field foules of the ayre and fishes of the sea to be subiect to man who likewise according to Gods firste ordinaunce is borne at his appointed time and at his appointed time also returneth againe to duste from whence he came and so obseruing all the workes of God to holde on that course of nature at this daye without any change which he gaue to euery one of them in their kind at their first creation many yeares since thereupon they promise and presume of an eternall perpetuitie in all thinges concluding with the Precher Mundus durauit hactenus ergo finem non habebit The wor◠hath endured hitherto ergo it shall haue no ende and thus as much as in them lyeth both in the examples of their liues and wordes of their lippes discredyting nay deriding the promise of the comming of Christe and mocking the threatninges of God his iudgementes Such mockers in these dayes of ours which the Apostle termeth the last are manye One sort of them saye in their heartes there is no God In which number the moste and greatest part of vs I feare me may be comprehended we are not so impudent to say with our tonges there is no God but loke into our liues our offices and functions marke how euery man walketh in that state of lyfe wherein he is placed of the Lorde and you shall see we are not ashamed to say in our heartes There is no God We all saye with our tongues that we esteeme our soules a thousande times more deare then our bodies but compare that which we do to the one with that which we say of the other and you shall see that in our heartes we haue a greater care to preserue our filthye carcase then to instruct our conscience we all say with our mouthes we would goe to heauen if wishing would bringe vs to heauen but we frame our lyues as though in our hearts we neither hoped for heauen nor beleeued there is a hell but looked alwayes to liue vppon earth Wee cry out with our mouthes fie of the flesh and we defte the Diuell in our wordes but we are ready to take his part in our workes and the least temptation that is offered vs is able to vanquishe vs and cause vs to giue the Diuell our consent with our heartes Thus we mocke God and we deceaue our selues but the Diuell he will neither be deceiued nor mocked of vs when time shall bee that the secreats of all hearts shall be opened and the deedes of all men iudged he will challenge that which is his and bring in good and sufficient euidence to prooue vs to bee his then by our owne workes and not his whose now we pretend to be with oure mouthes Then shall we finde that in earnest which now beeing preached to vs and yet not felt of vs we esteeme but as a mocke or iest A second sort of mockers there is who although they confes there is a God yet saye they non veniet dies iudicii that God will neuer come in iudgement Let vs therefore cate and drinke for to morrow we shall die there is noman known to haue returned from the graue We are borne at all aduenture and wee shall bee hereafter as though we had neuer bene our breath is like a smoke in our nostrels and words like a sparke raised out of our hartes which being extinguished oure bodie shall be turned into ashes and our spirite shall vanishe as the softe aire our life shall passe awaye as the trace of a cloude and come to naught as the miste that is driuen awaye with the beames of the same and put downe with the heate thereof our name also shalbe forgotten by litle and litle and no man shall haue our works in remembrance for our time is a day shadowe that passeth away and after oure ende there is no returning Come on therfore let vs enioy the pleasures that are present and let vs cheerefullye vse the creatures like as in youthe Let euery one of vs bee partakers of oure voluptuousnesse let vs leaue some token of our pleasure in euery place for this is our portion and this onely our lot Let vs oppresse the pore righteous let vs not spare the widowe or old man let vs not regard the heads that are graye for age and so forth as it followeth in the booke of wisedome where the life and manner of these second sorts of moekers and epitures is liuely described and set foorth at large The Apostle tearmeth them ennemies to the crosse of Christ whose end is damnation whose God is their belly and glory to their shame minding onely earthly things and not seeking after those thinges that are aboue The third sort of mockers there is which saye with the ill seruant Tardat dominus venire these proue there is agod that God wil at last come in iudgement but yet presuming of his mercy life they differ their repentaunce to the houre of death thinking they may repēt them when they will that they shall haue leisure enough when they are old ready to dye But O ye fooles and mockers of God remēber with your selues that like as God is mercifull so goeth wrath from him also his indignation commeth downe vppon sinners Make no tarrying therfore to turne to the Lord and put not off from day to daye for sodenlye shall his wrath come and in the time of vengeance he shall destroy thee Put not of thy repentance therefore in hope to attaine to old age or to find God mercifull at the laste houre For thou knowest not whether thou shalt liue till thou arte olde and death when he commeth hee asketh not howe long a man hath liued but as hee findeth him so hee taketh him But suppose thou liuest till thou art old how art thou sure that thou shalt haue the space of an houre on quarter or minute of an houre before that death doth strike thee with his dart Olde father Isaac confessed hee knewe not the day of his death much lesse dost thou knowe the howre of thy death For as fishes are taken with the angle and birdes cought in the share euen so are men ouertaken with death But when thou dost sicken what if thou doste liue an houre a day a weeke before thou die art thou sure in y e howre day or weeke to haue a mind to call for God his grace and repente thee of thy life misliked Or dost thou thinke that a wicked man can repent him when he will and when he list why then did not Caine repent why did not Saul why Iudas why Esau who as the apostle saith founde no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with teares No repentance is the free gift of the grace of God who giueth it to euery man when he will to whom he will and in what measure hee will according to the riches of his mercie which
