out of an olde house readie to fall our bodies are no better then old clay cottages ready to drop downe our spirit is but vapour and fume our garments are corruption the worme and cancker our portion the earth the wombe that did conceiue vs and the earth the wombe that must receiue vs. If a skilfull Pilote shall foresee and foretell a storme shall not the Mariners hast all that they may towards the Hauen Christ our great Ship-maister hath forespoken many stormes in the sea of this world hie we therefore to heauen which is our hauen to the key-side of the kingdome of God to the land of the liuing the landing place of vs all In the ioynd Battell with the worldly enemie when our souldiers are strooken with gun shot on al sides and our fellowes fall before vs and behinde vs on the right hand and the left what a happie turne is it for the enemie to turne his backe to vs and betake him to his heeles and how would this quicken and hearten our Spirits but by the resurrection all the ranckes and Classeis of our enemies the deuill death condemnation turne vs their backe partes and flie away from vs. The day labourer is glad whē the day is at an end for thē his rest and his reward beginneth the end of this life is the end of our labour and then our rest and reward without end beginneth Euerie man is glad at the departure of Winter and at the approach of Sommer this life of ours is but a troublesome Winter the life that is to come is the ioyfull Sommer season Hee is a brainelesse begger indeede that would not put off his rotten ragges to bee clad with royall robes our hides that couer vs are paltrie leather coates and as filthy as any Beggers weedes but in the other life wee shall bee cloathed with the white garment of Christes innocency who shall change the vile rayment of our bodies and shall decke them with all glorie and Maiestye sutable to his bodye The traueller that hath beene long in farre parts is a glad man when his busines are at an end that he may returne to his wife children and friendes our life is but a weariesome pilgrimage of fewe and euil daies by death and the resurrection wee haue a merrie meeting withall our kindred and deare friendes departed in the Lordes feare Hee that is out-lawed and banished for debt is made a merrie man by his calling home againe and the cancelling that debt wee liue heere debtors and banished men the Lord calleth vs home by the way of our death and throweth all our tickets of accounts into the sea Why therfore should not our hearts skip like Rammes within our bellyes for ioy If Dauid Paul Peter Iohn or any of these great men and deare Saints of God the fingers of Gods hand and sacred actuaries and pen-men of his Counsells might be sent downe from heauen vnto vs we wold bee glad to take the widest perambulation that is to looke anie of them on the face but in the resurrection we shall see all the glorious companie of the prophets the fellowship of the Apostles the noble armie of Martirs and his holy Angels yea Christ himselfe face to face wherefore we haue cause to wish welcome this our resurrection 5. I note also this aduantage in the resurrection that the faithfull haue it is their Bul-warke and wall of brasse against all temptations the Cittie of refuge amidst their persecutions in this world the soule of the inward man and blessed bee God which hath shewed vs this kindnesse in a strong Cittie This was armour of proofe to Iob against all the fierie Dartes of the diuell throwne against his patience Iob 19.25 whereby hee was more then Conqueror whilst his heart like Mount Sion which could not be remooued was fixed and fastened vpon the resurrection And this was as it were the latter gracious raine in the heate and drought of summer which refreshed the inheritance of God euen the soules of his Saints and as the sweete wood throwne into the waters of Marah that tooke away the bitternesse of it when in the daies of Antiochus they were vnder the Crosse and endured strange torments for they looked as the Spirit of God saith for a better resurrection Heb. 11 3◠Dauid by this Target that couered his heart could fight like a man and breake euerie Speare that was lift vp against him was in a readines for euerie enimie when he came in the gate of which he doubted not to make this godly boast saying Though I walke through the middest of the shaddow of death Psal 23.4 I will feare none euill for thou art with me thy rod thy staffe comfort me Phil. 1.21 This made Paule to say that it was life for him to die because it was lucre and gaine to him And the same Apostle being the mouth of the rest saith Therfore we faint not 2. Cor. 4.2 because we know though the outward man perish the inward man shal be renued dayly while we look not on the things that are seene but on the thinges that are not seene For that which the left hand of nature pulleth down the right hand of the creator shall builde vp againe The destruction of our earthly mansion is the construction of our heauenly habitation it is the same Apostles profession 2. Cor. 5 VVe know that when the earthly house of this tahernacle be destroved we shall haue a house not made with hands Iudg. 5.23 but eternal in the heauens For this