art that wilt bee a good souldier of Christ Iesus and doe him true and faithfull seruice because he hath raunsomed thee from the tyrannie of the diuel thou must renounce and denie from thy heart all vngodlines and that is all that prophanenes of mind wherein before thou diddest liue whē thou regardedst not God nor religion and all worldly lustes that is all the lustes of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life as Saint Iohn teacheth vs 1. Epist. 2.16 all which are the verie armes ensignes which the deuill the prince of darknes beareth against thy deere Sauiour and redeemer Now after that thou hast washed thy hands from all vncleanenes and renounced the deuill with all his adherents the world the flesh art now become embāded in the Lords troups now thou must next learne how to stand in Gods aray what is the whole duety seruice which he requireth at thy handes This consisteth in these three parts as we are here taught in this text first in liuing soberlie to our selues secondly in liuing righteouslie to our neighbours and thirdly in liuing holily or godly towards god In these three points wholy standeth the seruice of God so much as of man is required The first second parts are contained in the second table of Gods law the third is contained in the first Now in the first part of Gods seruice following the order of our text beginning at our selues and rising as it were by steps from the lowest to the highest is to liue soberly towards our selues this is to gouern our own bodies and persons in such measure and comely behauiour as that the Lord who is the continuall beholder of all our actions as well priuate as publike and as well secrete as open bee not offended at vs. Wherefore here euery man must learne to temperate and moderate himselfe in his speech in his gesture in meate and drinke in apparell in pleasures in paines and labors and generally in whatsoeuer concerneth a mans owne person and in all his lawfull liberties so that our speech may not be too rough nor too ridiculous our gesture may not be too light nor too lowring our meate and drinke neither too much nor too delicate our apparell not too gay nor too sluttish our pleasures neither too long nor in bad causes our sorrowes not for euery vain losse nor in any defect or excesse and our labours such as may rather preserue life then quench it in all which we must alwaies hold this rule to consider not what we are able to doe but what is most meete to bee done agreeable with our estate wherein wee may not flatter our selues and seemelie both before God and man This sweete sobrietie is the honest grace and flower of our life which whosoeuer wanteth hee commeth too short of that duetie which God requireth at his handes being vnthankefull to God who hath redeemed him to liue in such an honorable estate offensiue to men and angels and hurtfull to his owne soule and body For what is the cause why our soules corrupt and stinke in the filthie lustes and pleasures of the flesh in al manner of excesse riotous kind of liuing but because they want this sale of sobriety wherby they shold be kept sweet why canst thou not endure to beare the labours of Gods seruice why dooest thou waxe faint in prayer why doest thou thinke it long to heare why doest thou thinke much to streine thy heart vnto God in the zeale of thankesgiuing and why canst thou not away to carie patiētly the easie yoke of Christ Iesus why thou hast not beene acquainted with sobrietie which is as it were the yoke to holde all men within their religious and vertuous endeuours Againe let vs come to the duties of the second table and aske what is the cause why wee cannot liue within the compasse of them Why doe some lift vp the heele against their gouernours like the vntamed horse why doe others liue in continual contentions and fightings like the sauage wolues and Tygers Why do some wast their strength in pleasures as the flame which consumeth the tallowe and why doe other neglecting the tender budde of their decaying stocke draw all through their owne throats while their wife and children starue for hunger and why doe other enuying the age to come gape vpon all things present like Behemoth as though they would make an end of the world with themselues and why do other some kindle such discord amongst their neighbours by that fire of the tongue as Saint Iames calleth it that it can neuer after bee quenched vnto the death and why is hell let loose within our selues to disturbe all the powers and sences about vs with wicked thoughtes lusts why this vertue of sobriety is absent from vs. So that take away sobriety and you vndoe all Religion Wherefore you good parentes you which haue a care of the posteritie and of the Church of God to come and you which thinke nothing too deere for the redemption of your own soules and the soules of your children shewe your thankefulnes vnto GOD in instructing your