little for thy censure as I doe for thy selfe Therefore Cum tua non aedas ne carpas munera lector Carpere vel noli nostra vel aede tua Sith that thy works thou doest conceale Good Reader carpe not mine Leaue off to reprehend our workes Or else goe publish thine And though there is no end in making books seeing much reading brings wearisomnesse to the flesh Eccles 12. 12. Yet this wee doe and pleasure take in toile Although wee doe but plow the barren soile And thus hauing beene ouerbold in presuming vpon your patience I will here end cōmend you to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build you vp further and giue you an inheritance among Act. 20. 32. them which are sanctified And rest Yours alwayes in the Lord EDMVND COBBES THE WORLDLINGS LOOKING-GLASSE VVherein hee may cleerely see what a woefull bargaine he makes if he lose his soule for the gaine of the world Matth. 16. 26. For what is a man profited if he shall gaine the whole world and lose his own soule or what shall a man giue in exchange for his soule THE time of our blessed Sauiours passion being at hand he tells and forewarnes his Disciples of it that thereby he might confirme and strengthen them against the scandall of his Crosse But yet for all this they dreame of an earthly Kingdome and that our Sauiour should restore them to their ancient liberties which in time past their fathers enioyed in the time of Dauid and Salomon and other Kings of Israel but our Sauiour to put them out of this conceit tells them plainly elsewhere that his Kingdome is not of this world and therefore they are not to expect any earthly pompe and state by him for a Vers 21 he must goe to Ierusalem and suffer many things of the Elders and chiefe Priests and Scribes and bee killed c. Peter who loued him dearely and so was more forward to manifest his loue then the rest takes him aside thinking he had spake vnaduisedly that would die when he might liue and began to rebuke him saying Be it farre from thee Lord this shall not bee vnto thee q. d. Thou art the promised Seed of the Woman in whom all the Nations of the world shall bee blessed thou art an innocent man and therefore oughtest not to die thy life is very profitable vnto all men by feeding their bodies curing their diseases teaching and instructing them in the wayes of godlines therefore thou oughtst rather restore the kingdome to Israel and to free vs out of our captiuity But alas Peter thy counsell is carnall thou vnderstands only the things that belong to thy owne ease and quietnesse but not the things which are of God I was sent to seek and to saue the lost sheepe of the house of Israel and am that scape goate which Leu. 16. 10. must beare the iniquities of the people and that Lambe which must take away the sinnes of the world by my death and suffering must offer my selfe as a sacrifice for the redemption of the world and so by death ouercome him which hath the power of death therefore Peter get thee behind me with thy deuillish counsel thou art an offence to me and an aduersary to my fathers wil which hath appointed set me apart to reconcile the world vnto him therefore if thou wilt be my Disciple indeed as thou professest thy self to bee imitate thou mee in my obedience to my Fathers Will learn thou thy duty which now I teach thee and which I will haue all my Disciples to learne If any man will come after mee let him deny himself take vp his crosse and follow me Teaching all those which will giue vp their names vnto him what must bee their practice and whereto they must trust they must renounce their owne wit pollicie and affection and bee content to endure crosses losses and much affliction which they must beare cheerefully and follow their Captaine Christ Iesus in well doing though they haue neuer so many pullers back and hinderances in the way yet they must imitate the Philistins 1 Sam. 6. Kine which bare the Arke of GOD though they were milche and had their Calues at home yet without any turning to the right hand or left they kept on their way to Bethshemesh So the Disciples of Christ which haue giuen vp their names vnto him and doe beare the Arke of his law vpon their shoulders though they haue many allurements of the world the flesh and the Deuill to draw them backe which are as dear vnto them as the calues were vnto the Kine yet for all this they must keepe on their course in the pathe of a holy life and conuersation without turning either to the right hand or left vntill they come to Bethshemesh the house of the Sun for he that puts his hand to the Plough and afterwards lookes backe makes himselfe vnfit for the Kingdome of God Therefore our blessed Sauiour plainly tels his Disciples what their profession would cost them and what they should looke for that is to bee hated of all men for his sake and to endure all manner of crosses and bee content to beare them patiently and weare them as a crown vpon their heads and to cary death alway before them as a seale vpon their fingers Now because the heart of man is full of doubts and out of selfe-loue is readie to call the truth of God in question our blessed Sauiour is carefull to fence his doctrine against all doubts and