cause curse ye Atheists as the Angel did Meroz because they goe not out with vs to fight in the Lords cause in the resurrection Sa. 1.21 As Dauid pronounced a curse on the mountaines of Gilboa that the clowdes might neuer drop vpō those clods because there the shieldes of the mightye were cast downe so a cursle of all cursses and the full viall of the Lordes malidiction bee powred vppon the bodies and soules of all vnrepentant Atheistes whose hearts are soe hooped and bound about with infidelitie as they haue throwne downe this shield and buckler of all their expectation which is the resurrection But the blessing of the Lord be on the mountains of Armenia which gaue rest vnto the Arke and blessed bee all those Christian bodies and soules that rest vpon this and let this rest with them the Arke and the Cofer of his moste gracious promises And oh that Dauids fooles that say there is no God and so no resurrection who I feare are too rife in this Royall Cittie had the markes of knowledge set vppon them as the Leprous person had whose garments were split whose head and lippes were couered who was inioyned to proclaime as he passed by I am vncleane I am vncleane that all that see them might point at them and say There there Behold an Atheist behold an Atheist who are dead while they liue by the sentence
false witnes nor call for any that is true Againe saith the same father Interrogat te non alium de te interrogat te non vt discat a te sed vt coufuÌ„dat te He asketh thee not any other of thee hee asketh thee not to learne of thee but to confound thee Augustin giueth vs a coppie of the inditement by the iudge which shal be put to the conscience to reply vnto formed in this wise Suscepi dolores tuos vt tibi gloriam darem suscept mortem tuam vt in eternum viueres conditus iacui in sepulchro vt tu regnares in caelo Cur quod pro te pertuli perdidisti Redde mihi vitam tuam pro qua meam dedi Tu despexisti in â—omine deum in infitmo salutem in via reditun in Iudice veniaÌ„ in crace vitani in supplicijs medicinam I vndertooke thy sorrowes to bring thee to glorie I suffered this death to giue thee eternal life I lay buried in earth that thou mightest raigne in heauen why hast thou lost that which I haue bought Giue mee this life for which I gaue thee mine Thou hast despised in man this God in infirmitie this strength in the way thy returne in the iudge thy pardon in the torments thy medicines To all this shall the conscience which is insteed of a thousand witnesses giue testimony consent which shall be as Barnard saith Testis Iudex Tortor witnes Iudge Executioner Ipsa accusat Ipsa iudicat ipsa punit Ipsa damnat That inditeth that iudgeth that punisheth that damneth The shield of ignorance which we shal then hold vp shal be turned into a spiders web The conuiction of the conscience is an argument vnresistable The truth wherof by sencible experience is known to euery one that hath but a dramme of ordinarie vnderstanding For howsoeuer we may bleare the eyes of men yet we cannot plucke out the eyes of our minde and knowledge We may beguile a Iudge by subtiltie and terrifie an informer by our insolencie but wee cannot escape the arraignment iudgement of conscience which maugre our hearts shall sift our misdeedes to the coursest branne bring them to the light proclaime them on the house top and shall set downe torments before vs for time and times and when there shal be no more time and set nothing but terrors about vs which the Poets vnderstand fuciarum taedis ardentibus by the burning tapers of furious and hellish hagges To conclude our selues being iudges wee cannot be acquainted And there cannot be a greater punishment in humane inuention then thus to carry our accuser in our bosome and this is the Opening of the bookes heere spoken of Gods omniscience calling into our knowledge all our misdeedes and our vnrestie conscience in the guiltines thereof openly acknowledging them We haue many dueties red vs in this lecture of the opening of the bookes 1. As first of humiliation and repentance This was that the Apostle would inferre out of the Sermon that hee made to the Athenians of the iudgement the Text whereof was Act. 17.32 The Lord hath appointed a day wherein he wil iudge the world in righteousnes For all our new Doctrine wee keepe still the old conuersation But for Gods sake let vs thinke of the counte day and preuent the iudgemeÌ„t to come with newnes of life as Iacob by rewards sent before him aswadged the furie of his Brother Esau Let vs meete the Lord in the way Amos. 4.12 1. Sam. 25. it is the counsell of the Prophet Amos As Abigail met Dauid in the way to her great good For by this she staied the sword of his vengeance and by this wee shall stay a more deuouring sword drawne long agoe out of the scabbard of his patience To this end saith the Apostle If we would iudge our selues 1. Cor. 11.31 we should not be iudged A former iudgement taken out of our selues shal be a Supersedeas to the second judgement that must else come out against vs. To the due performaÌ„ce wherof these foure things are required 1. A due examinatioÌ„ of our selues 2. Kings 5 because the flesh is as Giezie that lyeth to his Maister that is to