Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n
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A08279
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A load-starre to spirituall life. Or, a Christian familiar motiue to the most sweet and heauenly exercise of diuine prayer With prayers for morning and euening. Written to stir vp all men to watchfulnesse and reformation of their carnall and corrupt liues. By I. Norden.
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Norden, John, 1548-1625?
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1614
(1614)
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STC 18612; ESTC S100614
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72,800
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324
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not permitted in diuine iustice that the children of GOD should line heere in carnall pompe to withdraw them from diuine obedience nor the wicked to partake heere of inward heauenly consolation setting their hearts and affections vpon worldly things Wee cannot enioy light and darknes together we cannot feede and fill our hearts with the pleasures of this life and yet thinke wee shall not taste of the bitternesse of the second death To the end therfore that we deceiue not our selues in our iudgments touching the spirituall and carnall men wee must beware that wee ground not our opinions vpon outward appearance of mens estates high or low for there are rich religious men and irreligious poore men but we must iudge all men and all things by the word of God the right ruleâ— and infallible to discern and distinguish the perfect from the counteâ—feit And therin wee must lay aside naturall reason carnall vnderstanding which are enmitie to God and commonly iustifieth what he condemneth coÌ„demneth what he approueth Loue not the world saith Saint Iohn nor the things that are of the world for if any man loue the world the loue of God is not in him Yet saith carnall reason Loue the world and the things of the world for that thou mayest doe and loue God too But how hang these together For he that loueth God loueth righteousnes holinesse meekenes patience obedience and prayer but he that loueth the world loueth the contrarie liuing in vnrighteousnesse disobedient to God ouercom with the desires of the flesh the desires of the eies and the pride of life CHAP. V. The world is inconstant the difference betweene diuine and carnall wisedome betweene the seeming deuotion of the irreligious rich the religious poore man SAlomon speaking of the World saith that when hee had well considered all things that the world afforded hee could not but obserue it very inconstant and mens mindes very variable and often distracted staggering whereunto to applie themselues wherein yet hee found by experience that al men for the most part embraced that which they should shunne and shunned that which they should embrace changing their counsels as worldly occasions offered mutabilitie in their affaires extolling dispraysing louing hating hoping fearing beleeuing distrusting and finally following and forsaking all things as they were led by carnall vnderstanding wherein they worshipped the creature in steed of the creator leauing the seruice of God and praying vnto God and inclining themselues to those courses wherunto their owne appetites sway them and the Diuell inforceth them wherby it commeth to passe that some couetously pursue to be rich among men which often with-holdeth them from seruing God as appeareth by many of them that content them rather to violate a good conscience forgetting not only pietie but meere humanitie to accomplish their desires mingling and confounding good entended with euill acted estranging themselues from all religious affections and inward holy desires associating themselues with such as will applaude their vanities and reiect the society of the good of whom they might learne to serue the liuing God by obedience prayer How can you beleeue saith S. Iohn seeing yee receiue glory one of another and seek not after nor pray for the glory which commeth from God alone Almost euerie man seeketh to outstrip another in carnall but not in diuine wisedome And therfore can they not attribute the praise of obtaining what they seeme to enioy to the right cause for they begin at their owne apprehension of what is good and therevpon build their weake wisdome whereas they should beginne in the world to bee fools to the world that they might be wise to God as the Apostle counselleth that If any man seeme to be wise let him be a foole that he may be wise For as Christ came not to call the righteous such as reputed themselues pure to repentance but sinners such as acknowledged their own imperfectioÌ„s so surely God giueth not wisedome to the wise namely to such as thinke the worldly wisdom sufficient but to such as thinke themselues fooles wanting the true knowledg of diuine things For the wisdom of the world is foolisbnesse with God and hee catcheth these kinds of wisemen in their owne craftinesse Although worldly pollicie may as it doth circumuent the innocent yet cannot God be deceiued for such is his deep and iust iudgement high wisedome that he knoweth and iudgeth he discerneth and condemneth or approueth farre aboue the reach of mortall man Man may deceiue man not onely by visible actions of earthly and worldly deuises but euen in spirituall exercises for they may seeme to beleeue because they so brag of themselues and to pray because they may be seene to kneele at a piller to lift vp the eies to strike the breste and to moue the hand and lips as if they were verie deuout And yet may their hearts be full of gall and bitternes and their affections be set like Demas vpon the world and worldly things wherin God is not deceiued But the hypocrite that seemeth to bee and is not religious godly faithfull and truly zealous deceiueth himselfe thinking that God will content himself with the chaffe that hath no corne with the leaues without fruit and with the show without the substance of faith obedience and praier And therefore the rich man and the worldly wiseman as cousen germans may not look for any applause at the hands of God as they vsurpe it from men but to receiue according to the inward disposition of their hearts and soules God respecteth not the person of the rich nor wise according to the world nor reiecteth he the person of the poore but according to the measure of grace in eyther hee approueth or reproueth theÌ„ yet in the more dangerous estate is the rich man as appeareth by the wordes of Christ himselfe who obserued how riches wrought with men in the world how it choaketh the word of God in them working to the lust of all forbidden things and against the desire of all diuine wisedome which is the life of faith And faith being the life of prayer is quenched thereby and consequently prayer which is the life of our soules waxeth cold and withereth Yet cannot this extend to euety rich man for the Wiseman saith that That rich man is blessed which is found without blemish and hath not gone after gold nor trusted in money and treasure adding Who is he and we will commend him for wonderfull things hath he done among the people hauing beene tried and found perfect let him bee an example of glorie who might offend and hath not offended or doe euill and hath not done it By which wordes he intimates vnto vs that rich men haue many and more motiues by their meanes to offend then the poorer sort haue and that it is a strange thing to find a rich man so qualified by diuine grace as he wil bestow his goods and performe
