haue you now ād then conveniēt leysure to talke and cōferr betwene those pillers of the omnipotent ād allseinge God of religiō and good lyfe so necessarie at all seasons but in especial now whē the sweerde of Gods iustis semes to be shaken over you there aswell as vs here threatnyng direfull warrs famyne confusion of good order and strange sycknesses by wch the lōg suffering God will haue his hand to be selt when his gentle voyce cannot be hearde wherby bothe prowd and dissolute flesh to stowpe and to stād in dreade of hym so wilfully refusinge to serve ād obey hym The screptures geves no libertie nor exēptethe persō nor plase to be silēt of Godād his glorie moche less to be prophanly occupied but rather byndethe sum devine exercise in convenient measure every where As whether you eate or drinck or what soever you do etc. Lykewise in all tymes and places the texts you know wel ynouge for knowlege is rife the lord grant grace and vertu therwth to habownde To come now to perticulers Aldermen and first to begyn wth the right worshipfull Aldermen of the citie repayringe thether wth there fellow bretherne aswell on cittie causes as for there private To the wch the blessinge of compforthe and happie succeff ys due if God to those ends be first craved ād his deserved glory advanced by reyellinge of inturiouse sutes ād defēdinge the poore innocēts Then are they two fowld rytche and happie wthin and wthout and most worthy of dowble honor as ys required of the elders of the churche that lyve and governe well But no more of that whose grave and worshipfull persons as they do no less dignifie that plase and greate companie then dutifullie procure the reverens of all evenso they addinge there religiouse affections wth there fatherly indevers to better there well doyngs in due season yt shall wynn general love and lovinge harts besydes Gods perpetuall blessinge and favoure and when they are gon as generall prayses to hym for there Iustis pietie and equitie and for there redress of that wch ys contrarie The wch ys farr more of valure then all gyfts and bequests they leave behynde theme Salomon sayeth better ys a good name then moche rytches the wch St. Paul estemeth as dunge in respect to wynn Iesus Christ whyle he ys to bewonne that ys to daye and therfore he willeth to do good while time ys For if there predecessors in the dayes of suche ignorans were so diligent to draw credit to there popishe mass ād idolatrouse trashe how moche more wthout cōparison ought those worshipfull elders beget love and credite in this brightnes of the gospel first to Gods truthe professed by theme and next to there caullings and persons And seing the remembrans of deathe dothe moche further the reforminge of lyfe I wyshe bothe the exchange cytie and contrey to think often on the waddē horse or foure foted bere so sodaynly comminge from other mens doores to theires wthout gevinge of fore knowlege and to carie thē a waye for ever and ever on four mēs shoulders from there warme and lightsome habitations to the cowld and clapeshe māsions and from there pleasant cōpanie of wife childrē and familie to the fellowship of gredie ād crawlinge wormes inobscuritie next to bethinck on the wayters and attenders on there immortall soules at the departure from there carnall coffyns to a better or worce place beinge either the angells of light or the ministers of darckenes as yt fell out on Lazarus ād dives to cōducte theme to incogitable pleasure or to tearmless terror The remembrans of this tragedie will verylie instructe the faythful reader to watche and praye to be oft ner at fructeful Sermons wth purpose of practis to abate pryde and superfluitie to bestow the more where there ys necessitie to be as warie of the world as of a familier traytor breifly to regard better the worcks of mercie in due season seinge yt is written iudgement wthout mercie shal be to theme that will shew no mercie And here I wyshe you bannishe from your tables suche Atheists and machivells as be the Devills scicophants and trencher slaves to make men laughe at there tushinge and scoffinge of religiouse matters beinge so emptie of the grace of wepinge for there intollerable synnes Wherfore as your worshipfull tables be for a better companie so let your doores and portalls in lyfe tyme and not the churche porche after death be your almeries and sede grownd for the increase of yerthly and celestiall fructe and let your gates be knowen the place where you lend to the lord that trustie pay maister and moste highest threasurer who repayeth more then tenn thowsand for the hundred and vouchsafe to loke to the poore howshould of faythe in a nother place and after a better sorte for that they be a shamed in there nede to come to your doores or to begg in the strete whose prayers and prayses is more odoriferouse and acceptable before the lorde then all sumpteouse funeralls how gloriouse soever coveringe rotten bones and wthout any avayle to there departed soules Neyther condembninge here nor prevelie checkinge worshipfull and semely order then accordinge to the