and did not see it at last he dreamed and beholde a Ladder which reached from earth to Heauen and all the Angels descended and ascended by it to shew that no man ascendeth to Heauen but by that Ladder this Ladder is Christ which saith I am the way and therefore he biddeth vs to follow him If we must follow Christ his steps let vs see how hee went to Heauen hee begunne betime for at twelue yeares of age hee saide I must goe about my Fathers busines hee made speede for Iohn saith That hee spake and did moe good thinges in three and thirtie yeeres than could be written he kept the right way for when he said who can accuse me of sinne none would accuse him of any though they watched him for that purpose Hee continued well for hee dyed like a Lambe and prayed to his Father and forgaue his enemies Therefore we will call the steps of this Ladder Maturè properè rectè constanter that is begin betime make hast keepe the way and holde to the end and thou shalt goe after thy master Touching the first beginne betime God requiring the first borne for his offering and the first fruites for his seruice requireth the fâ—â—st labours of his seruants and as I may say the maidenhead of euery man because the best season to seeke God is to seeke him early and therefore Wisdome saith They which seeke mee early shall find but to them which deferre she saith Ye shall seeke me but ye shall not find me Wee haue long purposed to serue God and euery man thinketh that he should be serued but wee cannot accord of the time when to beginne One saith when I am rich another saith when I am free another saith when I am setled another saith when I am old then I shall be fit to fast and pray Thus because wee are giuen to set the best last that we may haue a longer time for our sinnes and pleasures like the Iewes in the first of Agge which said alway The time was not yet come when they should build the Temple Therefore the holy Ghost crieth so often This is the acceptable time this is the day of saluation to day heare his voice like Rebeccah which taught her sonne the neerest way to get the blessing So soone as man was created a law was giuen him to shew that he should liue vnder obedience from the day that he is borne so soone as he is borne he is baptized in the name of God to shew that when we cannot runne to Christ we shuld creepe vnto him and serue him as wee can in youth and age so soone as hee beginneth to pray he saith thy name be hallowed thy kingdome come thy will be done before he aske his dayly bread to shew that we should seeke the will of God before the food that we liue by much more before the sinnes pleasures which we perish by So soone as the Lord distributed the talents he inioyned his seruants to vse theÌ„ who is so young that hath not receiued some talent or other Therefore youth caÌ„not excuse him because the talent requires to be vsed of euery one that hath it so soone as God created the man the woman he coÌ„manded them to encrease multiplie shall we encrease and multiply in the flesh before we encrease multiplie in the spirit the first thing that God did after he created heauen earth he did separate light from darkenes shewing vs how wee should separate our good from euill before our good become euill The first lesson that Iohn taught was Repent for the kingdome of heauen is at hand The first lessons that the Disciples taught was Repent too for the kingdome of heauen is at hand And the first lesson that Christ taught was Repent for the kingdome of heauen is at hand To teach what we should doe first Repent was the first lesson to young and olde Therefore Dauid prayed Teach me O Lord to number my dayes not my yeares nor my months nor my weekes but my daies shewing that wee shall answere for dayes as well as for yeares for today as well as tomorrowe and for our youth as straightly as for our age euen as the little children were deuoured with Beares for mocking the Prophet which made Dauid to crie Remember not the sinnes of my youth which hee would not haue spoken if God did not marke the sinnes of youth as well as of age Therefore the Fathers were charged to teach their children the same law which they had themselues Therefore Christ rebuked the Disciples which forbad the little children to bee brought vnto him For should children honour their Father not honour God it was a sweet consorte when the children went before Christ to his Temple sang their Hosanna to make their fathers ashamed which did not know the Messias when he came when their little children knewe him It is written when Christ heard a young man answere that hee had kept the Commaundements from his youth Christ began to loue him which shewes how Christ loues these timely beginnings when wee make him our nurse and draw our first milke from his brests There is not one confession for olde men and another for young men In the Creede the olde man saith not I did beleeue in God and the young man sayth not I will beleeue in God but both saye I doe beleeue in God for he which is called I am loueth I am and careth not for I was nor I will be When Christ asketh Peter Louest thou me he looketh that he should answere him Yea