any more by these meanes to bee illuminated since they are fallen away from the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead when they shall rise againe they shall rise to their own damnation and last of all since they are fallen away from the doctrine of eternal iudgement needs must it come to passe that eternall iudgement shall devoure them It is no more but this since they are fallen away wholy from Christ since they haue troden him vnder foot since they haue despised those sweet graces of the holy spirit wherewith they were once lightned they shall be fed with wormewood and be made to drinke the water of gall and somewhat happie were they were this all But this is not all for let all the rivers and streames of fresh water which glad the Citie of God and comfort the soules of the faithfull runne also into their soules they will resist them and driue them backe they will admit no entrance for any perswasion of the graciousnesse and kindnesse of the Lord though it be preached to them ten thousand times they haue sinned against the holy Ghost and condemnation is their portion There remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne No more I say For Christs blood which was once shed for mans ransome may be shed no more The price which was once paid for man may be paid no more all the riches of Solomon all the treasures of Ezechias al the silver al the gold within the bowels of the earth could never haue mounted to so high a reckoning Christ hath once spared his own most pretious blood for mans redemption but will spare it no more Wee may not now looke for more Christs for more passions They that will goe into captivitie againe let thē go but they shall not returne they that wil sel thē selues to the will of their enimie let them sell themselues but they may never hope for a second ransome they that will sinne after that they haue received the knowledge of the truth let them so sinne but there remaineth no more sacrifice for their sinne They which haue eares to heare let them heare If it bee true that they which sinne willingly after that they haue receaued the knowledge of the truth may so fall away as that no sacrifice may remaine for cleansing of their sinne what may bee hoped for of vs in whom willingnesse is no day wanting to our sinnes It is a true saying excusatio omnis tollitur vbi mandatum non ignoratur If the commandment be knowne no excuse may serue for the breach thereof I shall not make it a false saying though I doe a little invert it excusatio omnis non admittitur vbi mandatum ignoratur though the commandement bee not knowne yet every excuse may not serue for the breach thereof Peter gaue vnto the Iewes a shield of ignorance wherewith they might partly defend themselues against the weapons of Gods wrath and that not in any common cause but in the vilest and bloodiest fact that ever yet the sunne saw attempted I knowe saith he that through ignorance you did it as did also your governours Act. 3.17 speaking of their slaughtering the Lord of life I knowe saith he that through ignorance you did it as did also your governours Yet that they should not leane too much vpon this broken reed of ignorance in the 19. vers he adviseth them to repent returne that their sinnes might bee done away Here we see that Ignorance must be beaten vnlesse it be cleansed by repentance The like cloake had S. Paul gotten to cast over his blasphemies his tyrannies his mercilesse persecutions of the Church I was saith he receaved to mercy because I did it ignorantly through vnbeleefe 1. Timoth. 1.13 I was saith hee receaued to mercy because I did it ignorantly through vnbeleefe And here also we see that ignorance must be beatē vnlesse it haue mercy to cover it And surely could ignorance haue pleaded for her owne innocency never would the blood of Christ haue cryed to the Father vpon the Crosse Father forgiue them they knowe not what they doe Luke 23.34 And here againe wee see that ignorance must be beaten vnlesse it bee forgiven by the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ What Is ignorance of the Lordes will sure to bee beaten with rods and shall not our contempt of his will our carelesse and vnprofitable knowledge of his lawes bee requited with scourges Shall Tyre and Sidon and Sodome wherein was never vertue done that might haue reclaimed them shall they I say burne like stubble in Hell fire Shall the smoake of their torment ascend for evermore And shall Corazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum whose streetes haue beene sowne with the miracles of Christ and made fat with his doctrine shall they escape vntouched and not drinke downe the dregges of endlesse destruction Diverse Cities of the East and West Indies devoted to the worship of Devils shall once wring their hands for that they haue knowne so litle and I feare me I may too truely say that Oxford shall once rend her heart for that shee hath known so much to no better purpose for surely