the wicked but we will visit the true Church whereas the people are taught by Gods pure word The Prophet Hoseas saith the waies of the Lord are straight and the iust shal walk in them but the wicked shall fall therein So saith the Prophet Dauid The Scriptures are a guide to our feet So saith the old father Origen Clausum est negligentibus inuenitur querentibus It is shut from the negligent but it is open to them that séeke and knock for it Saint Clemens Alexandrinus saith also Audite qui estis longe audite qui prope nullis celatum est verbum lux est communis omnibus illucesscit hominibus nullus est in verbo cimerius festinemus ad salutem ad regenerationem Hearken ye that be far off harken ye that be néere the word of God is hid from no man it is a light common to all men there is no darknes in Gods word let vs make hast to saluation to regeneration Fulgentius 〈◊〉 in Scripturis diuinis abundat et quod robustus comedat et quod paruulus â—â—gat In the Scriptures of God there is plenty sufficient both for the strong to eat and the little one to sucke So saith Irenaeus Scripturae in aperto sunt et sine ambiguitate et similiter ab omnibus audiri possunt The Scriptures are plaine without doubtfulnes and may be heard indifferently of all men So saith Chrys. Omnia clara et plana sunt in Scripturis diuinis quaecunque necessaria sunt manifesta sunt whatsoeuer thing is necessary for vs is alwayes manifest So saith Epiphanius li. 2. So saith S. Ierome in Psal. 86. So to conclude saith S. Gregory It is a streame wherein the little Lambe may wade and the great Elephants may swim Therefore lift vp your heads ye gates and lift vp your selues you euerlasting doores the King of glory shall come in For the Lord hath chosen Syon and loued to dwell in it saying this is my rest for euer héere will I dwell for I haue a delight therein Psal. 132.13.14 Lastly our Sauiour Christ saith that many that séeke to enter in shall not be able noting thereby that euen of them that séeke many shall steppe short because they séeke him not aright Esaias also saith Except the Lord of hostes had left vs a séed we had bin as Sodome and like to Gomorrah The Apostle alleadgeth out of the Prophets that the Lord will make a short accompt in the earth and gather it into a short sum with righteousnesse The Prophet Amos giueth good counsell saying séeke the Lord and yée shall liue séeke good and not euill hate the euill loue the good and establish iudgement in the gate It may be that the Lord of hosts will be mercifull vnto the remnaÌ„t of Ioseph The reason why many which séeke to enter into eternall life shall not be able God hath appointed vnto euery man that liueth in the Church a certain time of repentance and of comming to Christ he which mispendeth that time and is not made Christian then can neuer be saued This made our Sauiour Christ to wéepe for Ierusalem and say Oh if thou hadst knowne at the least in this thy day those things which belong to thy peace but now are they hidden from thine eies And hée further signifieth the destructioÌ„ of Ierusalem because she knew not the time of her visitation Here we learne that the neglecting of this time is one cause why not one or two but many shall séeke to enter into the kingdowe of Heauen and yet shall not be able It is a maruellous thing that they which séeke to be saued should perish but the fault is theirs which séeke when it is too late There are nine things required of all that shall be saued by Christ. 1. He must be a new creature 1. Cor. 5.17 2. He must liue not after the lusts of men but after the will of God 1 Pet. 4.2 3. Hee must be zealous of good workes Ti. 2.14 4. Hee must dye to sinne and liue to righteousnes Rom. 6.14 5 He must be holy vnblamable Col. 2 6. 6. Hee must so walke as Christ hath walked Iohn 2.6 7. Hee must crucifie the flesh with the affections and Lusts. Gal. 5 24. 8. Hee must walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.1 Last of all he must serue God in holines and righteousnesse all the daies of his life Luke 1.75 If these things be in you in some measure of truth then your hope is currant sound and good otherwise it is nothing worth For in vaine do men say they hope to be saued by Christ when as they walke wickedly and dissolutely The reason hereof is because the members must be sutable to the head But Christ our head is holy therefore we his members must be holy also as it as written Be yee holy for I am holy Otherwise if we will ioyne prophane vnholy members to our holy head Christ then we make Christ a monster As if we should ioyn swearers drunkards whoremongers and such like to be the members of Christ and to haue life saluation by him But the case is far otherwise For first of all before a Christian can come to haue an inward