his soule and will not acknowledge what it hath done Wherefore as Elisha examined him so must the soule examine the bodie Iudg. 16.6 And as Dalilah examined Sampson in what part his strength was so is euerie one to examine himselfe in what part his weakenes is As Iehu did examine Iehonadab 1. King 10.15 whether his heart stood right toward him so wee are to examine our selues whether our heart stand right towards God Paul willeth vs to trye althings wherefore it followeth by needful consequence 1. Thes 5. that we should trie our selues Isaack tryed his Children before he blessed them Salomon tried who was the right mother The Ephramites were tried before they could passe IordaÌ„ Grasiers try their Oxen Merchans their golde wisemen their seruaÌ„ts Therfore we are much more to try our selues 2. Hauing found out our sinnes in the next roome we must confesse them vnto the Lord. In this duetie lyeth a great part of Gods glory as Iosua saith to Achan My Son giue glory to God and confes what thou hast done Iosue 7 Cypian It is Ciprians graue saying Somnium narrare vigilantis est et vitia confiteri sanitatis indicium est To deliuer our dreame it is a token of wakefulnesse and to acknowledge our misdeedes it is a signe of healthfulnesse which Seneca sheweth by similitude when he saith Vulnera clausa plus cruciant Seneca Woundes that are stopped are more paineful to vs which hath iust application vnto the stoppage of our spiritual woundes And how they will tormeÌ„t vs Gregory deliuereth Si non confessus lates inconfessus damnaberis it vncoÌ„fessed thou hast hid Greg. vnconfessed thou shalt be damned 3. Vppon this our confession wee must proceede vnto a iudgement and condeÌ„nation of our selues to stop the greater iudgement and condeÌ„nation Wherfore August saith Aug. Peccatum puniendum est aut ate aut a deo si punitur a te tune punitur sine te si vero a te non punitur tecum punietur Sinne must eyther bee punished by thee or by God If it be punished by thee it shall bee punished without thee If it be not punished by thee it shal be punished with thee Wherfore Bernard taketh bond by decree of himselfe to performe this part of duetie Bernard in Canti serm 24. Hee saith hee wil present himselfe to his judge Iudicatus non iudicandus alreadye iudged and not bee iudged 4. Lastlye to saue our selues from destruction let vs call for the Psalme of mercye for our neck-verse which is so infinite as no affection of nature or proportion of creature is able to expresse The height of the heauen aboue the earth the widenesse from the east to the west the tender loue of Parents to their Children of Eagles
amanuenses registers Scriueners to make enrolmēt of thē For as he numbreth the stars calleth thē al by their names as he keepeth tale of the haires of our head so as not one of thē fal away frō vs without his foreknowledge as his prouidēce stretcheth it self to the hādful of meale of the womā of zarepthah to the pitcher of oyle of the preachers widow to the fal of a sparrow frō the house top to the cloathing of the lilleis grasse of the field to the prouission of the young Rauens that call vpon him so much more keepeth hee a Kalender of our dooings and setteth our secret sins in the sight of his countenance Thus Metaphoricallie in this sence are Bookes giuen to God the spirit heere alluding to the custome of the wise to Princes Vniuersities Merchants Maisters of families and such like Princes vse to haue a bill of the names of such as appertaine vnto them that they may knowe what number they haue how to prouide for them in time So the Lord hath his court in heauen to which he hath not chosen al but some before the foundations of the worlde were laide Now the number and names of such he keepeth in as sure and sweet remembrance as if hee had put them into writing Tables for the purpose As God said to Moses I know thee by thy name Exo. 35.12 as Christ saith of himself to the Church Iohn 10.3 He calleth his owne sheepe by name else where Luk. 10.20 willing them to reioyce because their names were written in heauē Vniuersities doe the like when they admitte any into their corporation they cataloguize their names Merchants and Houshoulders serue their memories in matters of moment by notes that they keepe of them So this is the reason and cause of the Metaphor and the signification of the Bookes so often remembred in diuine learning Gods minde therfore is his book the Tables of our hearts are the writing Tables aswel as parchmēt skrolles wherein are thinges engrossed The omniscience of God is the writing it selfe Things are said to be written in a booke that is in the sacred secrets of his brest as he knoweth them altogether We finde three bookes giuen to God in the Scriptures 1. One is of his Prouidence foreknowledge of all things before euer they were 2. Another is of the iudgement 3. The other is of life The sweete singer of Israel saith Thine eyes did see my substance yet being imperfect Psal 139.16 and in thy booke were all my members written which day by day were facioned when as yet there was none of them There is the first booke of his prouidence foreknowledge 2. The second which is the book of iudgement hath two Tomes or volumes 