Lord I loue thee and not driue off as Felix did Paul I will heare thee I will loue thee when I haue a conuenient time nay when thou hast no conuenient time for if this be the conuenient time after this the time conuenient is past Manna was gathered in the morning because when the Sunne rose it did melt away So virtue must bee gathered betime for if wee stay till busines and pleasures come vpon vs they will melt it faster then wee can gather it therefore in the fourth of Prouerbes Wisdome is called the Beginning to teach vs to seeke wisdome in the beginning as a man taketh the best first If Eliah would be serued before the widdow when shee had not enough to serue her selfe will God be serued after thee nay after the slesh and after the diuell what canst thou owe him to morrow which thou art not indebted to day yea doth not God require Morning sacrifice as well as Euening sacrifice It is an olde saying repeÌ„tance is neuer too late but it is a true saying repentance is neuer too soone for so soone as we sinne we had neede to aske forgiuenes beside repentance is a gift and therefore must be taken when it is offered For if Iudas could haue repented when he listed hee would neuer haue hanged himselfe
IACOBS LADDER OR THE HIGH WAY TO HEAVEN Being the last Sermon that Master Henry Smith made And now published not as many forged things haue beene in his name to deceiue the Christian Reader but to instruct and prepare him with oyle in his lampe ioyfully to meete the Lord Iesus in his second comming 1. THES 5. 21. Trie all things but keepe that which is good AT LONDON Printed by the widdow Orwin for Thomas Man 1595. Iacobs Ladder or the way to Heauen 1. COR. 9. 24. So runne that yee may obtaine BEcause I haue but one houre to teach you all that you must learn of me I haue choseÌ„ a text which is like Iacobs ladder that shewes you the way to heauen This is all that you would know and it may please God to open your eyes that you may know it before ye depart Heare to practise hinder not the spirit but let it worke without resistance recorde when you are gone and you shall see the great power of God what he is able to doe for you by one sentence of this booke if ye digest it well So runne c. Then wee must see first how we should runne Secondly what we shall obtaine Thirdly what will hinder vs that is we must see the way the lettes and the ende Foure thinges marke in the way first begin betime secondly make hast thirdly keepe the way fourthly continue to the end thou shalt obtaine heauen whither Christ by these steppes is gone before thee When I haue set you in the way I will point at all the lettes stops rubbes and blockes which are before you behinde you beside you the temptations of prosperitie the temptations of aduersitie the temptations of heresie which stand in the streetes like the fierie sworde to stop the way to Paradice Then I will leade you to the mount as God did Moses and shew you a far off the blessed land the countrie aboue that you may see where heauen is what is the way to it and what glory and happines is there When I haue shewed you the way the lettes and the end I will commit you to the race and end as I began So runne that ye may obtaine So often as I haue read or considered these words which you heare they seeme me thinks to put vs in mind that we are out of the way and that there is another way if wee seeke it nearer yet to the kingdome of heauen then that which wee take therefore the holy Apostle doth waâ—â—e euery man to ponder his steps that running wee may obtaine that which we runne for which is the worthiest price that euer was giuen and neuer was giuen but to him which kept this way that I will shewe you The Apostle sayth that you must runne It is not an easie nor a short iourney which a drone a dreamer a snaile or any carelesse man may performe and take his ease set forth when hee will stay at his pleasure goe againe at his leasure but he must alwaies runne from the first day he setteth sorth till he come to his iorneyes end for the glorious heauen is farre from the darke earth much adoe to aspire the top of Mount StoÌ„ but much more adou to aspire the top of Mount Heauen The violent take it from the slothfull and the wicked runne to hell with more paines which they take to doe euill than the righteous need to take for heauen The Apostle putteth the word so before runne to teach vs to looke to our way before wee runne farre So runne c as if he should say moe runne than come home as moe shoote than hit the marke The heathen Philosophers Plato Socrates Aristides Phocion Pericles Solon in their way did runne faster than we Constancie Temperance Patience justice humilitie simplicitie integritie contempt of death contempt of the world seeme to be buried with them and hid in the graue before this Iron age was borne yet because they ranne without Christ they did not obtaine but lost their labour like a man which makes hast out of his way takes more paines than if he kept the way and yet neuer comes whither hee would The blinde generation which knowe not God in their way runne faster than wee Aske the Marchants which haue seene their life and our