féeling and true vnderstanding of these things there are fiue other especiall things to be required of euery true Christian which liueth in the Church First the acknowledgment of sinnes committed against the law of the Lord. Secondly the acknowledgment of Gods angry countenance to be most iustly bent against him for his sinnes Thirdly an inward sorrow and paine of the heart and soule for sinne But here we are most warily to take héed that we content not our selues with these thrée former points for if we doe the vilest firebrands in hell Iudas Phatao Saul Herod Achitophell such like shall go before vs or be our equals in the professioÌ„ of repentance There are two manner of repentances the one a true repentance to life the other a false repentance to death as we may sée by Iudas who is said to haue repented which is more to haue confessed his fault which is most of all to haue made restitution and yet it was a false repentance why because it sprang not of a true faith but as afore Peter repented and wept bitterly was saued thereby though he neuer made confession nor satisfaction And why because it sprang of a true and liuely faith in Christ. Quid ergo est What is it then that is required at our hands these two things subsequent most chiefely and principally which may be well called Vltima est summa the last and highest of all that is a perfect hatred loathing and detesting of sinne For such onely begin to cease from sinne Lastly the acknowledgment of the mercy of God offered in that one redéemer and onely mediator betwéene God and man
THE STRAIGHT GATE TO Heauen A Sermon preached before the poore distressed Prisoners in the Kings Bench common Gaole to their Heauenly comfort Luke 13.23 By William King Preacher of the word of God The Afflictions of this present time are not worthy of the glory which shall be shewed vnto vs. Rom. 8.18 AT LONDON Printed by G. ELD and are to be sould by Thomas Langley at his shop ouer against the Sarazens head without Newgate 1617. The Straight Gate to Heauen Striue to enter in at the straight Gate for many I say vnto you will seeke to enter in and shall not be able Luke 13.24 OUr Lord Iesus Christ saith in the 20. of Math. Many are called but few are chosen In the 7. of Math vers 13. hee bids vs Enter in at the strait gate for it is the wide gate and broad way that leadeth to destruction many there bee that goe in thereat because the Gate is straight and the way narrow that leadeth vnto life and few there be that finde it In this place of Saint Luke we read of a certaine man which came to our Sauiour Christ and asked him of purpose whether few should be saued To whom our Lord Iesus answered thus Striue to enter in at the straight Gate for many I say vnto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able In which Answer albeit our Sauiour doth not answer directly to his question either negatiuely or affirmatiuely yet doth he plainely insinuate by his spéeches that few shal bee saued Reuerend regarded in Christ Iesus this is a sufficient motiue whereby our Sauiour Christ forewarneth vs that if we doe not in time repent forsake our sinnes and seeke after God both the ancient Christian Fathers whose eyes saw not that we see nor their eares heard not that we heare yea the very Heathen also shall rise vp in iudgement against vs. For it is good counsell which Saint Augustine giueth Quid prodest si omnia habes eam tamen qui omnia dedit non habere What is a man the better though he haue all things and bee without him which is the Author of all things Let none therefore stumble at it but if any do let them remember the charge that we haue also from God Oh saith one consideret periculum meum Hee that is displeased with me let him consider my danger for saith not God to Ieremy that he would destroy him before his face if he held his peace S. Augustine saith very well Quid tu succenses mortalis sub iussione Christi mare audit et tu surâ—ens es O worme of the earth why dost thou storme the sea heard and obeyed the voyce of Christ and dost thou stop thy eares Mare audit ventus cessat et tu suflas The sea waxed calme the winde was still and dost thou begin to bluster and swel Do not we speake from the mouth of God Doth not the holy Ghost gaine vs lofty and glorious titles as the Stewards of Gods owne house Disposers of his secrets Disbursers of his treasures Kéepers of the broad seale Keepers of the keyes of heauen Gods Secretaries Gods Ambassadors Angells yea the very glory of Christ and all this to expresse the excellency of our calling yet the vild varlets and venomous vermine of the Earth dare call vs proud Prelates pild Parsons and pelting Priests O monstrous intollerable impiety I speake to all sorts not to some few of one sort But that which herein I