degrees of persons but the excess and wastefull spendinge of Gods creatures bothe in lyfe and deathe the wch beinge not yours absolutely to bestow theme as you list but the lords and that lent you his constituted bayliffes for your selves and others you shall surely answere and make accowmpte for the lavess and msspendinge of your maysters goods as the vnrighteouse Stuard was put out of office for the same faulte This abuse amended vp the vertu of Gods grace herevnto a nexed then by your workinge faythe ye provide after deathe to haue an heavenly habitacion as that worldly wyse Stuard providid for an earthly when he should be cast out for the wch providens to instruct others the lord commended hym accordinge to the maner of men and not his vnrighteouse dealinge Thus doinge you prove religiouse and profess religion for religion sake and not for sum other thinge as sum persons do the ministerie more for the lyvinge sake them for Gods glorie then are you right Royall exchangers changed from an ould into a new nature and from followinge your owne wylls to obeye the wyll of the lord your God And for the spedier practys of suche desyred duties I wyshe the preachers in cyttie and contrey to forbeare for a tyme St. Paul his swete doctrine of iustification of faythe and a nother while to take in hande S. Iames and his iustification of worcks so rarely seene who never the less asmoche confirmethe his fellow Apostles doctrine in that heavenly article proper to the greved and humbled soule as he terrifiethe the presumpteouse and careles liver whose fayth he compares to the faythe of tremblinge devills as appereth by there destitution of zeale to Gods glorie or brotherly love and compassion and yet thinck theme stlves
changers Cytezins and contrey to stande on there garde seinge this mercyless lyon vnder Angelical shew lyeth in previe wayt to catch and intrapp at every turne But thow tremblinge and fearefull Christian throwen downe by the felinge of thy synne no less desirouse to be freed from the burden therof then afrayed to offend the Lord thy God be thow of good chere wthout tormenting of thy felinge consciens forasmoche as by fayth and grace Sathan hathe no part nor portion in the hating and shunninge synne but rather on theme that love and frequent synne seinge Iesus Christ wthout all stayne of synn became synn for the that ys toke on hym thy sinnfull deserts even vndergoinge the torments of hell and deathe in his blessed body and soule for thy sake and thy moste happie deliverans from bothe therfore be not only daylie and hartilie thanckfull for this expiation of thy sinn but butifully watche and pray agaynst the dreggs and remnants of sinn lefte in the for to stryve and fyght to the end Although the strengthe and forte therof was broken I saye by Christ and fastned to his cross to the everlastinge compforthe of all suche as love and feare the Lord and be lothe to offend hym by there synne Husbands and wyves of all sorts lykewyse have there pleasurable walkinge there at convenient tymes whose honorable estate so dignified by the Sonne of God I must not forgette but put you in mynd of that famouse vnion ordayned of hym that is two in one fleshe and therefore to be of one mynde in the Lorde and for theme selves Mariage And generally yt must putt all the faythfull in remembrans of the more happie vnion and moste blessed mariage betwene Iesus Christ and his churche and every soule of his electe therein beinge an vnseparable bonde and knytt faster then all bonds amonge men and a love beyond all loves for so gloriouse and Princely a spowze to take and imbrase so poore and meane an espowzes even the highest to abase hym self to the lowest O memorable love and humilitie deservinge all prayse and obedyens in all faythfull parsons bothe maryed and vnmaried And as neyther water nor any flodds are able to quenche or to drowne this love so let neyther carnall love in the one nor love of the world in the other be ever able to quenche or to drowne there love and lovely harts to this our true lover the fowntayne of all love St Iohn sayeth he that loveth not knowth not God for as the ignorans of God is the cause why he ys not loved so the knowledge of God producethe love to hym and therfore so farr do we love God as we know God whereby yt ys playne that they who seke not to know God can neyther truely nor rightly love hym And I have noted sum tymes in men and wemen who never opened booke that the love of God was more shed abrode in there harts then in many that are puffed vp wth wynde knowledge Hartilie wishinge maryed folkes no less to mark and disgest then to reade the words of the Apostle in caullinge on man and wyfe to love one a nother by example of Christ his incomparable love to his churche in that he gave hym self for yt clensed and sanctifyed yt Then would yt in crease there affections and abate there discentions and generally make bothe theme the better to love one another and all others of that mysticall bodie to reioyce and be tenfowld more thanckfull for that spirituall coniunction