to preuent all scruples which carnal men can make against the truth thereof as thinking it very harsh to flesh and blood Therefore in the 25 and 26 verses hee answers a secret obiection which some obiectour might reply vpon him in these or the like words That so hee should lose at least the worlds goods and perhaps his life too To the one Christ answers in the verse preceding my Text that to lose life was the way to find it meaning eternall life q. d. for the worst that Tyrants can doe is but to send them to heauen and the desire to saue life by refusing the crosse was the way indeed to lose it to wit eternall life And to the other he answeres in the words of my Text that the gaine of the world is nothing if it be compared with the soules losse which he layes downe in an hypotheticall proposition question wise For what is a man profited if he shall gaine the whole world if he lose his soule Which categorically turned is he that winnes euen a whole world but loseth his owne soule for it gaines not which is confirmed by the latter part of the verse that there is nothing worth the soule nothing equiualent to it which he propounds question-wise also because in this forme a proposition hath most life and power to work vpon the heart and conscience of the hearer For what thing is there
in Rom. 13. 14. all thy wayes for faith doth apply and put on Christ now if Christ be put on by faith then he is a most glorious garment to couer all our filthy nakednesse out of Gods sight and an armour of proofe to defend and protect vs from all dangers of our soules and of our bodies A good Conscience is a sweet comfort in al troubles If then we can reioyce in the testimony of a good Conscience wee are in a happy condition Be conuersant in the Scriptures let the Word of GOD dwell plentiously in thee this will be as great a comfort vnto thee in al thy afflictioÌ„s as euer it was vnto Dauid in his troubles Be feruent in prayer begin the day with calling vpon Gods name and praising him for all the mercies thou hast receiued and at night let prayer bee a Key to locke thee vp vnder the protection of the Almightie Ioyne thy selfe in societie with those that feare God they can teach thee by their experience and direct thee in the wayes of Godlinesse and labour to exhort one another to continue constantly in the feare of the Lord. Thus if wee doe we shall redeeme the time for our soules health But alas how many times haue we come together and yet haue had no care nor thought to doe one another good for our soules health but haue spent our time in prophane and Idle talke letting our tongues loose to discourse of all manner of vanitie But oh the miseries of our times in which there are many which are so farre from helping their brethren in their saluation as that they hinder them and by their leud examples turne them from the way of godlinesse Our time is short as we haue heard and as wee behaue our selues here vpon earth either in walking in the wayes of godlinesse or spending the time in seruing our owne turnes so shall wee fare euerlastingly in the world to come Therfore seeing life or death is gained in this world let vs giue all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure And seeing our time is but short let vs learn a point of policy of the Deuill he knowes his time is but short therefore hee doth all the mischiefe he can so let vs on the contrary knowing our time is short labour to doe all the good wee can for our soules But if we will still turne the grace of God into wantonnesse by despising the riches of his mercie in waiting for our repentance and humiliation we shall at length be turned out of these houses of clay wherein we haue liued in much peace as the most vnworthiest wretches that euer liued and shall giue a strict account vnto God for all the time and meanes that hee hath vouchsafed vs for our soules good and if wee haue spent our dayes well then wee shall receiue the reward of the Iust but if ill then woe vnto our soules that we haue sinned for What is a man profited â—f hee gaine the whole world and lose his soule And thus hauing finished this small Treatise I beseech you in the bowels of our Lord Iesus to suffer the words of exhortation and the Lord from heauen giue vs all grace to make vse of it for the saluation of our soules But I feare I haue wearied your patience with this Non minor virtus scire desinere quam scire dicere my tedious discourse and therefore because it is not lesse commendable for an Orator to end his speech in good time then to begin with good liking I will therefore at this time imitate the Roman Oratour Non omnia effundam Cicero Philip. Orat. 2. vt si saepius dicendum vt erit semper nouus veniam I will be loath to spend all my store at this once but I will keepe somewhat fresh if I shall haue any occasion to come againe In the meane time for our farewell let vs commend each other to the protection of Almightie GOD and to the Word of his grace which is able to build vs vp in godlinesse and giue vs an inheritance among them that bee sanctified by faith in Christ Iesus our Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed as is due all honour glory from