liues or looke in histories and they will tell you that our Religion is not like their superstition our knowledge not like their ignorance our faith not like their feare our worship not like their seruice our christianitie not like their Idolatrie yet because they runne to the creature for the creator and followe vncertaine dreames before the worde which came from heauen they runne in vaine for their Religion deuotion and seruice is to them that cannot requite it Many of our aduersaries Papists Anabaptists Donatists and the grossest heretikes in their way runne fasten than wee They watch they pray they fast and distribute more than we yet because they runne to traditions to Angels to Saints to Grosses to Images to Reliques insteâ—d of Christ and challenge merite of all that they doe and would bee canonized beside that all posteritie might honour them as they doe Saints therefore as the Pharisies had their rewarde when men praised them so haue they when one doth worship another If many runne and do not obtaine how easie is it to runne in vaine and how happie is he which obtaineth that that all men wish when so many misse it for nothing but for this because they runne out of the way You haue heard read and done much and more would doe to obtaine eternall life with the Angels in heauen for this ye pray and fast and watch and obey the lawes of God and come together euery Sabboth to heare to pray to praise and serue him which giueth How many prayers how many fastes how manie watches how many works how many houres in reading the word in hearing the word in receiuing the sacrameÌ„ts in examining your hearts in chastising your flesh were speÌ„t lost if you shuld run in vaine as Esau hunted for a blessing weÌ„t without it Therfore the holy Ghost doth say nothing but it is like a marke in our way to shew vs when we are in when we are out for God would not haue vs lose our labour like LabaÌ„ which could find in his hart after Iacob had serued him twentie yeeres to send him away emptie but he would haue you to seeke and finde to aske and receiue to runne and obtaine therefore hee saith so runne that ye may obtaine As there is a heauen so there is a way to heauen one way Adam came from Paradise and by another way hee must returne to Paradise the passage is not so stopt but there is a way though a straight way and a doore though it be a narrow doore and therefore few doe finde it onely they which are like Iacob doe see a Ladder before them as Iacob did he had many dreames before
is called the word of life to shew that there is no way to life but the worde which is called the way and the life Therefore now ye see the way I conclude with Esay This is the way walke in it Thus much of your second step to heauen which is keepe the way Now when yee are in the way it is good to make speed therfore the next step in your iourney is Make hast For this cause Paul saith Runne which is the swiftest pace of man as though he should go faster to heauen than to any place else in the world His meaning is this that as a man doth watch and runne and labour to bee rich quickly so hee should heare and pray and studie and vse al meanes to be wise quickly This the Apostle vnderstandeth when hee biddeth vs to adde as if he should say when thou are in the way and knowest good from euill euery day kill some vice and euery weeke sowe some virtue and make thy two talents fiue talents thy fiue talents ten talents and euer be doing and at last it shall be opened because thou hast knocked Christ saith The kingdome of heauen is got by violence therefore a man must be earnest and zealous in the religion that hee professeth or else it maketh no matter of what religioÌ„ he is for if he be but luke warme God threatneth to spew him out of his mouth euery man hath a kind of religion and the religion of most is to bee like one another as mercifull as other as humble as other as deuout as other but God saith Bee holy as I am not as other are for Christ saith Except your righteousnes exceed the righteousnes of the Pharisees although they were holier than other yee shall not enter into heauen That is except ye bee more than statute Protestants which goe to the Church and heare an homilie and receiue once a yeare but will not offend any person nor leaue any custome nor beare any charge nor suffer any trouble for the glory of God yee shall come to heauen when the Pharisees come out of hell As loue deligheth men so zeale pleaseth God for zeale is the loue of God Therefore euery sacrifice was offered with fire to shewe with what zeale they should burne which come to offer prayer or praise or thanks vnto the Lord. Therefore the holy Ghost descended in fire to shew the seruencie of them vpon whom the holy Ghost resteth Therefore the Cherubins were portraited with wings before the people to shew that they should bee as earnest and quicke about the Lordes busines as the Cherubins Therefore God would not take a lame nor a halting sacrifice to shew how hee abhorreth slacknes in all our dueties Therefore Saint Iames saith Bee swift to heare we must bee swift to pray swift to obey swift to doe good for hee is not cursed onely