously messeÌ„gers of newes into the world which shal raise vp rumors tales filling y e peopls heads full of newes those no ioyfull or good newes as y e angels reported at his firste coÌ„ming but heauie troblesom newes newes rending to sedicion y e disturbaÌ„ce of publique peace disquieting of peoples mindes breeding disoledience in subiectes againste their souerâ—igues in princes ielosie of their Subiertes in Magistrates and men of honour secrete harted disliking one of an other both in religion gouernment After which rumors newes dispearsed abrod of war that mens hartes are as it were prepared to wars wars shall flow indeede both forren ciuell and domesticall For nation shall rise against nation realm against realm c. Bitter contentions and contrarietie of opinions controuersies for matters of religion shall ensue sollow They shal put you to troble and shal kill you you shal be hated of al nations for my names sake Many shalbe offeÌ„ded betray hate one another that which is wonderful against the coÌ„mon course of nature a man shalbe at variance with his father the daughter with the mother the daughter in lawe with the mother in lawe insomuch that the brother shal betray the brother vnto death the father the son childreÌ„ shal rise against their own pareÌ„ts shal cause theÌ„ to dy a mans foes shalbe those of his own houshold For nullu est 〈◊〉 saith Hierâ—m in 〈◊〉 non sint infidele◠〈◊〉 Ther is no hous wher in they are not both infidels beleâ—â—ers And therfore no 〈◊〉 though they be thus diuided in
kingdoÌ„s in cities towns houses For non potest saith he eorum fidies esse affectus quorum diuersa est fides They caÌ„not be true on to another in hart affection y e differ in faith religion Another signe going before his comming is The Gospell shall be preached in all the world for a witnesse of all nations whereby he noteth vnto vs that towardes his comming the gospell shal be preached to all nations professed also of many but practised of a fewe but be a witnes and testimony against him For notwithstandinge the preaching of the Gospell some shall departe from the faith and shall giue heed to spirites of errour and doctrines of diuels which speak lyes through hypocrisie and haue their consciences burned with a hot iron forbidding to marry and commaunding to absteyne from meates which God hath created to bee receaued with giuinge of thankes of them which beleeue know the truth An other signe is that faith shall faile charitie waxe could and iniquitye abound For men shall be louers of them selues couetous proude boasters cursed speakers disobedient to parentes vnthankfull without naturall affection truthbreakers false accusers intemperate fierce no louers at all of those that are good traitours heady high minded louers of pleasures more then of GOD hauing a shew of Godlines but denying the power thereof But for all this the ende is not yet For that daye shall not come except there come a departinge first and that the man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is an aduersary and exalteth him selfe againste all that is called God or that is worshipped sittinge as God in the temple of God shewing him selfe that he is God These are the heginninges of sorrowes the manifest demonstrations of his comming and the experience of theÌ„ in our dayes do plainely Prognosticate vnto vs that he can not be farre of For daylye doe we heare of warres and tumors of warres neuer was the world so full of newes and fearefull rumors nation doth rise against nation and realme against realme And euen now is the time that the sonne is at variance with the father the father with the sonne c. Euen now can one state hardly abyde another without grudging disliking or disdaine or if they agree in matters of policy gouerment yet do they hardly agree in matters of faith and religion in one house where they are nighly ioyned together it is hard to finde twoo of one mind amonge those that seeme to consent in opinions not to haue the selfe same man in some thinges to dissent froÌ„ them selues Euen now is the Gospell preached yet euen now in the time of the Gospell doe some depart from the truth giuing beede to spirites of errour and doctrine of Diuels forbidding to marrye and eat meates who the Lorde bath ordained to be receiued with thaÌ„ksgiuing Euen now also doth faith faile faith in religion faith in worde of promise in bargening buying and selling and no truth to be found charitye kaiecold a care to eache man common abuses remaines in many pity mercye and compassion and iudgement remayneth in few Iniquity is growne to such perfection in both sects all states ages and callinges that it hath almost gotten the vpper hand For when was there euer such selfe loue when was there euer so liet lenâ—ig hâ—orly loue when were â—teneueâ— so 〈◊〉 when were there eure such bosters braggers when was ther euer the like pride when were mens mouthes fuller of cursing bitternesse where were Children so disobedient to their parents when were men euer so vnthankfull either to God their prince or their priuate friends when were men euer so voyd of compassion when so fals harted when so many false tongs when so many riotous ruffiaÌ„s so fierce wheÌ„ was vertue godlines godly men more abhorted when so many traitors publique priuate open secret wheÌ„ were there euer so many bayrebraines when so many high minded marchauntes In what age were pleasures in greater price and God had in lesse honour when was religion euer more in showe when was there euer lesse among all men generally in truth And to make iniquity consummate hath not the man of sinâ—â— long since beene disclosed hath not the childe of perdition beâ—â—t manifestly deuealed are not his dangerous practises dayly discouered and through the wanderfull working of God miraculoustye confounded Since these thinges therfore are the sIgnes of his comming and are gone before let vs assure our seLues the time of his comming which they prognosticate can not be farre of And yet 〈◊〉 not I speake this as though A 〈◊〉 scemâ— precisely to determine of the verye day or howre weeke or yeare of his comming I know what Christ answered his Apostles when they 〈◊〉 yred of his retourne It is not for thee to know the times and seasons which the father hath put in his owne power And de die hora c. Of thatday and that howre no man knoweth not the angels in heauen nor the sonne of man him selfe But euen as lightninge flash 〈◊〉 in a mans face vnawares and as the byed is 〈◊〉 in the snare before he thinketh himselfe within danger of the net and as a chief enmmeth sodenly in the night so shall the comming of the sonne of man be yet because men are so sencelesse of their sinnes and liue in such securitie of lyfe crying peace peace safety safetye thinking least of those dangers which hang ouer their heades giuing them selues wholy to eating and drinking planting and building buying and selling chapping and chaunging wyuing marrying c. euen as they did in the dayes of 〈◊〉 when the flouddes came and destroyed them all and in the time of Lor when fier and Brimstone came downe from heauen and consumed them all vpon earth This generall securitie I say and these peritous times of ours whereas men liue as though they were either wedded or bewitched of this worlde without anye worde or remembraunce of the worlde to come is a most plaine and manifest argument that hee is at hande euen at the doore who commeth to iudge the world And therefore if thou will bee counted worthye to stand before the sonne of man and auoyd those daungers which shall fall vppon them that dwell on theÌ„ face of the earth Take heede that your hearts be not at any time ouercome with surffeting and drunkenesse and the eares of this lyfe but beeing on earth let your conuersation be in heauen Seeke those things that are aboue wher christ sitteth on the right hand of god set your affectioÌ„ on thinges aboue and not on thinges on earth and take vnto thee the whole armour of God that thou maye bee able to resist in the euil day that hauing finished all thinges thou maye stande fast hauing youre loynes gyrte with truth and the brest-plate of righteousnes your feete shod in the preparation of