the gospel of peace your soules armed with the shield of faith your heade with the helmet of saluation holdinge in the handes of our hearts the swoord of the spirit with your lights and lamps burning in your hands and your selues like vnto men which looke for their Lord when he shall come from the wedding that when soeuer he shall come and knock whether at euen or at midnight at the cocke crowing or dawning of the day thou may open vnto to him immediately Happy is that seruaunt whome the Lorde when he commeth shall find so doing The third part To what ende we must appeare THe ende of the appearing shall be To receaue euery man accordinge to that which he hath done in his body whether it be good or euill Where first the Apostle noteth vnto vs the integrity and vprightnesse of him that shall be our iudge by twoo excellent points of iustice one in that he will reward euery man the other is in that he will rewarde them according to that which they haue done The firste property which the Apostle noteth giueth vs to vnderstande that he will respect no personnes but minister iustice to all alyke without particularitye shewed to one or extreamity to another rewarding euerye man according c. If anye man therefore liuing in the feare of God and with the testimonye of a good conscience findeth him selfe vexed iniuried hurt or oppressed powring forth his grieued soule before God without ease or release of these euils let him not therefore faint or thinke himselfe forsaken of God but patienâ—lye abide his leysure till he rewarde euerye man c. When Dauid saw Saule sought his life Abner after Saules death to enioy his welfare and seeke to ouerthrow his state and then Absoâ—on his owne childe to seeke his lyfe and thirst for his kingdome before his death with a number of such like calamities wherewith all it pleased the Lord to trye him mithall he was in that perplexitie that he protesteth he had vtterlye fainted but that he did verily beleeue to see the goodnes of the lord in the land of the liuing As though he should say the remembrance of the Lorde his goodnesse which I was sure to see and taste of at last in the land of the liuing was that which comforted me in the middest of all my troubles When the Lord had layd vpon Iob all those plagues which might fall vppon man robbed him of his riches spoyled him of his goods and cattell vereft him of his children marked him with botches and biles that from the sole of the foote to the crown of the head he had not one cleane place that whiche was his greatest geâ—eâ— plagues him w t vntrusty friendes vpbrayding him with the hippocrisie of his conscience and the calamities of his lyfe adding this moreouer to the perfection of his manifolde miseries namely a wiâ—â—â—ust froward wicked wise mocking and scoffing his miserie yet saith he The lorde gaue and the lorde hath taken awaye If the Lorde should kill me yet will I still trust in him For I knowe that my redeemer liueth that I shalbe cloathed with my skin and see God with these eyes c. As though he shoulde saye as for these temporall blessings he hath taken them that gaue them blessed be his holy name for them if he should take my lyfe with them too yet haue I this hope left that whatsoeuer I lose I haue a redeemer whom I cannot leese and who will not leese me but in his time reward mee and euerye man according c. In all thy troubles fore whatsoeuer looke vnto Iesus the captaine and finisher of thy faythe who in the end will reward euery man whether he bee bounde or free I haue beene yong saith Dauid and nowe am olde yet did I neuer see the righteous man for saken nor his seede beging their bread confessing as it were that hee had seene them haue their crosses to be persecuted hated and oppressed but that he neuer saw them fully forsaken For the patient abiding of the poore shall not alwais be forgotten The lord may disseÌ„ble his louing affection towardes them for a tyme and seeme to forget them but at last he will remeÌ„ber them Put thy trust in the lorde therfore and be doing good and verily thou shalt be fed Delight in the lord and he shall giue thee thy harts desire commit thy words to him and he shall make the righteous as cleare as the light thy iust dealing as the noone day when euery man shall receaue c. In the meane tyme fret not thy self bicause of the vngodlye neyther be thou enuious at euill doers nor grieued at the wicked or vngodlye whom thou seest in prosperitie For prosperitie neyther commeth from the Easte nor from the Weste nor yet from the South but the Lorde setteth vp one and pulleth downe an other And thoughe for a tyme the wicked florishe lyke a greene baye tree yet sodenlye doe they goe downe to the grounde where they are kepte to the daye of destruction and shall bee broughte foorthe to the daye of wrath and come to a fearefull ende and not bee able to stande in iudgement nor in the congregation of the righteous but receaue according to that whiche they haue done c. The seconde note of his vprightnesse is in this that hee will rewarde euerye man and euerye man shall receaue according to his doeing whereby the holye Ghoste signifieth vnto vs then he will proceede in iudgemente accordinge to the circumstance euidence and matter hanginge beefore hym in iudgement nor respectynge the man whose the cense is but the matter what it is For where the man is not respected not the matter their iustice is peruerted but where the matter is weighed the man not regarded there is iustice truly ministred To shew therfore the exact and precise forme of God his iudgement the Apostle saith Euery man shall receaue according to that which he hath done c. The iudges of this worlde they are men and no gods and therefore as men they proceede in iudgement and giue sentence according to such euidence as they see with their eyes or heare with their eares therfore do erre many tymes in their iudgements and swarue from the truth But he that is lorde and iudge of al men shal not giue iudgement after the thing that is brought before his his eyes neither reproue after the hearing of his eares but with righteousnesse according to the truth of the hart shall he iudge the earth his people with equitie euerie man receiuing according to that which he hath done in his body c. Let vs not deceiue our selues therefore being onely vaine speakers of the worde and not dooers thinking at last to win heauen w t speaking heauenly if we liue wickedly and vngodlye For at the latter daye men shall receiue according to that whiche
is free and not tyed to the will and pleasure of man And commonly the iudgemente of God is suche they forget themselues at the howre of death who in their liues thought not vppon GOD. Age poenitentiam ergo sayth Augustine dum sanus 〈◊〉 Nam si poenitentiam agis quando peccare non potes peccatate demiserunt non tu illa Repent thee therefore in time of thy health For if thou dost repent thee in tyme of sicknesse when thon canst not sin thy sinnes haue there left thee and not thou them Such was the repentaunce of that same blasphemous Antiochus who in despight of God as it were had vowed to make Hierusalem a heape of stones woulde take vpon him to commaund the flouds of the sea weigh the mountaines in a payre of ballance reach vp to the stars and pull God out of heauen yet sodenly in his greatest brauery God cast him violently down from his chariot smote him with an incurable plague a horrible payne of his bowels and inwarde partes in so muth that the woormes came serauling out of his guts his flesh rotted and fell from his bones which stancke so horriblye that no man coulde abyde the sauour of him nor he of himselfe and thus with extremitie of paine eyther the remorse of conscience he was brought to this point that he confessed It is reason to be obedient to God and that man which is mortall thinke not through pride to be equall with God A like kinde of repentaunce did the Lorde wringe oute of harde harted Pharao who in time of his prosperitye and welfare was nota shamed to extoll himselfe aboue God acknowledging no Lorde better then himselfe and therefore despising God and his messengers Moses and Aaron who were sent in embassage to him But in the end when hee felte suche plagues layde vppon him as hee coulde neyther driue them awaye with tyrannycall courage asswage them by counsell put them from