this time forth for euermore Amen FINIS An Alphabeticall Table expressing the chiefe matter contained in this Booke A APostacie the danger thereof 6 Apparell vaine and immodest 196 Makes men proud 190 How to be esteemed 191 Men exceed their degrees 195 Euery one will be in the fashion 195 Men of place may weare costly Apparell 192 When it must be laid aside 193 Age the dignitie and duty 340 341 Old age vnfit to begin to repent 326 336 A shame to defer repentance 353 Reasons why 327 328 336 It is very vnequall 329 Vniust 330 Adultery defined 137 The filthinesse of the sinne ibid. Danger of it 138 143 144 Condemned by the Law of God 139 Of Nations ibid. God takes notice of it 143 Preseruatiues against it 140 141 142 Vide Fornication B Busie-bodies 249 What they should doe 247 Beauty defined 217 Good in its nature 217 218 Granted to the wicked why 218 219 To the Peacock Swan Lillies 219 If not sanctified vaine and deceitfull 219 A snare to entangle 222 Bane of the Soule 220 Hath made many adulterers 222 Neuer any chaste ibid. Full of euill effects 223 C Charitie the Deuill shewed more charitie then many of our proud Dames will shew 256 Christs Kingdome not earthly 1 2 Necessitie of his death 4 His great loue to vs in helping when riches could not 8 Peters Counsell carnall 2 3 Couetousnesse makes the godly slaues to the world 93 94 To question Gods Prouidence 93 They desire riches to their destruction 94 Care true Christians care 322 Crosse the godlies portion 6 7 Yet they must endure it patiently 7 Though they haue many pullers backe 6 Contentation a duty 90 91 How obtained 26 27 1. By learning the truth of Gods prouidence 100 2. Because nature is content with a little 96 3. Because it must leaue all at death 97 God wil supply earths wants with heauens ioyes 9 All men full of discontents 26 27 Heathens teach Contentation by natures light 99 They shame Christians 101 Cock fighting vnlawfull 175 176 D Drunkennesse what it is 153 Sathan turnes him about like a foole 153 Condemned by God 154 By Fathers 155 By wise heathen 156 165 A Drunkard vnfit for any imployment 157 159 He is a theefe abroad 160 A Tyrant a beast at home 161 The effects it produceth 163 What wil make him speake sense 158 Antidoâ—es to preuent it 166 167 Damned their intolerable paines 289 291 Euer dying 292 300 Their fearefull sinnes 292 What they would tell vs 337 Difficult to weane the heart from the world 9 More to saue the soule 324 If we neglect our duty and faile of our hopes we must not murmure 96 Day of sicknesse and death no fit time to
shall become of mee or who will succour you my children better it is to dye with one stroke then to languish in famine and being brought to this despaire she tooke a knife in her hand cut their thoats and set her selfe downe purposing to dye in her miserie Her Husband the same euening returned drunke home being more fit to take rest thā to examine these tragedies cast himselfe on his bed neither dreaming of their losses nor his wiues misery she vrged on by Sathan that euer watcheth opportunities seeing him asleepe that regarded not her sorrow with the same knife she had killed her children shee cut his throat saying boldly thou shalt dye thou negligent man seeing thy filthy carriage hath beene the ruine of mee and my Children Looke vpon this you beastly wretches which prefer your owne lusts before the care of wise and Children And thus I haue layd open the filthines of this sin which excludes out of the 1 Cor. 6. 9 Kingdome of God and rankes the committers of it among those damned wretches which shall be Reu. 22. 15. shut out of the new Ierusalem In the next place we are to speake somewhat of the sinne of Adultery which is the sinne of those which are married or betrothed This sinne is called Adulterium quasi ad alterius torum accessio This sinne of Adultery is either double or single double when both parties are maried Single when one party is maried and the other single This sinne is also a filthy abominatiō Ez. 22. 11. in the sight of the Lord because they that commit it violate the ordinance of GOD in ioyning themselues to harlots and so forsake the guide of Pro. 2. 17. their youth Virginitie and chastitie are rare things and so ought to be esteemed by the godly then hee that spoyleth vs of that ornament is vnworthy of the name of a man because he doth the worke of a beast This sinne is an enemy to God an enemy to vertue It Luxuria est inimica Deo inimica virtutibus perdit substantiam ad tempus voluptatem diligens futuram non sciunt cogitare paupertatem Aug. de Doct. Chryst consumeth wealth and louing pleasure for a while it suffereth vs not to thinke of our future pouerty And as in the first place they sinne against GOD so also in the second place they sinne against their Neighbour by branding him with reproachfull nick-names and so like deuillish theeues they sow their filthy Cockle in another mans ground and so make another man father their bastardly brood and then like vngratious theeues they robbe true Children of their inheritance Therefore the Lord hath ordained that he that committeth adulterie Leu. 20. 10 with another mans wife should die And by the law they were Deu. 22. 