houshold teach them holines towards God and righteousnes towardes men and teach them not onely holines and righteousnes towardes God and men but also traine them vp in sobrietie towards themselues for this is the locke and key to religion it is the yoke of our life it is the salt of our soules it is the grace of all our actions O you good youth I call to you which loue the Lorde I call to you which honour all those which giue you good instruction and I call to you who had rather dye an honest and godly death while you are young then to liue in the filthie pleasures of sinne for a season and in the ende to bee cast awaye eternallie embrace this noble vertue of sobrietie if there bee anie vnderstanding if anie loue of vertue if anie zeale of chastitie if anie courage for good thinges fulfill my desires in the Lorde who loue your soules so deerely and God almightie raine downe a blessing vpon you 2. The second part of Gods seruice is to liue righteously towardes men and that is to giue euery man his due and right Giue to euerie man his due saith the Apostle Rom. 13. Tribute to whome yee owe tribute custome to whom custome feare to whome feare honour to whome vee owe honour Owe nothing to anie man but to loue one another for hee that loueth another hath fulfilled the lawe Nowe this whole duetie of louing our brethren and in giuing euery one his due we may generally comprehende in this diuision First in honouring and obeying our superiours and gouernours secondly in relieuing our inferiors and all such as stand in neede of our helpe and thirdly in being kinde to our equalles and louing to all For the dueties towardes our superiours the subiect must honour his magistrate with obedience
honorable and heauenly deseruings at our hands wee cannot doe it If our gracious Prince to shew her puissance against a forraine power should call forth one or two of her subiects who are most beholding vnto her to iust and turnie in her presence for her honour would they not straine all their strength in this seruice yea and their liues too Now shall wee doe more for our Prince then we would for God Hath not our God called vs out by name to fight for his honour to bee a chosen and peculiar people vnto himselfe to stand on his parts to shew foorth his vertues and to bee zealous of good workes yea and that wee might the better performe this seruice hee hath furnished vs with his owne armour and weapons yea and his owne hand is with vs too though all men see it not and shall not we now doe valiantly for our God and shall not wee nowe endeuour our best to answere the expectation of our heauenly King O my deare brethren see the ende of your calling You are not called to shewe your owne strength or your owne vertues or your own holines but you are called to shewe foorth the strength and the vertues and the holines of the almightie and to bee zealous of good workes But what is this zeale that we may know it and followe it This zeale as the Spouse in the last chapter of the Canticles teacheth vs is no small matter but a most ardent and burning loue vnspeakable ouercomming all the affections in man Loue is strong as death and zeale is cruell as the graue the coales thereof are fierie coales and a vehement flame yea the flame of God as the Hebrew worde signifieth Much water cannot quench loue neither can the flouds drowne it Now then beloued you see the end of your redemption and calling it is not only to do good works but to be zealous of good works you are called and redeemed to the heate and fire of good works you are called and redeemed to such a burning loue of them that nothing may quench it nay euen as death and the graue ouercome all things so this zeale in vs of good workes should ouercome and cast downe before vs all the lets and impediments which stand vp against vs in the seruice of our God for loue is strong as death zeale is cruell as the graue Wherefore O you redeemed of the Lorde not with golde and siluer as Saint Peter speaketh but with the pretious bloud of his owne sonne lay this vnto your hearts and stirre vp your selues vnto Gods seruice you that haue eares to heare heare and you that haue zeale within you bee inflamed for euery one cannot I call vpon you all as the Apostle Saint Iohn writeth I call vpon you little children because you are well acquainted with your fathers deare loue and tendernesse towards you I call vpon you young men because your affections are strong in you and you are best able to beare the Lordes burthen and I call vpon you olde men because you by reason of your long experience haue most knowledge of your dueties giue the Lorde his due and right and abound in all manner of good workes which he hath ordained for vs to walk in to the glorie of his holy name Teach a child in the trade of his way and when he is olde he shall not depart from it Pro. 22.6 When I began to read this verse vnto you I told you it consisted