1. The first is his vnderstanding of all our workes and wordes according to which hee will award Iudgement in the day of iudgement so as this is insteed of a rolle in Gods hand wherein the names of all delinquents are set downe and the qualitie of their dooings 2. The other Tome is the booke of euerie ones conscience which shall performe testimonie to things done and vndone which may also bee entitled the booke of life that is of this life which diuine operation in the conscience accusing or excusing scientia conscientiam the knowledge the conscience hath the name of a booke because in that in a manner is read whatsoeuer by the agent hath bene hid 3. The third book is inscribed the booke of life that is of Gods predestination to eternal life which is begun in this life by our stedfast faith in Christ according to the words of Christ Hee that beleeueth in me hath eternal life that is the inchoation first fruits therof after death it must haue consummation perfectiō So the book of life is a register or role in the Lords right hād of the names of such as are preordinated to euerlasting life whom God will alwaies acknowledge to be his Iohn 13.8 2. Tim. 1.19 as our Sauiour saith I knowe whom I haue chosen as St. Paule saith The Lord knoweth who are his This book is oftē spokē of in the scriptures as by Moses Exo. 32.32 when he saith Rase me out of thy book which thou hast written Psal 69.29 By Dauid Let thē be put out of the book of life not be writtē among the righteous By Isaiah he shal be called holy Isai 4.3 that shal be written among the liuing in Ierusalem Ezech. 13.9 By Ezechiel They shal not be written in the writings of the house of Israel By Daniel Dan. 12.1 Euery one shal be deliuered that shal be found written in the book The new Testament doth often intreate of it Luk. 10.20 Christ toucheth it saying Reioyce because your name is written in heauen that is in the book of life Phil. 4.3 so doth Paule when he saith I beleeue thee faithful yoake-fellow helpe those women which laboured with me in the Gospel with Clemēt also with other my fellow labourers whose names are in the book of life so doth the spirit elsewhere in the Reuelatiō There shal enter in it no vncleane thing Reuela 21.27 neither whatsoeuer worketh abhominatiō 〈…〉 Now these bookes shal be opened that is the Lord whose fiery eyes of his omnisciēce peirceth al things that holdeth the ball of the worlde in his hands and keepeth a perfect reckoning of our doings shal set euery ones seueral sinne in his sight And this diuine power shal smite open the doores of our cōsciences which shal cal to remēbrāce our forepassed misdeeds conuict condemne them For there is a booke that is writtē in our hearts which is of the workes of the law the Lord hauing imprinted in thē the notiōs of thē as naturally enduing the verye heathens with iudgement to deuide good from euill to discerne betweene thinges honest and dishonest that no man might hold vp for his defence the target of ignorāce This we shall soone perceiue by our cursory conference of the ten cōmaundements with their politick sanctions 1. Of the first which teacheth that there is a God whom we al stād bound to worship the Orator Cicero saith Cicero Legibus Nulla gens tam sera nulla tam barbara natio in quibus non misideat deorum opinio There is no natiō so wilde and barbarous that is not perswaded that there is a God The Athenians did set vp an Alter Ignoto Deo the vnknowne God Protagoras Act. 17. Abderites that said VVhether there be Gods or no I haue nothing to say was by the Athenians banished for it 2. To the second which is an inhibition of Idolatry the Persians gaue consent who as Strabo writeth 〈…〉 abhomination burned and destroyed their Temples and their Images Cornelius Tacitus storyeth it of the auncient Germaines that they held it verie vnbeseeming the heauenly Maiestie to mure him vp within
perish The reason heereof layeth in the nature of God his will and counsel answering his nature his nature being without variablenesse or shadowe of change as he telleth vs saying Mal. 3.6 I am Iehouah and I change not it is no way subiect to repentance to which Balam perfourmeth testimonie Nu. 23.19 God is not as man that hee should lye neither as the Sonne of man that he should repent hath hee said and shall he not doe it and hath he spoken and shall he not accomplish it It is Augustines apt inference Shall man say That I haue written I haue written which was Pilats speech of the title and inscription that was set vpon Christes Crosse and shall God goe from his hand wrighting or alter Let God be true and euerie man else a lyar that he may be iustified in his sayings cleere when he is iudged It is Christs asseueration 10. Argum. Iohn 10. No man can tyke my sheepe from my hands Heereupon it is concluded that the elect being deliuered by the father into the hands of his Sonne and ioyned vnto him by a liuely faith cannot be snatched from him It is Christ his gracious promise 11. Argu. Iohn 14. I wil aske my father he shal giue thee another comforter he shal abide with you for euer wherefore the holy Ghost dwelleth with them for euer with whome hee hath once bene If any thing could blotte or teare