owne euils and therefore few or none thus falne couet to rise all or the most are so ouer-mastered by the old as they couet not the new man that is shaped in holinesse and righteousnes Who laboureth to become wise in the Lord But contrarily it is com to passe that euery sort of sinners presume to defend their vices A man cannot bee a good fellow saith the Drunkard and be merrie swinish with his friend but hee is censured a beast A man cannot shape his apparell saith the Peacock like proude man and fashion his garments in cost and colours as other proper men doe but he is held to be vaine and proud A man cannot shew his valorous spirit saith the swaggerer in the braue termes of a Souldier but he is termed a Blasphemer A man in the heate of his wantonnesse saith the Whoremonger cannot lie with a woman but hee must be branded with the mark of a lasciuious person aâ—d so lying stealing swearing forswearing bribery extortion respect of persons partiall iudgment haue their colourable defences and impious pretexts with wicked men Is there none that will take vp a lamentation ouer so many thus inchanted and metamorphosed some into Swine some into Goats som into Lions some into Beares Wolues Foxes Camelions Peacockes Vultures and the like who liuing in the shapes of men and women doe harbour the humours affections conditions and qualities of the most vile and abhorred creatures and yet will bee readie to raile vpon and reuile him that shall reproue them and endeuor to reforme them They will affirme that they are as sure of saluation as the best of a thousand that according to the commaundement of the Apostleâ— they pray continually and liue religiously Can the tongues of men and Angels prophesie what will becom of this obdurate age or can they with all their spirituall eloquence diuine gifts by deliuering Gods mercies or denouncing his iudgments reclaim these bewitched men Can any crosse vexation misery or calamitie worke in them contrition returning vnto God by repentance and prayer The God of this world hath blinded them they see not their owne errours nor foresee their dangers nor feele their own miseries Neyther can the promises of heauens glorie nor the threats of hells torments asswage the heat of their rebellions against God Peace and plentie health and securitie shaddowes of true happinesse argue against these men that they say in their hearts by their deedes that there is no cause of feare But when danger approcheth we will pray say they and prouide meanes to preuent the perill why should curious Preachers seeke to torment vs before the time Who can denie but all wicked men say thus in their hearts by the fruits of their liues denying God as it were to be God his promises to bee true or his threats of any force faith to be but an idle conceit and prayer a fruitlesse labour CHAP. XXVI If Gods word cannot awake vs he will send his rod to correct vs and nothing can appease him but our humiliation and prayer and not the glorie of our vaine-glorious pride IT behooueth vs to bee warie and watchfull in prayer and sith the Trumpet of Gods word cannot awake these deafe Snakes the rod of his iudgements cannot bee farre off for drunkennes is intollerable pride abhominable blasphemie horrible And God it is to be feared hath entred a plaint against vs and summoned vs by his Ministers to answere and by default of our appearing submissiuely before him appealing vnto him hee hath determined to punish our offences albeit he hath long forborne vs according to his nature of being patient and long suffering But let vs know that he is iust and if wee agree not with him quickly hee being our aduersarie too mightie for vs wee cannot but looke for the Sergeant who will deliuer vs to the Iudge the Iudge to the Gaoler and he cast vs into prison there to remaine without baile or maine-prise neuer to be released How shall we then make league with this offended God Shall wee flatter him as the Pharisie did Shall we bribe him as Sathan would haue done Shall we threaten him as Senacherib presumed The first was reproued the second repulsed the third confounded What can then appease his displeasure Onely repentance Not as Pharoh seemed but as the Niniuites did Dauid and Peter are patternes of true returning to God and are examples for offeÌ„ding Christians to follow God is not as man hee putteth not the controuersie which hee hath against man to be tried by man Althogh hee recommended the quarrell which he had against the rebellious Israelites to bee considered but not to be determined by man he put the case to man by way of agrauation of their disobedieÌ„ce but reserued both the iudgement and punishment to himselfe affirming that if Moses Elias Abraham Iob should stand vp and pray for such a rebellious people they should but saue themselues His wrath being enkindled yea but a litle none can abide or endure it but beeing highly incensed against a people or peculiar person it is most hard to appease him For he will be auenged on him on whom he will be auenged There is no attonement to bee made with him but by serious and true repentance no pardoning without faith faithfull prayer People Nations Tongues and Men offending him must soone repent or perish The glory of Belteshasher the fury of Pharoh the pride of Nehuâ—hadnezzer the vaine-glory of Herod the high mind of Haman the policie of Achitophel preuailed not against God but the poore offending Publican falling on his face praying pardon obtaytained it And this and none other way submission and prayer appeaseth our offended God Kingdoms Countries Cities Parishes Families and priuat men must by true humiliation and faithful prayer obtaine remission Sackcloth and ashes testified Niniuies repentance and shall our Silkâ—s and sutes deâ—ised by Sathan the deformities of men and women appease God The pride insolencie of these times so farre exceede the pride and insolency of old as the greatest of the sonnes of Anaek exceeded the meanest Pigmey in stature and strength Our men women are becom robbers of all Nations neuer Camelion changed his colour as wee doe our sutes fashions of changing varieties It is a high dignity to holde one fashion two moneths or to weare one weede two dayes Surely howsoeuer they may please the eie of their fauorites and delight their owne foolish fantasies God is not pleased with their fashions or fansies They studie not the word the sauing truth but the word of euery new and vpstart stuffe and their praier is seldome or not at all to God but to the monster-maker to fit their attire netely of a new or the newest cut that came last out of the Diuels shop Husbands must dis-mannor and dis-money themselues to make their wiues to glitter in the world Esdras declareth what the excesse