2◠to be stoned to death and before the law they were to be burnt as appeares by Iudahs Gen. 38. 24. censure vpon his daughter Thamar This sinne is to be auoided because it opposeth not onely the Law of God but also the Law of Nations Cornelius Tacitus reports that the Adultresses were stripped naked by their kindred and then had their haire cut off and were beaten with Cudgels through the Towne by their Husbands This was the Law among the Germanes Now the punishment which GOD afflicteth is not onely pouerty shame and slauery their lusts and harlots loathsome diseases and the like but he vseth to punish this sinne by the law of requitall as they defile other mens wiues so other men defile their wiues The truth of this was seene in Dauid who for defiling of Vriahs 1 Sam. 12. 22. wife had his owne wiues abused by his sonne Vse Is whoredome fornication such a grieuous hatefull sin in the sight of God and so hurtful vnto vs then be exhorted euery one that lookes for saluation to hate and detest and shunne not onely this sinne but also all the occasions of it Q. How may I doe that may some say A. Labour to see the filthinesse of this sinne how hatefull it is vnto God and how dangerous vnto our selues and that it carieth with it not only Gods curse but such as liue in it and dye in it shall neuer enter into Gods kingdome 2. We must labour to cleanse our hearts from all filthinesse and all vncleane motions whatsoeuer and to set our selues alwayes as in the presence of God which knowes the very secrets of our hearts and say with Ioseph when we are tempted vnto this sinne How can we doe this and sin against God If a mortall man did know our thoughts or did see vs in our vncleannes we should be ashamed to commit this sinne because they might disgrace vs hereafter how much more should we be fearefull to commit it before that God which must be our iudge and our consciences which must be produced against vs as witnesses and Sathan that will bee readie to lay open our sinne to the full to accuse vs to our eternall confusion before GOD Angels and the spirits of iust men 3. If we would be fenced against this sinne wee must flee the company and society of the Harlot and all those which are wantonly giuen lest they doe infect vs by their filthy communication and leud conuersation To this end the Wiseman exhorts vs to keepe farre from the Harlots house and not to Pro. 5. 8. come neare her doores And if by chance wee happen into their company to flee away in haste and not to presume vpon our owne strength lest wee bee foyled and so giue our honour vnto the harlot 4. Lastly as we must be diligent in our calling so wee must continually pray vnto God to preserue vs from the whorish woman that so being vigilant in our calling wee may shunne idlenesse which is the pathway that leades vs to this sinne as also all wanton songs vnlawfull embracings or the like This if we doe carefully the Lord will preserue vs from this vncleane and filthy sin To moue vs hereunto let vs consider that God in a speciall manner taketh notice of this sinne and will not leaue it vnpunished either in this life or in the life to come If this were duely thought vpon men and women would bee afraid to commit it though neuer so secretly for feare Gods iudgements should ouertake them in the very act as they did Zimry and Cosby What a filthy thing is it for a Child of God a Member of Christ and a Temple of the holy Ghost and redeemed with no lesse price then the blood of the Sonne of God for to take the same body and to make it the member of an harlot S. Gregory compareth this sinne to a fiery furnace the mouth whereof is gluttony the flame pride the sparkles filthy words the smoak an euill name the ashes pouerty the end shame and confusion Whordome besides the infamie of the world wasteth the goods withereth the body decayeth health shortneth life and maketh a
man stinke in the sight of God See and behold the fearfull effects of this sinne the Lord open our eyes to see the fearfulnesse of it that so we may auoid it And thus much shall suffice to haue spoken of this sinfull sinne of pleasure come wee now to speake of the next pleasurable sinne which is the sinne of the belly I meane the sinne of gluttonie which is a disordinate delight in eating Gula est vorax edacitas naturae finibus non contenta drinking a mortall enemy to temperance by offending both in quantity time and manner This sinne was first brought from Asia vnto Rome where in processe of time it came from a seruile thing to bee the delight of great ones so that Apicius a base Cooke was not ashamed after it came in credit to step into the Schooles and make an Oration in praise of it which did so incourage the belly-gods of that age that Milo Crotoniates would carry his prouision with him which was no lesse then an oxe which he bare on his shoulders and when his stomack serued him would eate it vp at one meale and Tagon another belly-god was so addicted to this sin that at the Table of Aurelian the Emperour he eate a Goat a Hogge and drunke a tierce of Wine Though these monsters in nature be dead yet I feare me there be many liuing which make their belly their god and glory