were shee so fruitfull in good works as shee ought to be there could be no such report of her as there is of ignorance in her Citizens of corruption in her Colleges of idlenes loosenes of life in her seniors of wilfull impudent and contemptuous behaviour in her juniours Dictum sapienti You will not marvaile to see the wildernesse lie wast and desert but if a ground well husbanded and manured yeeld no profit that deserues cursing Our ground in all likelyhood should bee well husbanded and manured Here is much preaching much hearing but where is any profit What our Saviour said of the Scribes and Pharisees dicunt non faciunt they say do not may truely be spoken of vs we see we heare we say we know but doe not O let vs not still be sicke of Adams disease desiring rather to eate of the tree of knowledge then of the tree of life We may and must be carefull of knowledge vnto sobriety but we must haue a regard also of profiting thereby that the fruit of a good life bringing eternity of daies to come may wait vpon our knowledge For S. Peter assureth vs that it is better for vs never to know the way of righteousnes thē after we know it to turne from it 2. Pet. 2.21 The same is also taught vs by my text If we sinne willingly after that wee haue receaved the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne THE FOVRTH SERMON HEBR. 10. VER 27. 27 But a fearfull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shall devoure the adversaries I should not trouble you with any long rehearsall of that which heretofore I delivered vnto you Yet the sonne of Sirach chap. 22.8 perswading me that many exhortations may bee spent as vpon men that are asleepe who when the Sermon is done wil
say what is the matter and the truth requiring our assent to Elihues words Iob. 33.14 God speaketh once and twise and man seeth it not and a greater then either Sirachs sonne or Elihu even Iesus our Saviour in the parable Mat. 13.4 teacheth vs that much seed sowen miscaryeth some by the high waies side some among thornes some vpon stony ground haue made me bold to recal to your remeÌ„brances what before by me was delivered And if herein I shall seeme tedious to any I can say no more for excusing my selfe then what S. Austine said when he was enforced to some iteratioÌ„ lib. 2. de baptismo contra Donatist c. 2. IgnoscaÌ„t scientes ne offendantur nescientes satius est enim offerre habenti quaÌ„ differre non habentem Let those that know it already pardon me lest I offend those that are ignorant for it is better to giue to him that hath then to turne him away that hath not May it please you therfore to remember how in the words containing an effectuall perswasion for our constant continuing and persevering in the faith which the Hebrewes had and we haue in Christ Iesus or which is the same containing a disswasion a dehortation from our back-slidings and fallings away from the same faith I proposed to your godly considerations two things 1 What it is from which in this place we are disswaded it is from sinning willingly after that we haue receaved the knowledge of the truth 2 What reasons are vsed by our Apostle to disswade froÌ„ so sinning and they are two 1 Because if thus we sinne we shal never be able by any sacrifice to make an atonement betweene vs and God revenging in these words There remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne 2 Because if thus we sinne we can looke for no better then for eternal destructioÌ„ specified verse 27. by two things by Iudgement and by Fire For if we sinne willingly after c. In the first generall part my endeavour was to vnfold three circumstances 1 Who they needes must be that doe fall into this sinne 2 With what minde this sinne vseth to be committed 3 What the sinne it selfe is In the First of these was manifested the subiect of this sin Second the efficient cause Third the name the nature and the obiect of it Touching the subiect of this sinne I meane the persons in whom it is possible for this sinne to haue dominion we haue heard that they are neither Turkes nor Infidels nor Atheists nor Epicures not such as Pharaoh was though a vessel of Gods wrath nor such as Sodom and Gomorah were though ful of filthinesse nor such as blasphemous Rabshakeh was though by him the Idols of the nations were accounted equall with the God of Heauen but such as haue received the knowledge of the truth so my text hath such as haue beene once lightened and haue tasted of the heavenly gift and haue beene made partakers of the Holy Ghost and haue tasted of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come so this Apostle saith Heb. 6.4 5. such as haue escaped from the filthinesse of this world through their knowledge in our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ so S. Peter telleth vs 2. Pet. 2.20 such as haue swept garnished their houses after the departure of the vncleane spirit witnesse our Saviour Christ Mat. 12.43 44. Who also Mat. 13.20 saith they are such as