him by pollicye nor resiste them with power he was so humbled and brought downe therby for the present time as he confessed The lord is righteouse and I my people vngodly But when the lord ceased to plague him by and by did hee cease to remember him muche lyke to those same backeslyding people of Israell who when the lord slue them sought him and enquired after GOD remembring that hee was their strengthe and redeemer But they did but flatter him with their lyppes and dissembled in their tongue for their hartes were not whole with him neyther continued they stedfast in his couenaunte So that we may set that euen hipocrites and â—irauntes suche as haue neyther caste of God his mercie nor seare of his iustice in time of their health wealth and presperitie are yet humbled and brought to knowledge of them selues and constrained to acknowledge the maiestye and power of GOD with theire mouthes when they feele the execution of his iudgementes laide vppon theire bodies But this manner of repentance as it is but hipocriticall dissembled and not proceeding from the harte in vs so neyther doth it moue the lord who lercheth the harte to haue pittie and compassion vpon vs but doth â—â—ther aggrauate his heauie wrath and displeasure againste vs. who desposing the riches of his goodnesse patience long sufferance wherby he leadeth vs to repeÌ„tance according to our hardnes and harts who cannot repent doe heape vp wrath to our selues against the day of wrath and declaration of the righteouse iudgements of GOD who will rewarde euerie man according to his deedes Let vs take heede therefore mocke not with God but alwayes endeuoure oure selues by the example of the Apostle heere to bee the same men inwardlye in conscience beefore GOD which wee will seeme to bee outwardlye in conuersation before the worlde least in the ende wee bee accounted among those mocking sooles which say in their hartes there is no God If our hartes condemne vs God is greater then our harts and knoweth all thinges Neyther let vs thinke with our selues that bycause the Lorde doth not as yet come in iudgement therefore wee maye liue in securitye withont all feare or dread of his iudgemente as the seconde sort of mockers doe which thinke he will neuer come in iudgement but rather as it becommeth good christiaÌ„s Semper vigilemus bene viuendo ne nouissimus dies cuiusque nostrum inueuiat nos imparatos Let vs watche and waite for hys comming in honeste conuersation of lyfe that the latter daye of euerye one of vs finde vs not vnprepared beeleeuing allwayes that he will come whom wee are ignorant when he wil come Neither let vs think the lord is slacke in coÌ„ming as the third sort of mockers due For he is not slacke as they count slackenesse but hee is patient to vs ward bicause hee woulde haue mercie of all and none to perish Howsoeuer we mocke with him or how mercifully soeuer he dealeth with vs or how long soeuer hee deferreth his comming to vs yet in the ende hee will come and wil not tarrie at which time of his comming Wee muste appeare beefore his iudgement seate c. whereof that wee should be the more assuredly perswaded the apostle not without great vehemencie of spirite aswell as of speche telleth vs that we must appeare As though he should saye how long soeuer the Lorde may seeme to linger his comming and howe lothe soeuer wee bee to haue him come yet in the ende come hee will and necessitie of his comming is ineschuable it cannot any waye or of anye creature be auoyded This Oportet or must in this place is suppriced by diuerse reasons whereof the first is grounded of the eternal purpose decree counsel of God and therfore of necessitye it must bee accomplished If it were the counsell purpose or determination of man it were possible either to frustrate it or at least to alter and chaunge it Men are men constant in nothing so much as inconstancy which they will to day they wil to morrow that whiche they fullye purpose at one tyme vppon better aduise they will dispose themselues to the contrary at an other But this is the purpose of God If the Lorde of hostes determine a thing who is able to disanull it Since this therefore is determined by God it followeth of necessitie that wee muste appeare c. The seconde reason is taken from the vndoubted truthe and vertue of his woorde and promise whereuppon wee grounded our faythe and whiche in all poyntes shall bee fulfilled and perfourmed accordingly as hee hath spoken it Heereafter shall yee see the Sonne of man sittinge on the righte hande of the power of God and comming in the cloudes of the skye His Apostles seeing him taken vp into heauen in a cloude were promied by twoo Angelles whiche stoode by them that the man Iesus which was taken vppe from them into heauen shoulde so come as they had seene him goe into
done and I heid my tongue and thou thoughtst wickedly that I was suen a one as thou thy selfe but I will reproue thee and lay before thee the things that thou hast don Let vs not flatter our selues in our sins therfore thinking bicaus God doth dissemble theÌ„ make as thogh he saw them not that therefore be doth forges them or allow of them but assure our selues that one day he will reproue vs and laye our faultes before our eyes We do many thinges in secret and huggermugger which for shame we woulde not if we knew we were seen of anye how much lesse ought we to do theÌ„ since we are seene of God We haue many secret thoughts phantasticall imaginacioÌ„s wherin we much please our selues and delight our flesh and would blushe to haue them knowne of others which one daye the Lorde will make knowne to our neighbours when he shall make manifest the thinges of the darcke and open the secreates of all heartes I will search Hierusalem sayth the Lorde in that day with a lanterne Alas who can hide him selfe so secretlye or dissemble so deeply but the Lord wil find him and found euen the vnserchable depth of his heart when he shall search Hierusalem with a lanterne Let vs remember this all the sort of vs least as the Prophet Dauid sayth we forget God and perish from the right waye The witnesses which shall come in againste vs shall be especiallye the testimonye of our owne heartes and consciences The bookes shal be opened and the dead shalbe iudged of these things which are written in the bookes These bookes are the consciences of our good deeds and bad which as the Apostle witnesseth shall then excuse vs or accuse vs iustiste vs or condemne vs make with vs or against vs. And there is no man to whom God hath not giuen one of these bookes to carrye with him alwayes in his bosome neyther is anye man so ignoraunt but the Lorde hath giuen him knowledge to reade them But most men are so carelesse to vnclapse them as they neuer read or marke the contents of them till it is to late for them When God had placed Adam in Paradise forbidding him to eate of the fruit in the middest of the garden hee gaue him a booke and for his memories sake hee wrote in it What day soeuer thou eat thereof thou shalt dye the death But Adam neuer vnclaspt this booke till he had in deede transgressed Goods commandement and then his booke beeing opened he sawe the vglesome deformitie of this sinne whereto he had brought him selfe and his posterity but it was too late Caine carried this booke in his bosome but he neuer opened it til he had