of two parts of a precept and the reason of the precept Hitherto I haue spoken of the precept and of the necessarie circumstances belonging vnto it and now I am come to speake of the reason of it that so I might stirre vp the life of the precept in his working in you And when he is olde he shall not depart from it that is if thou faithfully instructest him in his way while hee is young he shall haue the benefit of it all his life after But now that parents might bee compassed about with a cloude of exhortations I haue thought good here not onely to presse forth the principall scope of this text but also to sucke out of the bowels thereof the more hidden and abstruse collections and to gather the like arguments out of other scriptures because the whole scripture is one and lendeth hand to it selfe 1. The first reason which should moue parents to take in hand this dutie of instructing their children in this trade of their waye is drawne from the necessitie of the precept because euery child naturally is conceiued and borne out of the way as the Prophet Dauid teacheth vs Psal. 51.5 Behold I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me And the Apostle Saint Paule sayth Ephes. 2. That we are by nature the children of wrath And Moses in the 6. chapter of Gen. teacheth vs that all the thoughts and imaginations of mans hart are continually euill and the Apostle sayth 1. Cor. 2. that the naturall man cannot perceiue the thinges which are of the spirite of God And againe Rom. 8. hee telleth vs that the wisedome of the flesh is enimitie against God for it is not subiect to the lawe of God neither indeed can be Wherefore now you see plainely how euery mothers child is borne into the world blind in his vnderstanding froward in his will and affections corrupt in all the motions of his hart dead in the life of God wholy possessed with sin so that except now his nature be changed by good education hee cannot possibly applye himselfe vnto any good waye but hee must needs all his life long runne astray and in the end fall headlong into hell fire Wherefore O you parents as you haue giuen your children the worse so giue them the better also as you haue brought them forth the children of wrath and death so now teach them howe they may become the children of grace and life teach your children in the trade of their way they must needes bee taught for except their education and teaching bee better then their birth they are cast away for euer and they may curse their parents that euer they brought them into the world 2. The second reason to moue parents to this vertuous teaching of their children is taken from the oportunitie thereof For if euer they will doe their children good nowe they must doe it while they bee children The Smyth must strike wile the iron is hot and the Plowman must plowe while his ground will worke and the Sayler must saile when hee hath winde and tide and as you see euerie trade hath his proper oportunitie so this trade also of education hath childhood for his fittest time to worke vpon If you doe not teach your children and traine them vp in good nourture while they bee yong all your laboure shall bee but lost afterwardes you shall strike vpon the colde iron you shall plowe in the
expressed in the 6. verse of the first chapter And his father would not displease him from his childhood to say why hast thou done so And here I cannot but iustly finde fault with most parents who though they bee somewhat carefull for their children while they be tender yet when they beecome to some yeares of discretion as to fifteene or sixteene which time is most fit for reprehension because then by all reason it should soonest enter and which time againe is most dangerous because then our affections are most strong in vs oh then they bee growne to mens and womens estate they may not bee reprehended they may not bee disgraced But knowe thou O wise parent that so long as thou hast a childe so long thou art a parent and so long as thou art a parent so long thou must carrie a fatherlie authoritie and power ouer him 5. The fift adiunct or helpe is chastisement and it may well bee called a helpe because where reprehension will not serue that must helpe and this must bee vsed in order and method as the Phisitian worketh for as the skilfull Phisitian will not giue his strong and bitter pill before his preparatiue least the working of it should bee hindred by the stubborne and indurate obstructions so the wise parent in curing his sonnes vices must not strike before he hath reprehended or premonished least either hee bee too much cast downe and discouraged or waxe obstinate This kinde of Phisick as it is more strong then the former so it hath a more forcible and excellent working The Councell of Turon saith worthily Magna est in ipsa seueritate pietas per quam tollitur peccandi facultas Great is the godlines in that seueritie by