speak is not much more then that of the Apostle Paul as some of your own Poets haue said which is warrantable One thing therefore deare Christians let me beg of you to wit that you would heare diligently receiue zealously and iudge soberly discreetly Non mea verba sunt sed verba vitae eternae They are not my words but the wordes of eternall life For the word of God hath sundry hearers some receiue it some receiue it not Note the Parable of the séed the séed of the word of God when it was sowed some fell by the high way side some vpon stony ground some vpon thornes and some in good ground c. But more briefely strictly the word of God hath two sorts of hearers Elect and Reprobate The Elect say with Peter Domine ad quem ibimus verba vitae eternae habes Maister to whom shall we goe thou hast the wordes of eternall life The Reprobate say Durus est hic sermo this is a hard saying who can heare it can mortality put on immortality can this corruption put on incorruption can Christ be God and man can God beget a Son as of late the Diuel of Norwich diuelishly said yea worse then a Diuel was hee For the Diuells in the 4. of Luke acknowledged Christ crying saying thou art Christ the son of God but this diuel denyed Christ. The word of God is preached in vaine to many the hony is lost that is put into vessells of gall the fish is cast away that is put into dry pooles and the séede perisheth that is sowed vpon the sande Saint Cyprian saith audire· Truly it is lost labour and to no purpose to offer light to a blind man spéech to a deafe man wisedome to a grosse head seeing that a grosse head cannot perceiue a blinde man cannot see a deafe man cannot heare The auncient Father Origin saith Quanto melius esset nonnullis omnino non audire verbum Dei quam audire cum malitia vel audire cum hipocrisi melius autem dicimus ad comparationem malorum How much better were it for some not to heare the word of God at all then to heare with mallice or to heare it with hippocrisie we say better in respect of euills Therefore my deare brethren and fellow Prisoners your friendly censure I humbly desire to gather with your diligent attention a due regard of the matter ensuing In the opening and explication of these words of our Sauiour Christ wherein I doe you I meddle not at all with any controuersies in the Church or any thing in the state Ecclesiasticall but onely enter into a controuersie with Sathan and sinne It is contriued into thrée principall heads wherin our Sauiour Christ declareth how hard a thing it is to enter into life and how few shall enter In the first our Lord Iesus bids vs striue earnestly In the second hee affirmeth that the gate is very straight In the third he saith many which séeke to enter in shall not be able The particulers that occurre as many there are they shall be touched rather then handled in their place As touching the first head where he bids vs striue earnestly noting thereby that it is a matter of great strife against the World the Flesh and the Diuell And therfore we may rather wonder that any shall be saued then so few shall be saued For wee haue all the lets and hinderances
the man Christ Iesus with a full perswasion of the hart a sure confidence of an assured rest of conscience grounded vpon the promise of Gods mercy that we shall be fréely accepted with God in Christ for that First our sinnes are purged in his blood 1. Ioh. 1.2 Esa. 53. Secondly his righteousnes is imputed vnto vs. Rom. 4.1 1 Cor. 1.30 The fathers looked for none other righteousnes thē this righteousnes of Christ as the Apostle Paul proueth sufficiently by that one example of Abraham who is said to rest himselfe vpon that righteounesse of faith which is the righteousnes which God giueth vs in Christ apprehended by faith onely The Apostle S. Peter which fel most dangerously comforted himselfe with this righteousnes all men that will beleeue his doctrine affirming that we cannot be saued with siluer or gold but with the precious blood of Iesus Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled Here then we sée what is required of all that shall be saued by Christ which things if we doe belieue with a liuely faith planted and grounded vpon the sure promises of Gods mercy offered vnto vs in Christ and not doubting thereof but with all diligence kéepe and performe the premises aforesaid then we shall bee assured to enter in at the straight gate and narrow way leading vnto eternal life Saluation is he gift of God which he fréely bestoweth vpon all that séek him aright This is eternall life to know the Father and him whom hee hath sent Iesus Christ. We must seeke God aright But some perhaps will say how shall wee seeke him aright I answer Dilige Deum mandata eius obserua Loue God kéep his commandements Héerby