murdered his brother and then vnclasping it he found written in it Thou shalt not kill but thou hast killed thy brother ergo sayth he My suâ—e is greater than that it can be forgiuen That same frantike 〈◊〉 of whom mencion is made in Euripides after he had staine adulterouâ—â— Egisthus aud Clytemnestra his owne mother hauing no man to accuse him but his own conscience he looked in his booke and there he found written Bloud will haue bloud and therevpon though he was acquit by the law he presemlye ran mad and was neuer his own man afterward One demaunding the cause thereof in Euripides Quid muli te perdidit Orestes What ill hath betide or what hath caused thee lose thy wits Orestes He aunswereth him conscientia my conscience for Quid si omnes excusant sola conscâ—enâ—ia accusat what if all meÌ„ in the world excuse a man if his owne conscience accuse him which is insteed of a thousand witnesses shal more foâ—er confound him then they al. And therfore Nullam peccatoruÌ„ tuoruÌ„ conscium magis timueris quaÌ„ teipsum aliuÌ„ potes effugerâ— teipsum nun quam feare no maÌ„ y â— in priuie to thy sins so much as thy selfe thou maist auoyd an other maÌ„ but thou canst not flee froÌ„ thy self nor thy own knowledg conscience which according to the Etimologye of the worde is nothing els but a ioynts knowledge which an other hath with thee and thou with him which is God and thy self and is very aptly termed of Chrisostom in psal 50. Coaeâ— in quo conscribanâ—â— quotidiana peccata A booke wherin is recorded our daily sins which howsoeuer they be dissembled of vs now shall then be reuealed brought to light and punished when we must appear c. And therfore is this day and time of our appearaunce termed of the Apostle dies declarationis the daye of declaration not that anye thing shall then be declared to the Lord more then he knoweth already For he that planes the care how can he but heare he that made the eie how can he but see heauen is his seate earth is his footstoole what can be dâ—n in heauen or earth wherof he hath not knowledg he knoweth our down sitting our vprising he vnderstandeth all our thoughtes long before he spieth out all our waies not a word in our tong but he knoweth it altogether if we climbe vp into heauen he is there if we go down into hell he is there if we remaine in the vttermost partes of the sea he is there also if we think darknes shal hid vs the darknes is no darknes with him but the night is as cleare as the day darknes light are both alike To conclude all thinges are naked and open to his eies and there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight but wherfore is the daye of iudgemente tearmed of the Apostle the day of declaration for that nothing is so secretlye concealed of vs nowe but it shall be manifestly reuealed then The daye of this lyfe is one daie and may be tearmed the day of our dissimulation the day which followeth immediately after this life is the lords and is tearmed the daye of declaration For then the verye heauens saith Iob shall declare the wickednes of the wicked and the earthe whiche nowe doeth beare him shall then take parte againste him Now the ten virgins go together walke together talke together eat and drinke together but at that day it shall appeare who are wise who foolish who haue slept who haue watched whiche of them had oyle in their Lampes and which way which of them shalbe admitted vnto the marriage and whiche excluded and shut oute Now the corne chaffe lie together on a heape in one flowre and are not yet scucrd but at that dtye the Lorde shall come with his â—ari in his hande and purge his flower thorowlye carrye his wheate into his garner but burne his chaffe with vnquenchable fier Now the wheate and tares growe together in one fielde and are not yet weeded out but at the daye the lorde of the haruest will saye to the reapers gather the eares and bind them vp in
kingdoÌ„s in cities towns houses For non potest saith he eorum fidies esse affectus quorum diuersa est fides They caÌ„not be true on to another in hart affection y e differ in faith religion Another signe going before his comming is The Gospell shall be preached in all the world for a witnesse of all nations whereby he noteth vnto vs that towardes his comming the gospell shal be preached to all nations professed also of many but practised of a fewe but be a witnes and testimony against him For notwithstandinge the preaching of the Gospell some shall departe from the faith and shall giue heed to spirites of errour and doctrines of diuels which speak lyes through hypocrisie and haue their consciences burned with a hot iron forbidding to marry and commaunding to absteyne from meates which God hath created to bee receaued with giuinge of thankes of them which beleeue know the truth An other signe is that faith shall faile charitie waxe could and iniquitye abound For men shall be louers of them selues couetous proude boasters cursed speakers disobedient to parentes vnthankfull without naturall affection truthbreakers false accusers intemperate fierce no louers at all of those that are good traitours heady high minded louers of pleasures more then of GOD hauing a shew of Godlines but denying the power thereof But for all this the ende is not yet For that daye shall not come except there come a departinge first and that the man of sinne be disclosed euen the sonne of perdition which is an aduersary and exalteth him selfe againste all that is called God or that is worshipped sittinge as God in the temple of God shewing him selfe that he is God These are the heginninges of sorrowes the manifest demonstrations of his comming and the experience of theÌ„ in our dayes do plainely Prognosticate vnto vs that he can not be farre of For daylye doe we heare of warres and tumors of warres neuer was the world so full of newes and fearefull rumors nation doth rise against nation and realme against realme And euen now is the time that the sonne is at variance with the father the father with the sonne c. Euen now can one state hardly abyde another without grudging disliking or disdaine or if they agree in matters of policy gouerment yet do they hardly agree in matters of faith and religion in one house where they are nighly ioyned together it is hard to finde twoo of one mind amonge those that seeme to consent in opinions not to haue the selfe same man in some thinges to dissent froÌ„ them selues Euen now is the Gospell preached yet euen now in the time of the Gospell doe some depart from the truth giuing beede to spirites of errour and doctrine of Diuels forbidding to marrye and eat meates who the Lorde bath ordained to be receiued with thaÌ„ksgiuing Euen now also doth faith faile faith in religion faith in worde of promise in bargening buying and selling and no truth to be found charitye kaiecold a care to eache man common abuses remaines in many pity mercye and compassion and iudgement remayneth in few Iniquity is growne to such perfection in both sects all states ages and callinges that it hath almost gotten the vpper hand For when was there euer such selfe loue when was there euer so liet lenâ—ig hâ—orly loue when were â—teneueâ— so 〈◊〉 when were there eure such bosters braggers when was ther euer the like pride when were mens mouthes fuller of cursing bitternesse where were Children so disobedient to