which the power of sinning is taken away And againe Salomon in the 22. of the Prouerbes saith more worthily Foolishnes is bound in the heart of a childe but the rodde of correction shall driue it away And againe in the 13. chapter Hee which spareth the rodde hateth his sonne that is he is an enemie vnto him Wherefore know thou this O thou father that when thou seest thy sonne dangerously sicke with the disease of sinne and doest not vse this helpe and remedy which God in his holy word hath prescribed vnto thee thou art accessarie to thy childes death as an enemie and his blood shall be required at thy hands because that where thou mightest haue saued him thou hast wilfully cast him away for Gods loue good parents looke to your children Oh that parents had lesse naturall affection or more wisdome for euery parent is blinde in his owne children oh is it not a pitifull thing that parents should themselues make graues for their owne children and burie them quick without all compassion and think they do well in it And is it not a folly aboue all follies that while the parent layeth his hand vpon his childes mouth to keepe away the colde winde hee presseth it downe so hard that he strangleth him therewith Thus many a father and mother in the world haue killed their deare ones by their inordinate loue and cockering of them and thus many poore infants must still be murdered because parents will not bee warned Wherfore now I wil lament with the Prophet Ieremie my soule shall mourne in silence and mine eyes shall cast forth riuers of waters while I walke solitarie because I see the destruction that is to come vpon the children of my people for want of good education and gouernmēt The yoke is too heauie breaking is violent chiding discourageth the rod maketh bluenes therefore while wee contemne the Lords helpes death breaketh in vpon vs. Now let vs fall downe before the Lorde and beseech his pittifulnes that hee would euen without meanes saue some of those poore infants which knowe not the right hand from the left and whom the inordinate loue and blind folly of cursed parentes haue destinate to destruction c. Onely let your conuersation bee as it becommeth the Gospell of Christ. Phil. 1.27 Now hauing finished the first parte of the trade of childrens way wee are come to the second to teach good manners Wherein I minde not to trouble you with courte fashions and new fangles and toyes of curious heades but onely to teach such nourture and seemely behauiour as Gods word commendeth and well becommeth the Gospell of Christ Iesus The duties of nurture in which parentes are to bring vp their children are either priuate to themselues or common to all The dutie which the parent must teach his childe priuate to himselfe is vnfayned obedience without any semblance of disliking in all things that hee shall commaunde him not being contrarie to the worde of GOD yea though hee seeth no reason of the thing commaunded as Isaack went obedientlie with his father to the altar though hee sawe no burnt offering nay though his owne reason goeth against it For the parent should giue his childe to vnderstand that God himselfe hath so disposed of him in his holy ordinance that hee shoulde not growe vp in his owne will and gouernement but bee subiect vnto them in all things And this is commaunded Colossians 3.20 Children obeye your Parentes in all thinges for that is well pleasing vnto the Lorde And here Parentes must remember to chastise and banish awaye from their children all murmuring and reasoning of the matter or answering againe for this is the breach of good manners and forbidden of the Lord Phil. 2. Doe all things without murmurings and reasonings There must bee no grumbling and there must bee no debatings or delayes as why may not hee goe why may not shee doe it this is a foule and a shamefull hearing but euery one so soone as hee is commaunded must goe or bee made to goe without any more adoe This is good nurture and Gods commaundement and example of this wee haue in the seruants of that worthie Centurion whose praise is in the Gospell and I saye vnto one goe and hee goeth and to another come and he commeth and to my seruant do this and he doth it Now the rest of the duties which parents must teach their children not onely towards themselues but also towards others consist in reuerence and courtesie and this is to bee shewed in these two heads either in speech or gesture Againe the duties of our speech are to be diuided into other two heads which are fayre speech and conference 1. The first dutie of fayre speech is to call our betters by an honorable name And thus we reade that Abigaile called Dauid Lorde at euery worde yea fourteene times together in that small speech 1. Samuel 25. And thus againe wee reade in the tenth of Marke that that ciuill and well nourtured ruler vsed this courteous speech vnto our sauiour where hee sayth Good Master what shall I doe that I may possesse eternall life And when hee made answere againe hee saide Master all