out our names out of the Booke of life 12. Argum. it is sinne For that is onelye to be feared Exo. 32.33 because God hath said whosoeuer hath sinned against me I will put him out of my Booke But this shall not scare vs as being to be vnderstood of preapared and presumptuous sinne which goeth downe to the graue with vs which a final impenitencie doth accōpany For as God could not be stopped by the foreseene sinnes of his Saints from making entrie of their names into the Lambes booke of life so when sin hath done the extent of his spight it shall neuer seperate his loue towards vs wherin it thus pleased him at the first to enrole vs. We are worthie whose names should be raced defaced as hauing shewed our sins as Sodom cast down our selues vpon the bedde of sinne as Iezabel vppon a bedde of fornication drinking iniquitie as an Asse drinketh water as Iob saith and drawing iniquitie with cordes of vanitie and sinne as it were with cart-ropes as Isaiah saith the Lord punisheth our iniquities by the rodde and our sinnes by scourges but his mercie will hee neuer take from vs it being tyed to vs by an euerlasting couenant Yea because wee are written vnto life by God wee shall not sinne contumaciouslie and stubbornely or continue in it as the wicked doe Our Faith may bee much perplexed with doubts ouershaddowed with cloudes shaken with tēpests winnowed by Sathan and the shield and breast plate thereof may be tryed to the vttermoste by all the fierye dartes of the deuill our faith may be challenged the field and endure a fierce fight and bee in an agonye and blodye sweate as Christ was in the garden it may bee as the last sparke of a fire readye to goe out as the last gaspe that a mans dying spirit giueth yet shall it kindle and recouer againe and in all these thinges be conqueror Bee the Sunne neuer so much vnder a cloude it will breake out againe and appeare vnto vs in his perfect beautie Though fire bee couered vnder ashes it will execute his nature Though the Philistimes take the Arke of the Lord they shall restore it to the Isralites againe These are aplycations to faith which howsoeuer assaulted with temptations and borne downe a while shal rise vp againe and haue the vpper hand of them the Lord being faithfull and iust not suffring vs to be tryed aboue that which wee are able to beare There is an Apoplexie of sinne in man which seemeth to stop his life altogether but he shall recouer againe Thus there was in Dauid an Apoplexie of adulterie which he ouercame thus there was an Apoplexie of idolatrie in Salomon which wee doubt not hee subdued thus there was an apoplexie of crueltie in Paule while he was a Saul which the Lord did driue from him thus there was an apoplexie of periurie in Peter which his repentance shooke off It is with a Christian as it was with Eutichus that fell from the third lofte and was taken vp dead of whome Paule said Trouble not your selues for his life is in him Act. 20. Be not ouer troubled deere friendes in the Lord the life of the inward man is in vs all howsoeuer Sathan would stifle and strangle it OUr election is in God 3. Argum. and not in man for election was before euer there was man For wee were elected as Paule saith Ephes 1.4 before the foundations of the world were laide at what time there was nothing but God wherefore our saluation is cock-sure as being wholye in God For what is the reason that the heauens keepe their certaine motions the Sunne Moone Starres their certaine courses the day and night their successiue returnes It is because the rule and gouernment of them is absolutely in God and not in any other creature whether Angel or man All thinges in God are stable and vnchangeable 14. Argum. wherfore his decree of our election is vnmooueable Gods election is eternall 15. Argu. that which is eternall is inuariable as admitting no beginning ending or changeing He that changeth his purpose 16 Argum. doth it in the sight hee hath of a better way or else because hee cannot compasse it Hence it is that being not able to doe as we would we doe as we can But be it farre from vs to thinke any of these in God For as his wisedome is vncreated nothing can be better then that he hath purposed as his power is illimmited and absolutely omnipotent it cannot as the armes of Sampson be manacled The reasons producted against this infallible diuinitie are simple God wot and wil hold no tacke with vs wee will single out the best and scatter them like foame They oppose this Text out of the Reuelation 1. Obiection Reuel 3. 1◠Hold that which thou bast that no man take away thy crowne that is to say they of beauenly glory to which the Apostles sentence hath reference 1. Cor. 10 Let him that thinketh be standeth take heede least be fall Wee answere that the Crowne there spoken of is the Crowne of the ministrie the spirit there directing admonitiō to the Bishop of Philadelphia to perseuerance in his function least being remisle and defectiue therein hee be deposed and another consecrated But let it carrie the construction they giue it they shall gaine nothing by it For the loosing of the Crowne of glorie is of double meaning 1. In respect of our selues 2. In respect of God In the first respect