their parents when were men euer so vnthankfull either to God their prince or their priuate friends when were men euer so voyd of compassion when so fals harted when so many false tongs when so many riotous ruffiaÌ„s so fierce wheÌ„ was vertue godlines godly men more abhorted when so many traitors publique priuate open secret wheÌ„ were there euer so many bayrebraines when so many high minded marchauntes In what age were pleasures in greater price and God had in lesse honour when was religion euer more in showe when was there euer lesse among all men generally in truth And to make iniquity consummate hath not the man of sinâ—â— long since beene disclosed hath not the childe of perdition beâ—â—t manifestly deuealed are not his dangerous practises dayly discouered and through the wanderfull working of God miraculoustye confounded Since these thinges therfore are the sIgnes of his comming and are gone before let vs assure our seLues the time of his comming which they prognosticate can not be farre of And yet 〈◊〉 not I speake this as though A 〈◊〉 scemâ— precisely to determine of the verye day or howre weeke or yeare of his comming I know what Christ answered his Apostles when they 〈◊〉 yred of his retourne It is not for thee to know the times and seasons which the father hath put in his owne power And de die hora c. Of thatday and that howre no man knoweth not the angels in heauen nor the sonne of man him selfe But euen as lightninge flash 〈◊〉 in a mans face vnawares and as the byed is 〈◊〉 in the snare before he thinketh himselfe within danger of the net and as a chief enmmeth sodenly in the night so shall the comming of the sonne of man be yet because men are so sencelesse of their sinnes and liue in such securitie of lyfe crying peace peace safety safetye thinking least of those dangers which hang ouer their heades giuing them selues wholy to eating and drinking planting and building buying and selling chapping and chaunging wyuing marrying c. euen as they did in the dayes of 〈◊〉 when the flouddes came and destroyed them all and in the time of Lor when fier and Brimstone came downe from heauen and consumed them all vpon earth This generall securitie I say and these peritous times of ours whereas men liue as though they were either wedded or bewitched of this worlde without anye worde or remembraunce of the worlde to come is a most plaine and manifest argument that hee is at hande euen at the doore who commeth to iudge the world And therefore if thou will bee counted worthye to stand before the sonne of man and auoyd those daungers which shall fall vppon them that dwell on theÌ„ face of the earth Take heede that your hearts be not at any time ouercome with surffeting and drunkenesse and the eares of this lyfe but beeing on earth let your conuersation be in heauen Seeke those things that are aboue wher christ sitteth on the right hand of god set your affectioÌ„ on thinges aboue and not on thinges on earth and take vnto thee the whole armour of God that thou maye bee able to resist in the euil day that hauing finished all thinges thou maye stande fast hauing youre loynes gyrte with truth and the brest-plate of righteousnes your feete shod in the preparation of
A godlie Sermon of repentaunce and amendment of life togeather with the accompt which we must render at the day of iudgement Preached at the Rolles Church in London the second of Maye and taken out of the fifth Chapter of Saint Paule his Epistle to the Corrinthians Cor. 5. vers 10. We must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christe that euery man maye receiue the thinges which are done in his bodye according to that which he hath done whether it bee good or euill AT LONDON Printed by Thomas Purfoote and are to be sold at his shop right ouer against S. Sepulchers Church 1585. A Sermon preached at the Rolles Church in London the 2. of Maye beeing Sondaye taken out of the 5. Chapter of S. Paule his second Epistle to the Corinthians verse 10. The Text. We must all appeare before the iudgement seat of Christe that euery man maye receiue the thinges which are done in his bodye according to that which he hath done whether it bee good or euill THe holye Apostle at such time as he wrote this Epistle to the Corinthians beeing persecuted for the testimonye of his conscience and the profession of the glorious Gospell of Iesus Christe protesteth solempnely that the troubles which bee suffered in his bodye did not onelye not discourage him nor cause him to faint but eyther That they did adde zealo and 〈…〉 causing him to continue constaune in his calling and to account those afflitions but tuomentary light in respect of that most excellent and eternall weight of glorye wherewith all in the end he knew he shoulde be crowned the earnest desire whereof caused him to sigh and grone in spirite that he might shortly be losed out of his body and cloathed with his house which the Lord had prepared for him in heauen not that be thought hee coulde preuent the time which the Lord in his secret counsel had already determined For he knew that the Dayes of man surely are determined and that his number of monethes are knowne of God who hath appoynted him his boundes which can not goe beyonde but we know sayth he that if our earthly house of that tabernacle bee destroyed wee haue a buildinge giuen of GOD that is a house not made with handes but eternall in the heauens beeing absent from the Lord whileste we are at hoame in this body Howbeit whether it be the Lord his good wil and pleasure that we shall stil dwell at home in the bodye or remooue from home out of this bodye and dwell wich him we endeuour our selues that we may be found acceptable in his sight at all times and in all places Whereof he giueth this reason For we must all appeare c. Exhorting al men both by his example and doctrine in life to meditate of death in prosperitie to feare aduersitie in the day of mercye to thinke of the daye of iudgement and so to liue in their seuerall callinges as to remember they must giue account of their callinges so to vse the benefites and blessinges of God as not forgetting from whence they haue them and when they muste resigne them according to that counsell of the wise man Remember thy ende That is the certaintie of thy ende the vncertain howre of thy ende the rewarde thou shalt receaue at thy ende the place of ioye or payne that thou must goe to at thy end In all thy doinges remember these thinges and thoâ—â—â—â— shalâ— neuer doe amisse For what causeth such losenes of life in all sortes but the forgetfulnes of death in all sortes What causeth the wicked alwayes to presume of God his mercye but the contempt of his iustice What causeth such generall security in sinne but the generall obliuion of the reward of sinne Whereas if we did alwayes remember our particular endes and our generall iudgements it would cause vs to walke more circumspectly in our callinges which more care of conscience and greater consideration of all our actions which one day must be brought to iudgment To this ende doth the Apostle preach of the daye of iudgement in this place putting vs in remembraunce of three thinges necessary to be thought of and considered of all men before that tyme. 1 First who and what they are whiche must appeare at that day 2 Secondarily where and before whom they