taken the possession of all the parts about vs of al the powers and faculties of euery part but also it hath brought forth infinite fruites in vs to eternall condemnation Whereupon the prophet Dauid in his 19. Psa. cryeth out Who can vnderstand his faults O clense me from my secret sins Now beloued if our sins wicked transgressions be so many that we cānot number them nor vnderstand them all they be so hidden in heapes in euery mēber about vs the wages of euery one sin yea euen of the least that can bee cōmitted is death as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 6. then again how great is this death which lieth vpon vs Here lieth the man that was trauailing betweene Ierusalem and Iericho bleeding by the high waies side hauing receiued his deadly wound and being already more then half dead wherefore except that good Samaritan Christ Iesus doth shortly powre in wine and oyle into our wounds me must needes perish eternally Fiftly that wee might yet the better and more cleerely see into our owne miserie we must goe vnto Gods lawe which is our looking glasse for that will shewe vs the very least moate of sinne that cleaueth vnto vs and when wee are come hither alasse this will cast vs all downe vpon our faces Oh sayth the Apostle Rom 7. I once was aliue without the lawe but when the commaundement came sinne reuiued Wee thinke that we are iolly fellowes and that we are in case good enough vntill wee looke our faces in Gods glasse and alas then we see nothing but death and then we crie out with the Apostle O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death This teacheth thee that if thou art but angrie with thy brother vnaduisedly thou art a murtherer this teacheth thee that if thou dost but looke vpon a woman to lust after her in thine heart thou art an adulterer this teacheth thee that if thou dooest but desire thy neighbours goodes though thou neuer layest handes vpon them yet thou art a theefe and a fellon and this telleth thee that though thou speakest a trueth by thy neighbour with a minde to discredite him thou art a slaunderer and this teacheth thee that euerie little wicked thought which ryseth vp in thy mind is sinne and so deserueth euerlasting death yea though thou neuer giuest consent vnto it So that if wee would examine our selues by this glasse wee must needes all of vs cast downe our selues at Gods feete and saye with the Prophet If thou O Lorde streightlie markest iniquities O Lorde who shall stand Now that which I haue here taught you I beseech you by the mercy of God by which onely you must bee saued teach it your children againe for this is the ende of all my labour to saue your childrens soules which are so deere vnto you Sixtly and lastlie after you haue beaten into their heades their miserable estate by reason of their falling from God and breach of his lawe then you must shew them the feareful punishments be longing vnto the same and bring them euen vnto the brinke of hel and bid them stand fast in Christ Iesus look in First you must bid thē behold the vnquēchable fire alwaies feeding vpon the soule and body of man neuer cōsuming the substance 2. You must shew them further the vtter darkenes which is as it were that irksome smoake which ariseth out of this horrible and infernall fire 3. You must point out vnto them where the worme of conscience lieth alwaies gnawing vpon the tender hart and soule of man with torments vnspeakable 4. You must shew them in this hideous place the feare and dreadfulnes of God wrapped about with his wrath which shaketh all the partes of soule and bodie from whence ariseth the gnashing of teeth And lastly here at once you must lay before their eies all the vnspeakable torments of hell which cause that intolerable noyse of howling and crying which is to bee heard in that place Here is y t Tophet which Esay speaketh of in his 30. chapter the burning thereof is fire and much woode and the breath of the Lord like a riuer of brimstone doth kindle it Here lyeth Esau weeping for his birth-right there lyeth Ierusalem crying out because she knewe not the time of her visitation Here lyeth Caine for killing his brother there lyeth Iudas for betraying his master Here lyeth Iezabell torne of the dogges of hell for stoning of Naboth there lyeth Diues boyling in brimstone for not shewing compassion on poore Lazarus Here lye burning night and day the fiue Cities of Sodome because they burnt with vnnaturall lust while they liued here and there ly all the old world drowned with the sea of Gods wrath because they had corrupted euery man his way vpon earth O you good parentes take heede to your children and giue them good counsell that they come not into this place of tormēt Should you not crie out woe worth the day that euer you begate a childe for this place here euen