which doth not the Lordes busines but hee which doth it negligently that is hee which doth any thing before it like him that would bid his friends fare well and follow Christ after The hound which runnes but for the hare runnes as fast as possibly she can the Hauke which slyeth but for the partridge slyeth as fast as possibly she can and shall hee which runnes for heauen creepe more slowly than the dyall Who hath so much faith as the Apostles yet howe often doth Christ say O ye of little faith Complaining that their faith was too little and therefore when Peter answered him that he loued him as though hee loued him not enough Christ asked him againe whether hee loued him and as though he loued him not enough yet hee asked him againe Louest thou mee for hee would haue vs loue him as he loued vs when his hart bloud was shed for vs therefore when hee demaunded his loue he measured it by the heart saying Thou shalt loue God with all thy heart with all thy strength with all thy mind Thrise he repeateth all lest we shuld keepe any thing from him Our Sauiour saith not that his Father is glorified that we bring forth fruite but in that we bring forth much fruite is it not better to be vessels of gold than vessels of brasse Doe ye not see how Christ rejected him which said hee kept many commaundements because hee would not doe one commandement for one worke which he would not doe our Sauiour made no reckoning of all that hee had done It was good for the Apostles that they left all and followed Christ presently but this should not be written but to teach vs with what speed we shuld follow Christ watching the slarre so soone as it riseth and the pillar so soone as it neinoueth In this â—â—riue and goe one before another as Peter and Iohn strone who should come first to the sepulchre For if Agrippa could be saued when he was almost a Christian Paul would not haue laboured to make him altogether a Christian. Therefore though puritie bee counted heresie yet remember that Christ saith None can see God but the pure in heart and know that there is no dealing with these mockers but to answer them as Dauid answered Michol when shee scorned him for his humblenes hee said I will be more humble yet so when they mocke thee for thy zeale spight them with more zeale for euill is not ouercome but with good Thus we haue passed the third step vnto heauen The fourth step in this happy iourney is Perseuer to the end For if you begin betime and goe aright and make hast and continue not vnto the end your reward is with them of whom Paul saith Their end is worse than their beginning There is nothing in our life which suffereth so many eclipses and changes as our deuotion hot and cold in and out of and on not in one moode so long as the Sparrow fittes vpon the grouÌ„d but longing like the Chamelion to the colour of it which we see if we see good it puts vs in a good thought if wee see or heare euill it turnes vs from good to euill againe thus man is rolled vpoÌ„ a wheele that neuer stands still but turnes continually about as though hee were giddie and treading of amaze Hee is vpon the side of a hill where it is easie to slide and hard to get vp the slesh therefore the Apostle moued with pittie seeing man stand vpon such a slipperie ground as it were in a ship readie to sincke or a house bending to fall hee crieth to them that stand surest Take heede left yee full that is when thou hast put on the armour of light and art in the spirituall field to fight the Lords battailes against the worlde the flesh and the diuell turne not backe like Demas but remember the comfort of Elisha that there bee more with thee than against thee and that the tempter can ouercome none but them which yeeld Other seruants change their masters for better masters but all that serue God are like the
seruant which receiued a print in his eare after the manner of the Iewes in token that he would serue his master for euer like the vestures which bare their owners marke Therefore the holy Ghost crieth so often Be faithfull euen vnto the death Be not wearie of well doing Take heede lest ye fall for when thou art weary of thy goodnes God doth not count thee good but wearie of goodnes and when thou declinest from righteousnes GOD doth not count thee righteous but reuolted from righteousnes therefore Paul sayth Pray continually as though prayer were nothing without continuance Iacob did not ouercome God so soone as hee began to wrestle with him but when hee had wrestled with him al night And it is said that Christ tooke pittie of them that stayed with him I will not leaue thee saith Elisha to Eliah so wee should not leaue God some came into the vineyeard in the morning and some at noone but none receiued any rewarde but they which stayde vntill night As Gods mercie indureth for euer so our righteousnes should indure for euer Euery thought and word and deede of a faithfull man is a step towards heauen in euery place he meeteth Christ euery thing puts him in minde of God he seekes him to find him and when hee hath found him he seekes him still hee is not satisfied because at euery touch there comes some virtue from him Iacob serued