Phil. 3. in their shame as may appeare by their banquets which are saâ—câ—â— with surfeits and exceed nature Our Fathers were content with bread and water which at first nourished mans life but now neither the fruit of trees variety of corne fishes of the Sea beasts of the earth nor fowles of the ayre can satisfie our intemperate nature but as Innocentius saith Spices Lib. de vanitate huma condit are bought Fowles are nourished Cookes hired to please our appetites some are stamped others are strained and another infused to make confections turning the substance into the accident and nature into Art which made the wise heathen to deride the vanities of our times say One Wood sufficeth Sen. ep 8. Vna silua pluribuâ— Elephantibus sufficit homo vero pascitur terra mari to nourish diuers Elephants but man feedeth both on Sea and Earth And in another place he saith Whatsoeuer bird flyeth whatsoeuer fish swimmeth whatsoeuer beast runneth is buried in our body all which in the truth of things is both against nature Art For both art nature forbids contraties to be mixt together which notwithstanding are done at our full feasts which make men like beasts and fitter to be ranged among them then among men Therefore hee telleth vs That he was greater and Maius sum ad maiora natus sum quam vt fiam mancipium corporis mei Rom 13. 13. Gal. 5. 21. borne to greater things then to become the bondslaue of his bodie This fearefull sinne damnes as well as the forenamed Therefore that we may be freed from this sinne also 1. Consider that by this sinfull pampering of thy body Vnus gulosus expendit in piscibus vnde viginti pauperes satis haberent de pane Bern. thou depriuest many a hungry soule of many a morsell which would comfort them very much and that which thou spendest in variety would supply their necessitie so that by this meanes wee defraud our brethren of that which is their due 2. By moderation in diet wee shall enioy a healthfull body Tenuis meÌ„sa sanitatis mater Pedum aolores capitis grauedines cruciatus manuum longe faebres alia multa plura ex crapula saturitate nasci solent Chr. Hom. â—5 which is to bee esteemed aboue gold but by ouer-fulnesse is subiect to many diseases rheumes obstructions and paines of the head eyes and feet numnesse of the hands Feuers and the like pangs of the belly and many other diseases which flow from gluttonie How often may we heare some complaine of their head for sending done rheume the mother of malladies But the head might answer as one sayes wittily Be thou sober in pouring Desine fundere ego desinam fluere downe and I will be sparing in dropping downe Doe not ouerloade me with excesse and I will distill fewer humours When the stomack is burthened aboue the spheare of its naturall heat and gurmandized with too many delicates one vpon the other before the former be concocted like a fire beginning to burne loden with greene wood sends forth many smoaky cloudes as it were so the stomacke being piled with delicates one vpon another seÌ„ds forth many raw crude fumes which ascending vp into the braine and being fixed there by the coldnesse thereof distill downe into the body againe abundance of rheume the source of all diseases gouts dropsies aches and many other maladies Therefore if we will be freed from sicknesse let vs offer a knife to our throats to keepe vs from intemperancy herein 3. By a moderate diet wee preserue our liues wherein we may repent and make vp our peace with God before the graue shut vs vp in the land of darknesse in which there shall be no time for vs to repent and to make vp our reconciliation with our Maker before hee come to reward euery man according to his workes But by this filthy excesse we robbe our selues of this precious Iewell before our time Therefore if we would liue long and see many good dayes shun this sin of gluttony Motiues to induce 1. Consider that this was one of the sinnes of Sodom for which GOD destroyed them with fire and brimstone from heauen and punished his owne Amos 6. 6. people because they drank wine in bowles and so forgot the affliction of the Church but sate downe to eate and to drinke and 1 Cor. 10. 7. rose vp againe to play 2. Wee are commanded to redeeme the time and spend it to the glory of God and the good of our soules but when the body is filled then the bones defire to bee at rest and experience shewes then wee haue little minde to praise God for his mercies or to thinke of the safety of our soules 3. Wee are exhorted so to liue as that we may garnish our profession and honour GOD by letting our godly conuersation be seene among them with whom we liue but this we cannot doe so long as we stuffe our bellies with delicates so that hereby we depriue God of his due and our neighbour of our good example And thus much shall suffice to haue spoken of this sinne in the next place the sinne of drunkennesse presents it selfe to our view and consideration Drunkennesse is Sathans bit Drunkennesse Nihil aliud est ebrietas quam voluntaria insania Sen. in the mouth of a foole with which he can turne him to any sinne as the horse is turned to any stop or pace Thus hee turnes about the whole body the heart to lust the hands