vpon this pittes brinke stands euery mothers child as he is naturally borne into the world Wee are by nature the children of wrath saith the Apostle Ephesi 2. and wee haue al of vs euen from the conceptiō fought against God with our sinnes and prouoked the holy one to anger and therfore now here it were iust with God if hee should with his foote spurne vs all into hell Wherefore deere parents ere the Lordes anger be kindled against you and your children remoue them from hence drawe them out of this cursed estate for if God should here examine them O Lord which of them all should stand they were all no better then cast away for euer But with thee is mercie Hitherto we haue spoken of our own misery now we are come to the remedy which is Gods mercy Wherfore as the prophet Dauid in the 101. Psal. saith I will sing mercy and iudgment vnto thee O Lord so wee hauing already sung of iudgemēt now we wil come to sing of mercy These two as one of the fathers saith are as it were the two legs of god wherewith he walketh towards vs. If God should come towards vs with the legge of his iustice onely alas who might abide him and who should stand before him but now hee commeth with mercie also and therefore we will praise him All the pathes of the Lorde sayth the Prophet are mercie and truth vnto such as keepe his couenant This truth is Gods iustice whereby wee are humbled his mercie is the meane whereby we are raised vp againe This is the waye of Gods walking towardes vs which is most wise in the eies of the almighty For if God should come to vs only in iustice then we would not loue him againe if he should come onely in mercie so licentious are we that we would not feare him Wherefore sweet is this
for example our Sauiour himselfe who being the author and finisher of our faith vsed this helpe through all his way as wee may reade Heb. 12. Who for the ioy which was set before him endured the crosse and despised the shame and is set at the right hand of the throne of God Againe this helpe that worthie light of the Church the Apostle S. Paul vsed Philip 3. I forget that which is behinde and endeuour my selfe vnto that which is before and follow hard toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus But what is this marke and what is this price which is alwaies so in the eye of the Apostle that he forgetteth all other things and regardeth nothing but it This marke is that palme branch which is giuen vnto all those faithful seruants of Christ Iesus who haue ouercommed all the difficulties and hardnes of this life and this marke is that immortall inheritance and vndefiled and which withereth not reserued in the heauens of which S. Peter speaketh 1. Epistle 2. chapter and this marke is the fulnes of ioye as the Prophet Dauid sayth Psalm 16. In thy presence is the fulnes of ioye and at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore and this marke and this blessed hope is the crowne of righteousnes layd vp for all Gods faithfull seruants against the day of this appearing of the glorie of this mighty God our Sauiour Iesus Christ From hence forth is layd vp for me sayth the Apostle the crowne of righteousnes which the Lord the righteous iudge shall giue me at that day and not to mee onely but to all those that loue that his appearing 2. Tim. 4. O if a man had a crowne alwaies in his eye what would hee not doe to come by it Why doe wee then stagger vnder our burthens and why doe we waxe faint in the Lords seruice why wee doe not looke vppe vnto our blessed hope and wee doe not set that glorious appearing of our Sauiour Christ Iesus alwaies before our eyes whose presence shall wipe away all teares from our cheekes This would holde vp our hands if there were any life in vs. Cast your eyes then vpon your inheritance which shall not wither What seruice can be sufficient for a kingdome what dutie for the crowne of heauen what loyaltie for the adoption of the sons of God and what paines taking for the fulnes of ioye O you Christians that you saw and knew your happines that you might loue and serue the Lord. 2. The second motiue is taken from that exceeding loue of Christ in giuing himselfe so freely for vs and therefore now we should giue our selues and all our things vnto him againe as wee are taught of our mother the Church Canticles 6. I am my welbeloueds and my welbeloued is mine O if Christ Iesus that heauenly bridegroome hath bestowed himselfe vpon vs and giuen himselfe for vs which sometimes were more vile then the clay in the streete how can wee now denye him any seruice or any thing which is within vs shall the heire of eternitie and the son of God bestow himselfe vpon vs with a full dowrie of the kingdome of heauen and all the ioyes of the life to come and with the fruition of the diuine nature as S. Peter saith and shall not we now bestow our selues and our liues vpon him againe for that loue of Christ constraineth vs