heare the word and incontinently with ioy receiue it This at the first sight may seeme to be that vesture of needle worke wrought with diverse colours wherewith the Queene was cloathed it may seeme to be the robe of Adam that his robe of innocencie of holynesse and of the grace of God wherwith before his fall he was invested To haue receaved the knowledge of the truth to haue beene once lightned to haue tasted of the heavenly gift to haue beene made partakers of the Holy Ghost to haue escaped from the filthynesse of this world to heare the worde incontinently with ioy receiue it are â—hey not sweet blessings descending froÌ„ the LORD of lights What could the Lord haue a Esai 5.4 done more vnto his vineyard then that he hath done to it Yet see the perversity of the nature it hath in steede of grapes it may bring forth wilde grapes briars and thornes the Queene may be stript of her iewels Adam spoiled of his robes why may not the soule of man be robbed of her ornaments and rich attire Surely she hath no great priviledge to the contrary For all these before recited graces may be lost the possessours of them may so fall away as that it shall be impossible for them to be renued by repentance The consideration of this point might haue moved our hearts to wisedome it might haue perswaded vs to beware of presumption for b 1. Cor. 10.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he that only thinkes he standeth may fall away though he that standeth indeed can never so fall it might I say haue perswaded vs to beware of presumptioÌ„ seriously c Philip. 2.12 to worke out our salvatioÌ„ with feare and trembling since we haue beene once lightned to endeavour our selues to increase this light in vs since we haue tasted of the heaveÌ„ly gift to cease not to tast it stil since we haue been made partakers of the Holy Ghost to rest not but to walk froÌ„ grace to grace since we haue received the knowledge of the truth to forsake it not but to hold it fast till our Lord Iesus come For behold he commeth shortly and his d Rev. 22.12 reward is with him to giue every man according as his workes shall be Blessed are they that keepe his commandemeÌ„ts for to them in that day of his comming shall he giue to eate of the tree of life and of the hidden e Rev. 2.17 Manna to enter in through the gates into the citie to receaue a white stone to be cloathed f Rev. 3.5 in white aray to bee made g Rev. 3.12 pillers in the Temple of God and to sit with God himselfe in his h Rev. 3.21 throne In the second place we heard that the efficient cause of this sinne is a set a wilfull and an obstinate malice deepely rooted in the hearts of some backsliders by reason of a threefold misconceit wherewith even wee also vse too much to please our selues 1 We are very ready to perswade our selues that wee may repent when we will Else would we continue to walke by compasse as we doe in our perverse and crooked waies 2 Finding it written that the righteous falleth seaveÌ„ times a day and riseth againe are we not encouraged to thinke it no great preiudice against our selues to haue a few falles 3 We shame not to hold opinion that our small sinnes hidden sinnes are no sinnes and that our greatest sinnes wherein wee liue and lie most dangerously are but sinnes of infirmitie And
in God that is not communicable to any creature but then are we perfect mercifull and holy according to that charge when we are fulfilled with the effects with the image and similitude of that perfection mercifulnesse and holynesse which is in God The same may be spoken of wisedome goodnesse iustice other like proprieties of God We are then wise then good then iust when there appeareth in vs the image and similitude of Gods wisedome goodnesse and iustice It being true then that God alone is Holy and man not holy but by participation only as if it shall please God by his power and grace to sow in the hearts of sinnefull men some seedes of his owne sanctity and to effect and to make to shine in their liues conversations the image and similitude of his owne holynesse it remaineth a truth not to be contradicted All mans holynesse is from God Now because the Spirit of God commeth to and worketh in diverse men diversely and in diverse measures we must know that holynesse a gift of that Spirit is not in all mē after one sort We may therefore note a generall sanctity and a speciall sanctity appliable to the differēce of such as liue within the bosome of the militant Church wherein there are not only godly men and holy men but counterfaits and hypocrits not only gold but drosse too not only wheat but chaffe also The speciall sanctity I call that by which the true beleevers in Christ are truely properly indeed sanctified before God by the holy Spirit They in whom this sanctity shineth were elected from everlasting according to the purpose of him which worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will and according to that his purpose are they called and so are