must appeare 3 Thirdly to what ende they must appeare If you aske who they are which must appeare at that daye the Apostle saithe All. If you aske where and before whome those All must appeare the Apostle aunswereth Before the iudgement seate of Christ If you aske to what ende those All must appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ the Apostle doth aunswere To receaue euery man according to that which he hath done in his body whether it c. The first part TOuching the substaunce of that doctrine which here is deliuered by the Apostle it was prophesied long since by S. Peter that towards the letter end of the world this doctrine of the generall iudgement and resurrection of all flesh should of all other to the opinions of the wicked seeme most absurd ridiculous and foolish There shall come in the last dayes mockers saith he which will walke after their lustes and saye where is the promise of his comming For since the Fathers dayed all thinges continue a like from the beginning of the creation He termeth the despisers and contemners of this doctrine mockers he saith the dais they shal liue in shalbe the last the manner how they shall mocke it will appeare both in their liues and speeches in their liues for that they shall not walke after the lawes of God but after the lawes of their fleshe fulfilling the lustes therof as prophane and rechles persons void of al godlines and giuen ouer to all sinne and iuniquirye In speeches not ashamed to profes that they beleue nothing lesse then that that should be performed which is promised in the scriptures concerning the comming of Christ in iudgement The reason that moue them to thinke and say so is the obseruation of nature his constant course in all the workes and creatures of God continuing in y e same state wherein they were first created withoute any alteration or chaunge in any of them as those great lights the sunne and the Moone obseruing their vsuall and ordinarye time of their vprising and downe sitting according to the seuerall seales and tymes of the yeare the one ruling and giuing light to the daye the other in the night the starrs remaining firme and fixed as lightes in the firmament of heauen where they were firste planted in the beginning to diuide y e day and the night and to bee as signes and seasons for daies and yeares the earth being vnremooueable vnder our feete bringing forth budde and greene hearbe apt to seede and fruitfull trees euerye one yeilding fruites after his kinde and all these together with the beasts of the
they haue done not according to that whiche they haue professed and spoken Manye shall saye vnto mee in that daye saith Christ Lorde wee prophecyed in thy name caste out diuels and done many greate woorkes in thy name and yet for all their so saying Christe sayth he will tearme them workers of inniquitie and bid them depart from him For not euery one that saith Lord Lord shal enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that dothe the will of my father shall enter into the kingdome of heauen so that many good wordes shall bee found in hell but good workes goe all to heauen I speake not this as houlding that wee are iustified by our woorkes No we are saued by grace through faith and that not of our selues it is the gift of god But if thou braggest of faith shews me that saythe of this harte by the sruictes of thy life for true christianitye consisteth of owo parts profession practice or to vse the phrase of the scripture of fayth and good woorkes and to the perfection of a christian man both are necessarye and each doth mutually accompanye other as the shadowe goeth with the bodie And as the bodye is knowne to haue lyfe by it mouing so is the lyfe of faythe perceiued by working The life of the bodye is the soule and the life of faith is loue and as the bodie is dead withoute the soule so is fayth withoute loue and as circumcision profited the Iewes nothing without the lawe so neither doth faith profit vs without charitye Whatsoeuer wee professe howe muth soeuer we knowe our Sauioure Christ pronounceth vs so farfoorth blessed as we doe that wee professe and followe that we knowe They that profes the fayth of christians and doe not confirme it with a Christian lyfe are like belles in the steeple whiche call others to churthe with their sounde but neuer come into it them selues lyke fayre paynted sepulchers whiche are full of gaye golden pictures and immages without but ful of dead carcases and filthie corruption within like salte which hath his colour but lost his sauour like a candell whiche is lighte but hidden vnder a bushell But let youre lighte saith Christ speaking to Christians so shine beefore men that they maye see your woorkes c. If you be the sonnes of Abraham doe the workes of Abraham If ye call mee Lorde Lorde dooe the woorkes that I commaunde you The tree is not coÌ„mended for bearing leaues but fruites euen so the commendation of a Christian consisteth not in speaking but in dooinge They shall leaue their woordes beehinde them but theire woorkes shall followe them and they receaue according to that whiche they haue doone Dooing is double and of two sortes 1 Well dooing 2 Ill dooing And boeth shall bee rewarded accordinglye Hee that hathe doone well shall receaue accordinge to his well doing not that any man doth wel of him selfe For all fleshe hath corrupted his way and all the immaginations of oure hartes is euill euerie daye There is not one that doth good no not one our lips are full of cursing and bitternesse not apt or abell to vtter a good word much lesse are we able to doe a good worke Men doe not gather grapes of thornes nor figges of thistles we beinge shapen in wickednes conceiued in sinne are as vnapt as vnable to bring foorth good fruites as thornes are to bring foorth grapes or thistles figges But yet as the stocke of a sower crabbe may bring foorth a sweete apple if the graffe bee good so we being the children of wrath by nature may bring foorth good fruits by grace if Christe bee ingraffed into our hartes by faith For withoute mee sayth hee you can do nothing I am the vine you are the braunches he that abideth in me and in whom I bide he bringeth forth much fruit But as the braunch cannor bring forth fruit of it self except it abide in the vine so neither can you except you abide in me To make our workes good therefore it is necessarie to obserue these foure circumstaunces that we doe them in loue with a pure hart a good conscience and faith vnfayned Howe glorious a shewe of godlinesse or good intention soeuer our woorkes doe carrye before men if these foure conditions bee not obserued in doing them wee that are the doers of them as saythe the Apostle are but vaine ianglers and no frutifull workers To make the woorke good sayth Augustine It is not onelye requisite vt aliquid fiat quod in suo genere bonum sit sed prâ—cipue vt bene fiat 1. that the thinge whiche is donne bee in his owne nature good but especiallye that it is well done For many things being of their own nature good may be done they notwithstanding not doeing them wel of whom they are done It is good to helpe anye man in necessitie but he that seeketh the glory of men therby rather then of God bonum facit non bene saith Augustine he doth that which is good but he doth it not well because hee doth it not with