sayth the Apostle because wee thus iudge that if one bee dead for all then wee are all dead and hee died for all that they which liue should not hence foorth liue vnto themselues but vnto him which dyed for them and rose againe O had not wee neede now bee a deare and louing spouse vnto our husband Christ who hath bought our loue with his owne death would not this meditation constraine any reasonable heart vnto all duetifull seruice wherefore now I speake like a troubled soule out of the affection of my heart I had rather be hanged in the ayre I had rather bee burnt in the fire I had rather bee torne with the racke yea I had rather run through hell it selfe then I would willingly offende and displease this mercifull Lorde who hath loued mee and giuen himselfe for mee For I was dead but now I am aliue I was lost but now I am found I was forsaken but now am I beloued What doe you weeping and breaking my heart saith the Apostle for my life is not deare vnto my selfe so that I may fulfill my course with ioye Oh we haue not halfe franke hearts to deale with God wee thinke much to serue God with our persons our soules and our bodies and as for our goods we lay them to aside they may not goe with vs into the Lords Sanctuarie for feare of losing and yet our Lorde hath not only giuen soule and bodie to raunsome vs but also hath stripped himselfe naked of al his heauenly royaltie and riches and tooke vpon him the forme of a seruant as the Apostle teacheth Phil. 2. O where is now that constraining loue of the Apostle to stirre vp our dull and cold hearts 3. The third motiue to stirre vs vp with al cheerefulnes vnto Gods seruice are those great and vnspeakeable paines and labours which our deare Sauiour hath taken vpon him to beare and goe thorow with for our redemption Who gaue himselfe for vs sayth the Apostle that is who gaue himselfe to endure all manner of torments calamities and sufferings for our redemption and all manner of painefull seruice for our iustification Now hath Christ our Sauiour giuen himselfe to doe so much for vs and shall wee giue our selues to securitie and liue as wee lust hath Christ watched for vs and shall wee giue our selues to sleepe hath Christ fasted for vs and shal we giue our selues to banquetting hath Christ bin tempted for vs and shall we yeeld to euery suggestion hath Christ suffered persecution shal we look to line at ease and hath Christ so liued here vpon earth for our sakes that he wold not please himselfe Rom. 15. and shall wee sport in the delights of this life and the sensualitie of our owne flesh and hath Christ not onely suffered all the troubles of this life but also tooke vpon him the torments of the life to come to free vs from that dreadfull lake of eternall iudgement now shall we cast our selues down vnder the greene boughes of the pleasures of this world and shunne the heate and burden of the day and giue our selues to idle loytering when God calleth vs foorth to labour in his vineyard O what a shame were this to Christians at whose hands the Lord hath deserued so great duties through his infinit labours and sufferings If Christ our Sauiour had redeemed vs without any paines taking as easily as a rich man pulleth out twentie pounds out of his pocket to ransome a poore captiue whom
hee taketh pitie on yet respecting the vnspeakable miserie from which we are deliuered and the greate freedome into which wee are brought that is into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God and to the inheritance of the Saints and to be citizens of heauen this would deserue infinit duties of thankfulnes but now this was not our deare Sauiours case alas it was no ease for him to saue vs as the monument of this day can well witnesse vnto vs at what time he finished the terme of 32. yeares seruitude and halfe hauing troden the wine presse of the Almighty borne the fierce wrath of God his father sweat water and bloud with strong cryings and teares and now hauing passed the yron gates of death hee appeared vnto vs bringing saluation through no little sorrowe and therefore now as the matter thus standeth who is sufficient for these things and who shall giue vs thankfulnes and dueties and seruice for so great deserts 4. The fourth motiue are all those sweete graces and blessings both temporall and spiritual which are bestowed vpō vs by Christ in giuing himselfe for vs. For as the Apostle sayth Rom. 8. Seeing hee spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs how shall hee not with him giue vs all things also So then when God gaue vs his sonne and Christ gaue vs himself all good things were giuen vnto vs to Haue I beene as a wildernesse vnto Israel sayth the Lord Ierem. 