seuen yeares for Rachel and after them he serued seuen more and yet hee was content to serue seuen more and when hee had serued so many yeares they seemed vnto him as nothing because he loued hee which serued so long for Rachel serued all his life for heauen and if he had liued till this day he would haue serued God still and thought it nothing because be loued him to haue the Arke but a while doth more hurte to the Philistins than benefite them so to serue God but a while dooth more damage vs then helpe vs for happier is the Childe which neuer began than Iudas whose end was worse than his beginning What a lamentable thing is it to heare this plainte of him which was once the strongest in the worlde Sampson hath lost his strength for Dalilah for the loue of Dalilah that doth not loue him to shew what a shame it is to end worse than we begin Christ shewes what a reproach it was vnto him which began to builde and coulde not set vp the roofe the passingers by poynted with their fingers and saide this man began a foundation but hee could not couer it so they will say this man thought to bee holy but hee could not keepe promise What shal I say saith Iosnuah when Israel turneth the back when Israel turnes the backe this astonished him and this makes the whole Temple shake when the pillars tremble What an offence is it to the Church to see Peter to denye Christ which saide euen now that hee would neuer forsake him To see Lot committe incest with his daughters in the mount which striued so to preserue them chaste in Sodome to see Solomon worship Idols which erected the Temple for the worship of God to see Noah mocked of his sonne for drunkennes for whose righteousnes his sonne escaped as if the starres should fall from Heauen and light goe from the sunne Wisdome is angrie with him which leaueth his righteousnes to become worse the Vine would not forsake her grapes the Oliue would not forsake his fatues the figge tree would not leaue his sweetenes but the bramble did hee is not the Vine nor the Oliue nor the Figgetree but hee was a bramble made for the fire which leaueth the ioyes let the dogge turne to the vomit and the swine to the wallowe but you like Abraham holde on thy sacrifice vnto the euening in the euening of thy life and a full measure shall be measured vnto thee This is a long sleppe and man is like a horse which loueth short iourneyes therfore how can hee hold out so farre when one tolde Socrates that hee would very faine goe to Olympus but hee feared that he should not be able to endure the paynes Socrates answered him I know that thou vsest to walke euery day betweene thy meales which walke continue forward in thy way to Olympus and within fiue or sixe dayes thou shalt come thither how easie this was and yet he sawe it not so is the way to Heauen if men doe bende themselues asmuch to doe good as they beate their braines to doe euill they might goe to Heauen with lesse trouble than they goe to hell Our idle houres are enough to get wisdome knowledge and faith till we were like saints among men if thou looke onely to the stoppes tell all the thornes which he in thy way thou shalt goe fearefully wearilie and vnwillingly euery thing shal turne thee aside and euery snaile shall step before thee and take thy crowne from thee but then lift vp thine eyes from the earth and looke to Christ calling the spirite assisting the Father blessing the Angels comforting the word directing the crowne inuiting and thy fetters shal fall from thee thou shalt rise like the Sunne maruaile how the thing could seeme so hard and bee so easie when ye doe well remember that ye change not for the worse and doe as ye doe then and ye shal continue to the ende Now I haue encouraged you like souldiers and taken away your feare I will bring you to the sight of your enemies and will set them before your face not to weaken you for that were want of charitie but to make you wary which is true loue indeede To number them surely I cannot they are so many and exactlie to describe them it is beyond my skill they are so subtill Howbeit to giue you a little taste I may say as Elisha saide to his seruant and you shall see it if you haue your eyes open seare not for they that be with vs are more than they that be with them and he that is on our side is stronger then all But if you will heare what the holy Apostle saith touching them I can tell you Hee affirmeth and that by the very spirite of God we wrestle not against flesh and blood onely but against principalities powers worldlie gouernours the Princes of the darkenes of this worlde euen spirituall wickednesses in the high places And S. Iohn saith they are the lustes of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life let other men thinke of them what they list they that heare them thus described and haue felt the force of them in their owne soules could not chuse but confesse that they haue been many in number mightie in power subtill in practise and what not who knoweth not this that the more enemies wee haue the more need we haue both of force outwardlie and of care inwardly as againe the more powerfull they are and the more weake wee