a good minde and conscience Hence it is that Christe condenmeth the prayers fasting and almes of the scribes and pharisees who sought not to please God therin but rather to procure themselues a name and credit before men Many excellent morall vertues were in the heathen philosophers which notwithstanding bicause they referred them not to God were no hetter then sinnes before him Sine cultu veri dei etiam quod virius videtur esse peccatuÌ„ est nec placere vllus deo si deo non potest that is without the worship of the true God that which seemeth a vertue is a sinne neyther can any man please God without god Omnis vita infidelium peccatorum est nihil bonum sine summo hono The whole lyfe of infidels is sinne and nothing good without him that is the perfection of all that is good And to say all in one word without faith it is impossible to please God why saith Iulianus to Augustine if a Pagan should cloth a naked christian bicause it is not of faith were it sinne yea indeede were it saith Augustine Ipsa miserico dia per se opus est bonum at hoc bonum malefacit qui infideliter facit i. non fideli sed infideli 〈◊〉 Mercy it selfe is a good work but this good work doth he euilly which doth as infidels that is not with a faithfull but an vnbeleeuing hart And whatsoeuer is not of faythe is sinne Whereuppon Prosper de vita contemplatina lib. 30. cap. 10. Apostl non dicat quicquid non est ex fide nihil est sed dicendâ— peccatum est declarauit quod si non fuerint ex fide non sunt aliqua bona credenda sed vitia que non iuuant suos operarios sed eadem mane that is the Apostle saide not
whatsoeuer is not of faith is nothing but saying it is sin declareth that whatsoeuer thinges are not of faith they are not to be decided as good things but as vices rather which iustify not the doers of them but rather do condemne them When the scripture therefore saythe in this place Euerye man shall receaue according to that which he hath done in other places that euery man shalbe rewarded accordinge to that whiche hee hath doone that manner of speaking is not ment of the merite of oure dooinges for that wee shoulde all be rewarded with euerlasting damnation and hell fier but that we shall receiue and be euerie man rewarded according to the testimonye of that which hee hath done bearing witnesse of our faith with vs or of want of sayth against vs. If that which we haue done proceede of faith then doth God accept it and impute it to vs for a good woorlie not in respect of the woorke it selfe or for our sakes or for oure faythe sake but for Iesus Christes sake in whome he is well pleased and in whose name we do it and he doth accept it and in mercie reward it Now we are to consider that the Apostle saith Euery inan shall receiue according to his well doing so likewise Euery man that hath doone euil shall receiue according to his doing ill whiche must not be 〈◊〉 conâ—â—ued of vs as though man at the laÌ„tter iudgement shoulde receiue onely according to that ill whiche hee hath done and not aunswere at all nor receiue anye punishnent for that ill whiche hee hath spoaken For I tell you saith our sauioure Christ a man shall giue accompte for euerye euell woorde Quid ost in omni vit a nostra cutus nos minus rationis habeamus quam verborum what is there in the whole course of our life whereof we haue lesse regard then of oure wordes and therefore in what daunger stand we before God if we shal aunswere euery idell woorde wherein we haue offended before men Or if we shall aunswere euery idle worde Alas how shall we answere euery idell word If we must answere euery idell woorde how shall we answer euery lying word euery blasphemous word euery flandorous worde Or if wee cannot answere our idell words how shall we answere of one idell deedes and time mispent Or if we caÌ„not answere our idel deedes how shal we be able to susteine the punishment which we must receiue for our il deedes Heere we may all crye out and appeale from God his iustice and oure deseruings to his mercie Enter not into iudgement with thy seruants O lorde for no flesh is righteus in thy sight and haue mercie vppon me O God not according to my merites but according to the mercie doe awaye my offences c. For otherwise we must all prepare our selues to taste of the reward of sinne which be our sinne neuer so light or littell committed in thought woorde or deede is death of bodye and death of soule to euery one according to that which he hath done Vppon the vngodlye shall come snares fier brimstone stormie tempest this shalbe their portion to drinke The Prophet vseth many words wher of euery one may seeme more greeuous then other to teache vs that the greater shalbe the punishment which the sinner shal receiue according to that which he saith in the second chapter to the Romaines that the impenitent presumptious sinner doth heap vp wrath to himself c. as who should saye God will heape damnation vpon his head in life to come as he hath heaped one sinne vppon an other in this life not that there are many helles or many siers in bell but that the iustice of God re quireth to measure out y â— grieuousnes of their punishment accor to the grieuousnes of their sines vt et ignem non dissimilem habeant tamen eosdem singulos exurat that not hauing a diuerse fire yet euery one to be tormented the same w t fire euen as we feel in our do dies wheras many stand together in the sun the sun hath like power of them all alike yet doe they not all feele the like heat but some feele it hotter then other some euery man according to the complexion and constitution of his body Euen so according to the quality of his sinne shall euerye man receaue his punishment And therefore in the daye of iudgement it shall hee easie for Sodome and Gomortha then for those Cities Townes and persons which haue hard remission of sinnes preached in the name of Iesus yet haue not repented For the seruant that knew his maisters wil and did it not shalbe beaten with many stripes If that reuerend and childish feare of God therefore cannot win vs to eschue euill and do good yet let this seruile and slauishe feare the feare of punishement staie vs and make vs a fraide to perseuer in our ill least accordinge to the greeuousnes of the same in oure soules at last we reseaue double damnation in our bodyes For although euery man so sone as the soule and body are parted by death hath his particular iudgement and receiueth in his soul which presently mounteth either to heauen or is carryed to hell the rewarde of ioye or paine which either thorough sinne he hath deserued or the Lorde in merrye doth freely giue him yet doth he nor receiue the same in body which remayneth in the graue til the generall resurrection and iudgement of all flesh at what time the bodye shall be vnited to the soule and be made partaker of the same euerlasting ioyes in heauen or eternall torments in hell as it was partaker with the bodye in sin vpon earth If any man therfore aske wherefore and what there should neede to be a second iudgement since euerie man hath his iudgement already I answere out of the Apostle that euery man may receaue in his body that which hee hath already receaued in his soule Lâ—â— vs forbeare therefore to iudge of 〈…〉 mens sinnes to looke into other mens liues and either euery man that calleth vpon the name of the Lorde depart from iniquity and learne to amend him selfe For euery man shall receaue accordinge to that which he hath done in his body I shall not receaue accordinge to that which thou haste done in thy bodye nor thou shalt not receaue according to that which I haue done in my bodye but I according to that which I haue done in my bodye and thou according to that which thou 〈◊〉 done in thy body and so forth euery maÌ„ according to that which he hath done in his own bodye That soule that hath sinned that soule shall dye the death Though the father haue eaten sowre grapes the childrens teeth shall not be set on edge The sonne shall not beare the fathers iniquity nor the fathers beare the sonnes The righteousnes of the righteous shall be vppon him the wickednes of the wicked vpon him