2. Hath the Lord been barren vnto vs or as a land of darknesse is not hee that God who hath made the light of England to shine tenne times brighter then euer it did before is not hee that God who hath planted peace in all our borders hath not hee in our daies crowned the earth with foyson of all things hath not he made the plowman to touch the mower and the treader of grapes him that soweth seede hath not hee made the hilles to droppe fatnes and the furrowes to reioyce and sing hath not he made our desert like Eden and our wildernesse like the garden of the Lorde and is not hee that God who hath taken away from vs that famine of the word which heretofore oppressed the land more then the dearth of AEgypt and made our soules like a well watred garden and giuen vnto vs abundance of spiritual blessings and set our Priests and our Leuites as in times past Now beloued seeing it is thus and our eyes are full of Gods blessings which way soeuer wee turne vs can we forget our duetie towardes our gracious God who hath opened his hand so wide vnto vs Can a maide forget her ornament sayth the Lord or a bride her attire yet my people hath forgotten me daies without number O good brethren let vs not prouoke the Lorde to speake vnto vs by his iudgements complaining as hee did sometimes of the children of Israel Esay 1. Heare O heauens and hearken O earth for the Lord hath sayd I haue nourished and brought vp children but they haue rebelled against me And againe in the fift chapter What could I haue done any more vnto my vineyard that I haue not done vnto it and when I looked that it shoulde haue brought foorth grapes it brought foorth wilde grapes 5 The fift motiue is that great and plentifull reward which God that cannot lye and with whom is no variablenes nor shadow of turning hath in his word promised and will hereafter performe to all his faithful and diligent seruants Though the Lord hath alreadie deserued our seruice and ten thousand times more thē we cā do in sauing our soules which were lost yet such is the magnificent franknes of our God that hee will not receiue the least dutie at our hands for nought no not so much as a cup of cold water bestowed vpon his seruants for his sake but hee will render a double reward for it O is it not good seruing of such a master where all things are still comming in and where nothing is layde out and no time spent but bringeth in double gaine both in this life and in the life to come Verely I say vnto you sayth our Sauiour Christ Mark chapter 10. verse 29. there is no man that hath forsaken house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the Gospels but he shall receiue an hundred fold now at this present houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children lands with persecutions and in the world to come eternall life O if men would serue the Lord what plentie of al good things should we enioy Proue mee now herewith saith the Lord of hostes if I will not open the windowes of heauen vnto you and power you out a blessing without measure Malac. 3. Againe Esay 48. Oh that thou haddest harkened vnto my commandements then had thy prosperitie beene as the floud and thy righteousnes as the waues of the sea Furthermore the Prophet Dauid vseth most excellent similitudes to set foorth this estate worthie of due meditation Psal. 92. The hornes of the righteous shall bee exalted like Vnicornes they shall be annoynted with fresh oyle they shall flourish like a palme tree they shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon they shall be fat and flourishing and they shall bring foorth fruite in their age that is they shall haue a power euen aboue nature loe thus shall the men bee blessed that serue the Lord and men shall say verily there is fruite for the righteous 6. The sixt and last motiue to stirre vs vp to this industrie in Gods seruice is the Lords ende and as it were the marke and butte whereat hee shooteth in sauing vs which is that wee should giue ouer our liues whollie vnto him in the zeale of good workes thereby to set foorth the praise of his glorious working towards vs. And this is expressed in the 130. Psalme But with thee is mercie that thou maiest bee feared And secondly in this our text Who gaue himselfe for vs that hee might redeeme vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to bee a peculiar people vnto himselfe zealous of good workes And thirdly S. Peter in his first Epistle and second chapter sayth That wee are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood a holie nation and a people set at libertie that wee should shew forth the vertues of him that hath called vs out of darknes into his meruailous light This is the end then of Gods redemption Now beloued shall the Lorde lose his ende by our negligence and bestow all his labour in vaine and shoote as it were at a wrong marke hath he culled and picked vs out of all the world to bee a speciall and peculiar people vnto himselfe to be zealous of good workes to excell all other in vertue and to holde out his glorious vertues vnto all the world and shall we now neglect the high caller and contemne his