shall all men know that you seeke him as you ought S. Augustine speaking of this matter saith Da amantem et sentit quid dico si autem frigido loquor nescit quid loquar Giue me a man that is in loue with God he seeth this to be true which I say but if I talke to a cold Christian he vnderstandeth not what I say And this is the cause why Christ talking of the kéeping his commandements repeateth so often this word loue as the surest cause of keeping the same for want whereof in the world the world kéepeth them not as there he sheweth If you loue me keepe my commandements Againe Hee that hath my commandements and keepeth them hee is he that loueth me And againe Hee which loueth me will keepe my commandements See what S. Austen exhorts vs vnto Ama amorem illius Loue this his loue His deserues and requires loue O loue the Lord saith the Prophet Dauid all his saints If no loue no saints and yet no true loue vnlesse fath Ye that loue the Lord sée that you hate euill and doe good séeke the Lord and yee shall liue for euermore Can God bestow better things vpon his children then eternall life who is the efficient cause of saluation by the working of the holy Ghost in the hearts of his children through faith in Christ Iesus For faith is the testimony of Gods spirit which spirrit doth not only speak within vs but also perswadeth vs of the good grace of God towards vs by arguments drawne from our free redemption in Christ. Lastly the same spirit mortifieth sin in vs and quickeneth our mortal bodies to bring forth most swéet pleasāt fruits vnto God This bréedeth that inward solace ioy and peace which the mind and conscience hath with God because it is freed from the bondage of sinne the curse of the law c. and restoreth to grace againe This ioy and solace of a good conscience the Apostle calleth it the kingdome of God Ro. 14.17 And an especiall fruit of the holy Ghost Gal 5 22. And a sure consequent of our iustification by faith Ro. 5.1 and the child of God in all his troubles comforteth himselfe therwith as with a feast Dauid longed for this ioy as appeaeth in his earnest prayer for it where hee cryeth saying Restore to me the ioy of thy saluation and stablish me with thy free spirit Many which seeke to enter in at the straight gate shall not be able Wherefore thou secure worldling thy conscience telleth thee that thou hast not yet sought the Lord aright thou hast not yet repented and thou art not yet a liuely member of Iesus Christ. And further thou knowest that howsoeuer thou art aliue at this time yet thou hast no lease of thy life God may call thée forth of the world the next yeare the next hower yea he may strike thee with a sudden death at this very present And in very truth if thou goest forth of this world being no repentant sinner thou goest damned to hell Therfore delay not one minut of an houre longer but with all speed repent and turne vnto God and bring forth fruits worthy amendment of life that all thy sins may be done away when the day of death or the day of iudgement shall be And do not think with thy selfe it shall be sufficient to defer thy turning vnto God till the last day for late repentance is seldome true repentance And he which continueth long in any sin is in a dangerous case If a man lie long sicke in any disease he will scarce recouer his former health and he which is growne in the custome of any sin the sin is become ripe in him it is a thousand to one he is neuer saued according to that of S. Iames Sinne being perfitted bringeth forth death Let vs therefore without any delay repent and turne vnto God for if we liue in this world not being true Christians wee are far more vile then the basest Creatures of all euen the dog or toad For first we are nothing else but a filthy dunghill of all abomination vncleannes the stink whereof hath infected heauen and earth and no perfumes could euer delay it in the nostrils of God but only the suffering of Christ being a sacrifice of a swéet smelling sauour to God we make it very dainty to come néere a lazer man full of botches blaines sores but much more are these mē to be abhorred which haue lien many yeares stark dead in sins trespasses therfore now do nothing els but rot stink in them like vgly loathsome carrions Againe if we liue as secure worldlings carnall Ghospellers not as true Christians we are in danger of al the iudgements of God so that euery moment some of thē may befall vs· We may perish sodainly by water with the old world we may be consumed with fire brimstone with Sodome Gomorrah we may be swallowed vp of the earth with Corah Dathan and Abiram we may hang our selues with Iudas wee may haue our brains dashed out against the ground be eaten vp of dogs with Iesabel we may die in hardnes of heart with Pharaoh we may