iustified and by the Holy Ghost are not only taught the trueth in vnderstanding but also in heart are truely renewed and regenerate It is manifest by that indissoluble chaine of fiue linkes Rom. 8.29 30. For whom God knew before them hath he predestinated them hath he called them hath he iustified them hath he glorified This true holynesse is meant by the Apostle Eph. 1.4 where he saith That God hath chosen vs in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be Holy And what is this to be Holy It is expounded in the same place even to be without blame before God in loue The same is meant Ephes 5.26 there it is said that Christ gaue himselfe for the Church that he might sanctifie it And what is this to sanctifie the Church It is expounded in the wordes following even to cleanse it by the washing of vvater through the word that he might make it vnto himselfe a glorious Church not having spot or wrinckle or any such thing but that it should be holy without blame Other like places might be alleaged out of the Holy Scriptures which I omit By these we see that speciall sanctity making vs spotlesse and without blame before God what it is The generall sanctity I call that by which the Church visible and militant consisting of good and evill of dissemblers and hypocrites as wel as of the Godly is called though not truely and properly yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a figuratiue kind of speech tota sancta the Holy Church and that especially in regard of him the holy of holies that most Holy one who dwelleth in the Church and sanctifieth them that beleeue in him againe in regard of such as in the Church are in deed and truely holy Neither should this seeme strange that hypocrites dissemblers and godlesse men are called holy For whosoever giue their names to Christ and are baptized into his name though all of them be not truely grafted into Christ nor all of them be truely baptized into Christs death and resurrection that is though all of them be not new borne regenerate yet in the Scripture phrase after the custome of the Scriptures they are al called Holy and haue other such titles given them as indeede may beseeme the blessed of the Lord. In this sense St Paule saith that all the Romanes are Saints beloved of God Rom 1.7 and that all the Galatians are sonnes of God Galat. 3.26 and that all the Corinthians are washed and sanctified and iustified 1. Cor. 6.11 And so saith St Peter of all the Iewes which dwelt here and there throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia that they were a chosen generation a royall priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people 1. Pet. 2.9 The Scriptures are very plentiful in gracing the sonnes of darknes such as fall away from the truth with beautiful and glorious titles to take from them against that great day all excuse In Heb. 10.26 they are said to haue receaved the knowledge of the truth in my text they are noted to be sāctified with the blood of the Covenant In Heb. 6.4 5. they are reported to haue been once lightned to haue tasted of the heavēly gift to haue been made partakers of the Holy Ghost and to haue tasted of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come In 2. Pet. 2.20 we read that they haue escaped from the filthinesse of this world through their knowledge in our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ In Mat. 12.43 44. wee finde that they haue swept and garnished their houses after the departure of the vncleane spirit And in Mat. 13.20 Christ telleth vs that they heare the word and incontinently with ioy receaue it This at the first sight may seeme to be that vesture of needle-worke wrought with diverse colours Psal 45.14 wherewith the Queene was cloathed it may seeme to be that roabe of Adam that his roabe of innocencie of holynesse and of the grace of God wherewith before his fall he was invested To haue receaued the knowledge of the truth to bee sanctified with the blood of the Covenant to haue beene once lightned to haue tasted of the heavenly gift of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come to haue beene made partakers of the Holy Ghost to haue escaped from the filthynesse of this world to haue the vncleane spirit departed from vs to heare the word incontinentlie with ioy to receiue it are they not sweet blessings descending frō the LORD of lights What could God haue done more vnto his vineyard then he hath done vnto it Yet see the crookednesse of the nature it hath in steed of good grapes it brings forth wilde grapes briars and thornes The Queene may be stript of her Iewels Adam spoyled of his roabes and the soule of man may be robbed of her ornaments rich attire For all those before recited graces may be lost the possessours of them may so fall away as that it shall be impossible for them to be renewed againe by repentance And then for their sinne there remaineth no more sacrifice but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent