familiarly and to be assured that God will heare them For as Saint Paul teacheth vs Rom. 4. that that which is written of Abrahams faith which was imputed to him for righteousnesse Was not written for his sake alone but for vs also to whom it shall be imputed if we beleeue on him that raised vp Iesus our Lord from the dead So then hold certainely that this benignitie of our God in hearing Abrahams demaunds that seemed to be importunate is not propounded onely for Abrahams sake but for you also that beleeue that yee may haue this assurance that God is euen delighted and desires to be importuned by his children and is not offended with this filiall freedome which proceedes from the spirit of Adoption that he loues this holy obstinacy who according to Iacob wrastling with him lets him not goe till it hath got a blessing or after the example of the woman of Canaan who being often repulsed by Iesus Christ yea euen so far as to be compared by him to a dogge yet at last she obtaines besides the curing of her daughter this testimonie of Christ that her faith was great and that hee had not found so great a faith no not in Israel And this is that spirit of adoption of freenesse and libertie which makes that as in afflictions wee had rather fall into the hands of God then into the hands of men because his compassions are great and many so in matter of demands and requests we dare aske of him such things as we dare not aske of men because his grace and goodnesse are according to his greatnesse that is to say are incomprehensible Nay which is more to giue vs the more priuate familiarity to call vpon him although he doth vs good by his free-will and without any constraint notwithstanding he will haue vs to thinke that he giues it to our importunity and continuance in prayer as wee are taught by our Sauiour Christ Luke 11. by that similitude of a friend that goes vnto his friend at midnight and sayes vnto him friend lend me three Loaues I say vnto you saith Christ though hee will not rise and giue him because he is his friend yet because of his importunity he will rise and giue him as many as he needeth and by the example of an vniust Iudge which dispatcheth the poore widdow of her suit to deliuer himselfe from her importunitie whence Christ saith Shall not God auenge his owne elect which cry day and night vnto him though he beare long with them This confidence and familiarity of praying vnto God shall no more barre humility then it did in Abraham who amiddest his requests full of liberty acknowledgeth himselfe notwithstanding to bee naught but dust and ashes There is an humble familiarity an humility with freenes which being drawne to by loue diminisheth not the reuerence due vnto him Wherefore in prayer wee ioyne together these two gestures we bow our knees and lift vp our eyes whereof the one witnesseth our humility the other our confidence Many other doctrines doe arise from this Text which we will briefly touch When you reade that in a great city ten righteous are not to be found among many thousands you may learne that you must not square your selfe by the multitude to liue well as the LORD saith Exod. 23. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe euill The multitude hath been alwayes a bad counsellor the broad way leades to destruction The whole world shall run after and follow the beast Reuel 13. They that produce the greatnesse multitude and vniuersality for markes of the Church had they liued in Sodome would haue sooner ioyned themselues with the Sodomites then with Lot who was almost alone among this multitude Which Lot being righteous of whom Abraham speaketh when hee saith wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked teacheth vs by his example that it is a dangerous thing for an holy man to liue in the company of the wicked Wherefore Dauid saith Psal 26. Gather not my soule with sinners nor my life with bloudy men One Ionas thinking to escape and fly from the presence of God and to exempt himselfe from his obedience had like to haue cast away the whole ship A heathen Captaine of a ship hearing a wicked man making his prayer among the rest during the tempest Hold thy peace saith he and hide thy selfe lest the gods know that thou art heere Wherefore God saide vnto the Israelites depart from the tents of these wicked men namely Korah Dathan and Abiram and touch nothing of theirs least ye be consumed in all their sinnes Come out of Babylon my people that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and that ye receiue not of her plagues and that therefore not onely for feare of the like peril punishment but also for feare of the contagion of vices There is nothing so glewish as euill examples nothing so pernicious as the company of the wicked If Dina had not haunted dancing shee had preserued her chastity If the Israelites in Nehemiahs time had not allied themselues by marriage with the infidels their children should not haue spoken the language of Ashdod A little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe by the conuersation and acquaintance with the wicked wee become like them Wherefore euen as one counselleth women that conceiue to haue by their bed side the pictures of faire children so must we haue faire examples before our eyes to the end we may conceiue good thoughts and bring forth good actions For what concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath hee that belieueth with an Infidell wherefore come out from among them and be ye separated â—aith the LORD and touch not the vncleane thing 2 Cor. 6. Finally touching that which you haue heard namely if there had beene tenne righteous men in Sodome God would haue spared the Citie for their sakes ye may learne how God esteemeth his children chusing rather the preseruation of ten of his children then the ruine of ten thousands of his enemies He beares with the wickednesse of the world and fore slowes his iudgements for his Church sake mixed with the world so God would not send the floud till after Methusalems death who dyed a yeare before the floud as soone as Iosias is dead Nebuchadnezzar inuadeth the countrey of Iudea the life of one seruant of God did support the countrey and keepe backe Gods iudgements So soone as Saint Augustine was dead the Citie Bona whereof hee was Bishop was wonne by the Vandals and sacked by them as if by the death of that good man of God the rampiers and walles of the towne were fallen downe Therefore the LORD in the 57. Chapter of Isaiah after he had saide that the righteous man perisheth and no man layeth it to heart and mercifull men are taken away immediately after hee makes the punishment of the wicked to follow as a necessary sequele and consequence But draw ye hither yee sonnes of the Sorceresse against
A PREPARATION vnto FASTING and REPENTANCE By PETER MOVLIN and translated by I. B. LONDON Printed by T. S. for Nathaniel Newbery and are to be sould at the signe of the Starre vnder S. Peters Church in Cornehill and in Popes head ally 1620. To the Religious and Vertuous Lady the Lady IANE BOYS Widdow to the right worshipfull Sir IOHN BOYS sometime Recorder of the City of Canterbury grace peace from our LORD IESVS CHRIST MAdame I present vnto your Ladiships view and reading this Homelie preached in the French tongue by that learned and iudicious diuine Mr. Peter du Moulin Minister of the word of God and by me translated touching that excellent conference betweene God and his seruant Abraham wherein we may behold on the one side the nature of sinne and the vengeance of God when sinners are come to their full measure on the other side the patience and familiar accesse which he affords to those that loue him how milde and patient he is towards them that feare him and how hee behaues himselfe towards his enemies and all to this end to moue vs all to faith repentance and humility And sithence my small paines in englishing it yeelds me a right to make choyce of one to whom I may dedicate this little volume I am bold to present the same vnto your Ladiship hoping your fauourable acceptance therof and the rather because it befits you Madame in many respects for these vertues that are here required are in you Madame I speake it without flattery faith repentance humility zeale to Gods house loue to his word loue and faith which you haue to the Lord Iesus and towards all his Saints for you are an Anna alwayes seruing God in the Temple with fasting and prayers a Lydia in hearing Gods word a Mary in pondering and meditating the same a Dorcas to Widdowes and Orphans a Shunamite to the Prophets and Ministers of God not onely countenancing our persons and ministery with your person and presence in our Church of Canterbury when you are here but also cherishing vs with good and comfortable words and exercising your liberall charitie towards our poore not leesing your first loue like the Ephesians but continuing it towards vs frō time to time and therefore the iust God will not forget your piety towards him nor your charity towards his Saints but as your name and charitable workes are inregistred in our booke of remembrance so is your name written in the Booke of Life your deeds of charity in feeding couering visiting the poore written in that Booke that shall be opened in the day of iudgement to your consolation then shall you reape plentifully what you sowe here and as Damascen speakes here you giue a little there you shall receiue much now you giue a transitory thing then shall you gaine an eternall here you giue a penny there you shall receiue a Kingdome for if Iulius Cesar gaue Lands to one that gaue him but a draught of water what a reward will Christ giue to those that giue but a cup of water to drinke in his name to those that belong to him If Darius gaue a Kingdome to Silosontes that gaue him a garment onely what a Kingdome will Christ giue to those that giue him cloathing foode and drinke in the name and person of the least and poorest of his brethren The same Iesus Christ whom you feede cloath and visite here on earth in his members as he feedes you and cloathes you here on earth not onely corporally but also spiritually with the spirituall Manna the bread and water of life euen he himselfe who is your spirituall foode and garment also will giue you that euerlasting Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world where and when you shall be crowned with the crowne of righteousnesse cloathed with the roabes of glory sit downe with Abraham Isaack and Iacob to be nourished with the fruit of the tree of life and water of life and liue eternally with him in the kingdome of heauen Amen Canterbury the 30. of Iune 1620. Your Ladiships in all dutifull seruice to command IOHN BVLTEEL ¶ A Preparation vnto FASTING and REPENTANCE GEN. Chap. 18. vers 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. c. 20 And the Lord saide Because the cry of Sodome and Gomorrah is great and because their Sinne is very grieuous 21 I will goe downe now and see whether they haue done altogether according to the cry of it which is come vnto mee and if not I will know c. IT is not needfull my brethren to represent shew forth vnto you the extraordinary occasions for the which we are inuited to afflict our soules and sanctifie a Fast by Repentance seeing that we want not ordinary causes The enmity of Satan and of the world the feeblenesse of the Church the Name of God blasphemed our vices that doe increase our zeale which waxeth cold the hand of God lifted vp to strike vs and his rods prepared doe binde vs to tremble vnder his hand and preuent his iudgements by Fasting and Repentance least GOD send vs another kinde of Fasting making vs to Fast from his Word which is the spirituall bread sending vs that famine prophecied by the Prophet Amos not a famine of bread but a famine of the hearing of the Word of God for a punishment because we taste this spiritual bread with distaste and receiue not his Word with reuerence Let vs doe in such sort that our humiliation may be acceptable vnto God and that whiles our bodies are voide of meate we haue not our hearts replenished with hatred and rancour that whiles wee abstaine from drinking we be not drunken with pride for God doth as much detest the fast of the hypocrite as the dissolutenes of the prophane that our mouthes doe not only abstaine from meates but also from bad discourses and euill words that we fast with our eares to keepe them shut against vaine and idle discourses and with our hands keeping vs from rapine vsury In a word that al that which is in vs euen to our secret thoughts celebrat vnto God an holy Fast and pleasing vnto God through Iesus Christ That we may know that fasting is not instituted to satisfie the Iustice of God but to reuenve vs of our selues That we giue vnto the poore that which wee spare take from our selues that our voluntary fasting may helpe and aide that fast which the poore indureth of force necessitie And while that your bodies fast let your soules feede on the foode of life which is a meate which you must eate as of olde the Paschall Lambe with bitter hearbes soaking it in teares of repentance Instead of sackcloth after the fashion of the Elders be ye cloathed and couered all euer with holinesse and integritie in lieu of sprinckling of ashes as of olde acknowledge your selues with Abraham to be dust and ashes and giue glory to GOD in humbling your selues Who knoweth if God will not
haue pitty on his people and will not stirre vp his compassions vpon his children For hauing in times past staied the Sunne at the prayer of one man how much more will he stay and keepe backe his iudgements at the generall cry of his whole Church proceeding from faith and made strong by Repentance To dispose our hearts thereunto I haue chosen this excellent conference betweene God and his Seruant Abraham where you see on the one side the nature of sinne and the vengeance of God when sins are come to their full heaped measure on the other side the patience and familiar accesse which hee affords to those that loue him All this conference may be reduced to these three heads I. Who he is that speakes II. How hee behaues himselfe towards his enemies III. How milde and patient hee is towards them that feare him I. PART I. Who he is that speakes TOuching him that speakes vnto Abraham it is said in the beginning of the Chapter that three men did present themselues to Abraham one of those is called a while after the LORD And so in the history of the vision of the burning bush and in the history of Gideon and in that of the conception of Sampson euen he who is called an Angell is called the LORD which cannot appertaine vnto any but vnto the Son of God our Lord Iesus Christ For it is hee who being sent of God is notwithstanding God and the Lord our righteousnesse Ieremie 23. by whom euen then the Lord gouerned his Church made it feele his assistance and know his wil yea before the floud hee hath by the mouth of Noah preached to the dead whole spirits are now in the infernall prison 1 Pet. 3.19 Perhaps you finde it strange that hee appeared vnto Abraham in the forme of a man as if before he was borne of the Virgin Mary he had tooke mans nature but you must know that the bodies wherein the Son of God appeared in the olde Testament were but borrowed bodies for a time and by dispensation the Deity of the Sonne not being vnited personally to the body which was an instrument which he vsed for the present action onely and then left it Euen as a good or a bad Angel may assume a body and moue it without giuing it life or forme and without making himselfe one person with that body II. How God behaues himselfe towards his enemies NOw touching the manner wherein and wherby God behaueth himselfe towards his enemies it is expressed vnto vs in these words And the Lord said vnto Abraham Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great because their sin is very grieuous I will goe downe now and see whether they haue done altogether according to the crie of it which is come vnto me and if not I will know Where you see that God beares and permits with patience the wicked to rule a long time but when their sinne is come to the full then he vnfolds and spreads abroad his terrible iudgements which he doth here in this place after an inquiry and kinde of information to shew that he proceedes herein iustly and without precipitation Hee speakes then of a sin that cries before God so Abels bloud Gen. 4. cryeth from the ground vnto God for vengeance So Iob in the 31. chapter speaking of land detained by an vniust possessor saith that the land cryes against the vnlawfull possessor and the furrowes likewise therof complaint And Habbakuk Chap. 2. speaking of houses built by extortion saith that the stones cryes out of the wall and the beame out of the timber answereth it as bearing witnesse against their master before God And Saint Iames in his fist chapter saith that the hyre of the labourers which haue reaped downe your fieldes which is of you kept backe by fraud cryeth and the cryes of them which haue reaped are entred into the eares of the Lord of Sabbath Which teacheth vs that there are heinous sins that cry and call God to veangeance so that though men should holde their peace the thing it selfe would speake as our Sauiour saith Luke 19. If these men should hold their peace the stones would immediately cry out For euen as when God speakes the liuelesse and sencelesse things vnderstand When he speakes to the rocke it casteth foorth water when he speakes to the dead they rise vp at his word Euen so God vnderstands the language of sencelesse things and brings them foorth to witnesse against them whom hee will punish in his wrath These crying sinnes are the sinnes that are come to their full measure as the iniquitie of the Amorites in Ioshuahs time for in Abrahams time God declareth in the 15. chapter of Genesis that the iniquitie of the Amorites was not yet full that is to say that the measure was not full to the top as then according to that which Christ Iesus saith vnto the Iewes Mat. 23 Ye fill vp the measure of your fathers which the Apostle Paul 1 Thess 2. saith happened in his time They fill vp their sinnes alwayes for the wrath is come vpon them to the vttermost This last period of sinnes is when these two things concurre in a countrey or in a twone I. When siners doe boast of their wicked acts and haue lost that good that remaines in sinners to wit the shame of doing euill wherein the Prophet Esayas coupleth the Iewes with the Sodomites in the 3. chapter They declare their sinne as Sodome they hide it not Such are they of whom the Wise-man speaketh in the 2. Chapter of Prouerbes who reioyce to doe euil and delight in the frowardnesse of the wicked which is the third and last degree of iniquitie which Dauid describeth in the 1. Psal namely to sit in the seat of the scornfull that is to say of those that with insolency and flowting do mocke at Gods Word and take a delight yea a glory to despight and vexe him II. The second point that makes this full measure of sinne is when there is no one man to be found in a citie or countrey that withstands the euill and opposeth himselfe against it and as it is said in the 12. Psalme The godly man ceaseth the faithfull faile from among the children of men there is none that doth good no not one none that feare GOD no not one or else the number of good men is so small that they are as nothing in a crowde and as a graine of corne in a heape of straw Such was the condition of Ierusalem which Ieremie deplores in his 5. Chapter Runne yee to and fro through the streetes of Ierusalem and see now and know and seeke in the broad places thereof if ye can finde a man if there be any that executeth iudgement that seeketh the truth and I will pardon it And in the 22. chapter of Ezekiel I sought for a man amongst them that should make vp the hedge and stand in the gappe before me for the land that I should
it were worship your bodies and goods which you serue much more and better then you serue God You condemne spirituall whoredome and you pollute your selues with corporall fornication You condemne those that esteeme to merit Paradise by their good works in the meane time you liue as if you would go into hel by your euill workes or as hoping to be saued without your good workes Wee blame auricular confession but are we for all that now carefull to confesse our sinnes to God Wee blame those that thinke to redeeme their sinnes by money giuen to the Church but the money we spare on that side is it bestowed in almes-deedes and that which we withdraw from the idle is it consecrated to Gods seruice Contrariwise the poore languish and accuse the rich to be little charitable the cry of the poore is mounted and entred into the cares of the LORD of hostes And therefore doe not take it as an iniurie to be compared to Sodome and Gomorrah for although we are guiltlesse of that sin for the which God consumed them with fire notwithstanding there are other sinnes that cry as loude as that and for the which many hearers of the Word of God shal be more roughly handled in the day of Iudgement then Sodome and Gomorrah as it is denounced vnto Capernaum Corazin and Bethsaida Mat. 11. that had seene the miracles of Iesus Christ and heard his word which they had reiected and were not conuerted And indeed the Scripture teacheth vs that beside the sinne of Sodome there are other sinnes that cry and call for the vengeance of God There is the cry of the innocent bloud witnesse the bloud of Abel that cryed from the earth vnto God There is the cry of the labourers and Seruants whose hire is kept backe by fraude whereof Saint Iames speaketh Iam. 5.4 There is the cry of the widdow and of the orphan whereof Moses speaketh Exod. 22. Yee shall not afflict any widdow or fatherlesse childe if thou afflict them in any wise and they cry at all vnto me I will surely heare their cry and my wrath shall waxe hot and I will kill you with the sword and your wiues shall be widdowes and your children fatherlesse Which is a sinne that is to be found among vs besides which example of violent snatching and vsury are to be found Such a one fasteth this day from flesh and meat that eateth at his house the flesh of the poore and consumeth his neighbours substance Many ouerturning Gods commandement that forbids to come vnto the altar with voide hands bring to the Lords Table hands full of violence and extortion farre from cloathing Iesus Christ in his members seeing that they strip them thereof And what thinke yee of the mortall or rather immortall quarrels of those that haue not learnt to forgiue that aske of God euery day that hee forgiue them not their sinnes seeing they forgiue not those that haue trespassed against them that hate a thousand times more their neighbour then they loue God seeing they defame the Church of God by their quarrels and put it to an open shame What doe yee thinke that these things cry not against heauen Doe ye thinke that the Heathen souldiers hauing not torne Christs coate those can be suffered that teare his body which is the Church and seeing that he who offendeth one of the least ones deserues to be thrown and drowned in the depth of the Sea with a milstone about his necke hee which offends the whole Church deserues he not to be cast into Hell Or do ye thinke that he can haue peace with his father that is alwayes in quarrell with his brethren It is good also to obserue the causes of the destruction of Sodome and by what degrees she came to be corrupted The Prophet Ezekiel tels vs in the 16. Chapter Behold this was the iniquitie of thy Sister Sodome pride fulnesse of bread and abundance of idlenesse neither did she strengthen the hand of the poore and needy These selfe-same vices doe infect our flocke charity diminisheth amongst vs and couetousnesse increaseth the quarrels are hot and the prayers cold the word of GOD ill planted in our hearts rancour and hatred firmely rooted in them the parents are careful to hoord vp goods for their children but not to teach them to make good vse of them and to forgoe them willingly for the Gospels sake In poore families you shall find in an extream pouerty an extreame pride idlenes drunkennes they had rather see their children go naked then apply themselues to labour and sobriety Yee shall see in many of the Nobility a prophane humour an arrogant ignorance vncleane and filthy words ordinary swearing a distaste of Gods Word They are couragious to reuenge their owne iniuries but cowards to resist their vices or to defend Gods cause sumptuous in cloathes but niggards in almes-deeds They are not such as our forefathers were in olde time ready to run to Martyrdome but they are ready to runne to euery publike faction and sedition Are these those whom God hath raised to vnderprop support his Church or doe we hope that God will deliuer his people by their hands Of all in generall wee make this complaint with the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 9. The people turneth not vnto him that smiteth them neither doe they seeke the LORD of hostes Thou hast strucken them and they haue felt no paine thou hast consumed them and they haue refused to receiue instruction they haue hardened their faces like stone they haue refused to turne themselues and as it is in the 29. Chapter of Deuteronomie They haue blessed themselues in their hearts that is to say flattered themselues saying I shal haue peace though I walk in the imagination stubbornes of mine heart to adde drunkennes to thirst By this meanes Gods patience that should serue to amend vs serues to marre vs. God will giue vs thereby leasure to repent vs of our sinnes and we take leasure thereby to reioyce in our wickednes God commands vs to be holy but we will make him a sinner winking at our prophane humour Hee will haue vs expect his helpe and we will haue him expect our amendment at our leasure This is the right brimstone that puls downe fire from heauen that sulphurous earth of Sodome neuer had such force to draw downe Gods inflaming anger consuming them with fire as the contempt of Gods Word hath power to pull downe his iudgements on our heads Let vs feare least his patience being in the ende ouercome by his wrath we find no more place of repentance as Godthreatneth by his Prophet Isaiah Chap. 1. Therefore when you spread foorth your hands I will hide mine eies from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not heare But as for them that turne themselues vnto the LORD Gods familiarity with Abraham and the free accesse he giues to his Seruant ought to giue them a holy confidence to speak vnto God
whom doe ye spore your selues c. Nay which is more God hauing lifted vp his hand to turne vpside downe heauen and earth because they are become a temple of idols and the kingdome of the deuill is stopped and withheld from doing it because there are a few of the faithfull mingled among the wicked least in rooting vp the darnell hee should also plucke vp by the rootes the good corne therefore it is said to the soules of them that were slaine for the Word of God that were vnder the altar and cryed for vengeance against them that dwell on earth Apocal. 6. that they should rest yet for a little season vntill their fellow seruants and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled that being once done the end of the world will necessarily follow for should the world be so possest by the diuell that God should haue no part in it or should the Sunne rise onely to giue light to those that doe euill It is therefore one of the reasons for the which the faithfull are called the salt of the earth Matth. 5. Because it is that part that preserues the rest of the Inhabitants of the earth and protects the world from corruption And to apply these things to our selues I esteeme that these last dayes past when our Churches were in great danger God cast his eyes vpon vs hee considered therein many mischiefes and maladies that infect the flocke that couetousnesse is very rise among vs so that wee esteeme of men as wee esteeme of bagges of money that is to say according to the money they haue the man is esteemed as nothing as the bagge is nothing esteemed That euery one tels lyes and liues subtilly with his neighbour That destruction hatred suspition are among vs in the highest degree that vsury whoredome and blasphemies are to be found among vs to the great dishonour of the Gospell that so soone as there is neuer so little prosperitie excesse not and superfluity of apparell doe incontinently appeare and that charity towards the poore and the zeale of the honour of God is waxed colde while as the superstitious powere out their goods at the feete of an Idoll doe lay foundations of new religions build Churches giue offrings buy masses and seruices at a great rate and with an extreame cost that is to say that superstition is seruent in them but true religion key-cold in vs that they to make a molten Calfe doe contribute euen vnto their iewels and golden eare-rings whiles that the seruice of the honour of God is ill maintained For these causes he had already sent his destroying Angels and had snatcht away his word from vs had it not beene that euen hee the same vnto whom Abraham spake who is his onely Sonne our Lord and Sauiour Iesus hath stayed his wrath and therevpon hee hath considered ten righteous amidst this corruption that is to say some few of the number of the true faithfull and of holy soules that feare him and groane vnder the generall corruption for whose sake he suspends as yet his iudgements and spares the flocke and those perhaps not the greatest ones nor the richest nor the most noble but perhaps some poore whom we know not and to whom we as vngratefull con little thankes He hath stopt and stayed Gods iudgements and hath stood in the gap and hath beene in the publicke commotion like the lifting vp of the hands of Moses that did more then Iosuahs sword which is the obseruation that the wise-man makes in the 9. of Ecclesiastes That there was a little City and few men within it and there came a great King against it and besieged it and built great bulwarkes against it now there was found in it a poore wise-man and he by his wisedome deliuered the City yet no man remembred that poore man Seing then that the number of those that feare the Lord among vs is the defence and the safety of the Church and as King Ioram said of Elisha the Chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof for whose sake God pardoneth the rest Let vs labour to increase the number of them and that notten not thirty not fifty but that the whole troupe and flocke be truely the holy nation and the portion of the Lord. Let vs make our sinnes hold their peace that cry and that their crie be ouercome with the crye of repentance which powres vnto the feete of our Sauiour Iesus that precious ointment with an holy griefe and bedewes them with herteares as heretofore Mary did whose teares were a thousand times more odoriferous then her precious ointment for this filled the chamber with a sweet pleasing smell but her repentance is euen yet of good fauour in the Church of God And in stead of that heauy burthen of sinnes wherof Christ Iesus doth discharge vs Let vs charge and take vpon vs his yoake which is easie and his burthen which is light whether by this yoake and burthen we vnderstand his crosse or whether wee take it in generall for our subiection vnto his word that hereafter we haue no other will then his no other trust and confidence then in his promises no other ioy then in his loue And that wee may make vse of our vices and giue to our desires a lawfull imploiment and occupation let not the violent haue hereafter any other violence then that which taketh by force the Kingdome of heauen Let vsurers giue themselues to giuing to the poore for that is to lend vnto God by vsury Let the couerous gather a treasure in heauen Let the quarrellers make an irreconcillable warre against their vices Let the haughty and ambitious glory in the knowledge of God and in that they are the children of the most high If ye doe so God who desires not the death of a sinner but his conuersion whose compassions are alwaies open towards those that seeke him will watch for your safegard hee will blow vpon the enterprizes of our enemies and will frustrate their hopes his prouidence shall be as a wall of fire about his Church If you feare GOD you will not feare men Beare your selues couragious against mens threatnings but tremble at Gods Word who hath bought and redeemed you with too great a price to leaue you He will not deny you things necessary for this present life seeing that from the foundation of the world he hath prepared for you an euerlasting kingdome as he himselfe will proclaime in the last day Come yee blessed of my Father inherito the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world To whom be ascribed all honour power and dominion for euer and euer Amen FINIS