also and euery man shall die in his own sinne or liue in his owne righteousnesse Noe Daniell and Iob shall in their owne righteousnesse deliuer but their owne soules not the soules of their sonnes daughters seruauntes or wyues but euery man receiue his wages sayth the Apostle according to his own labour Let no man therefore truste to other mens works prayers after he is deade thinking to be releaued by them as he that was sent for to the great supper though he might bee excused by the messenger though he came not himself manye in these dayes hauing liued very wickedly theÌ„ selues think to compound with God almighty for their sins life mislead by almes deedes and prayers not dooinge them selues in their own liues but making other men their factors posting them ouer to their executors to be done for theÌ„ after their deathes But thou foolish man then that good which after thy death is done by others is theirs and not thine and they shall receaue for it and not thou While thou hast time therfore make sure thy saluation thy selfe and as much as in thee lyeth Doe good to all men especially to the houshold of faith Remember thy maker in thy youth before the dayes of aduersitye come put thy righteousnesse before iudgement so shalt thou finde grace in the sight of the Lord. For the graue which thou goest vnto there is neither worke counsell nor wisedome but what a man soweth now he shall reape then He that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly he that soweth liberally shall reape also liberally For God is not vnrighteous to forget our workes and labours of loue But what soeuer good thing any man doth he shal receaue of the Lorde at the resurrection of the righteous where his reward shall be great in the kingdome of heauen and euerye man receaue accordinge to that which he hath don And thus we see the end vse of this doctrine concerning the generall resurrection iudgement the sum wherof is no more but this All that are in their graues shal heare the voice of God and shal come forth they that haue done good vnto the resurrection of lyfe and they that haue done ill vnto the resurrection of damnation They that by continuance in well doing seeke for glorie honor immortality shall haue eternall lyfe but vnto them that are contentious do not obey the truth but obey vnrightousnes shall come indignation and wrath tribulation and iniquitie A sweete and comfortable doctrine to the children of God who then shal haue an end of all those miseries whereto in this lyfe they were subiect resting at last in ioye peace and tranquility with the angels and saintes in heauen The sun shall be no more the daye light the light of the Moone shal not shine to theÌ„ but the Lord himselfe shalbe their euerlasting light and God their glorie Hee shall take the care from thine eyes neyther shall they taste of death heauinesse sorrow or paine but freed from all suche calamities haue the full fruitioÌ„ of al those ioyes which the lorde hath prepared for them that feare him and looke for his comming They shall receaue a glorious kingdome and a beawtifull crowne at the lords hand for with his right hand shall he carrie them and with his arme shall he defend them But on the contrarye moste terrible and fearefull to the wicked For the ielosie of the lord of hostes shall take on harnesse and he shall arme the creature to be auenged of his enemyes He shall put on righteousnesse for a brest-plate an stake vnfayned iudgement in stead of a helmet His ferce wrath shal bee sharpen for a swoorde and the whole compasse of the worlde shall fight with him against the vnwise Then shall the thunder boultes go right out of the lightninges and come as oute of the well bente bowe of the cloudes to the place appointed And as from an angrie caster of stones their shal fal thick haile and the water of the sea shall bee wroth against them and the winde shall stande vp againste them to scatter them abrode Then shall the righteous stande in great boldnes before the face of such as haue dealt extreamly with them and taken away then labours When the vngodlye shall see it they shall bee vexed with horrible feare and shall onder at their health so farre beyond all that they looked for And chaunging their opinions with groaning for redresse of minde they shall say this is he whom sometime we had in derision and iested vpon We fooles thought his life very madnes and his end to be without honour But loe how he is counted among the children of God and his portion is amonge the saints Therefore haue we erred from the way of truth the light of righteousnesse hath not shined vnto vs the sun of vnderstanding hath not rose vpon vs. We haue wearied ourselues in the waye of wickednes and destruction but as for the way of the Lord we haue not known it What good hath pride done vnto vs Or what profit hath the pompe of riches brought vnto vs. All these things are passed like a shadow and as a Post that hasteth by c. As sone as we were borne we began immediatlye to drawe to oure ende and haue shewed no token of vertue but are consumed in our owne wickednes If they shoulde haue no other iudge to condemne them if there were no diuel to watch for them no hel to receiue them no fire in hell to torment them what greater torment maye be imagined then this wofull complaint mutuall accusing of the worme of their owne consciences and the sensible feeling of their sinnes past acknowledging with their own mouthes themselues deserueâ—ly depriued of all those heauenlye ioyes whereof they shal see the children of God to be made partakers But not onely to be depriued of those heauenlye ioyes but to be partakers of euerlasting tormentes to bee tyed with perpetuall chaines to be caste into palpable darkenes of the Diuels dungeon where the worme dyeth not where the fire goeth not out but continual weping and gnashing of teeth howling yelling and criyng without ease of payne or comfort of minde this is such endlesse miserye as the griefe thereof can neyther be conceaued of vs that speaketh of it nor expressed of them that feele it The greatest crosse that can be sayd vppon man in this life is to bee caste into perpetuall prison leese our landes and goodes and want the companye of our wyues our children other our friends that loue vs. But yet in this case we alwaies liue in hope of liberty and release of our punishment Or if our hope be vaine yet will God stirre vp the heartes of straungers to visite vs to pittie vs to comfort and relieue vs some with meat some with mony some with cloth some with counsell euery man as he is able