namely that beggers bratts of no reputacion to be maryed and cowpled to suche a heavenly husband whome the 45. Psa tearmeth a Quene sayenge vpon thy right hand ys the Quene in a vesture of gould and the canticles speaking of Christ his love to his churche and people sayeth his lefte hand ys vnder my heade and his right hand dothe imbrase me wch mariageable tearmes by the holy Ghoste teacheth all but more specially husbands and wyves to be so lyncked in love as to lyve and love to gethers most affectionatly and lovingly wthout eyther seperation of bodies disiunction of mynds or to lyve vnder iarrs and contencions to gethers to the seperation of God and Christ from sum suche harts and howses in London as my self and others have bene weryed and greved in laboringe for peace But you Christian yokefellows of a contrary disposition I wyshe you by discreation and good watche to beware of suche fearefull discords doinge your best to love styll and to increase in love For as love ys the capitall affection in men and wemen so the effects therof ys most vehemēt as ys confirmed by Christ his words where a mans threasure ys there is his hart that is yf God be our heavenly threasure then ys our love a bove wth hym yf maried folkes be corporal threasures one to the other then the love and affection spreadeth accordingly as we se perthly mynded men have there love on yerthly things You that be maryed parsons Iplie as that tytle by the holy Ghoste ys tearmed honorable so let your love yeace and vnitie to gethers honor and dignifie that lawdable estate For as Christ cowld not chuse any creature more apt to express our spirituall mandutation of his fleshe and blod then breade and wyne so the holy Ghoste could not fynde a more apte similitude to express the spirituall bonde betwene Christ and every faythfull soule then the coniunction of two parsons by the knott of matrymonie Wherfore as mariage ys a moste compfortable and blessed estate to theme who are graced to vse yt well so ys yt a moste bitter and tormentuouse estate to such as love not to gethers and as crave not for grace rightly to vse yt Now bothe worshipfull and commun assemblie ordinarie and extraordinarie changers in that Ropall how 's I beseche you to remember that as your lyfe here is vncertayne and never in one staye but lyke to the moone subiect to chang and alteration and in the end to death evenso think that you must shortlie chāg this lyfe for a nother lyke your predecessors walking wth you as yesterday and now gonn and forgotten wch must put you in mynde to be so changed in affection and conversation as when the Lords change bell ys runge to make spedie change of the place where you are to a nother wthout any nayt that so you may fynde the happie and better Exchange for this miserable and worce throw the same Iesus Christ here after descrybed by a learned father worthie of marchinge in this tyme of fauls Christs Yt ys nedefull sayethe he to vnderstand how God was borne and how God dyed according as the toung of the scripture dothe vse to speake God-man wch speche of Christ ys dybersly before and after his incarnation For since that happie and miraculouse conception by the holy Ghoste we must remember that in this vnitie of parson by the wch the sonn of God is also the sonn of Marie
Christians good ynoughe for there presens in the congregations for there thrustinge to the communion or for there bare taulke of the scriptures God bless vs from suche an hypocriticall faythe The possessors wher of stand in more nede of the terror of the law as fyrst a hammer to beate theme downe then of de gentle voyce and hand of the gospell to lyft theme vp The second cumpanie be marchant venturers and marchant retaylers who most rightly beare the name of changers in that reputable exchange changinge wares for money and money for wares Marchants And therfore our soueraigne Ladie in abolishing the fyrst title Buss and imposinge a new as ther by she had prudent consideration to tearme yt the exchange accordinge to the nature of that marchantlike trade so in greate favour she bare to it and the whole Cittie she added thereto a regall title and then tearmed it the Royall exchange God preserve and bless her Princely hart wth his grace and spirit for the further and more ample advancement of his glorie bothe in England and her wonted helpe for other troubled contreys a bowt her And the lord chāge there harts or cutt of ther bodies from the yerthe that wyshe or practys the contrarie to the pleasinge of Gogg the Pope and his Catholike kinge wth his spanishe mynes the horne of his strengthe Now that your traffyke ys hyndered navigation restrayned and your former gaynes greatly Impayred I wyshe you fyrst to acknowlege the finger of God in all this for synn and next to wey and consider of the spirituall marchantdise mencioned of in the gospell wth the hydden threasure not fownd wthout paynfull digginge and of the good marchant buyeng the preciouse pearle Implieng therby that devine rytches cannot be obtayned wthout zeale and earnest affection wthout searche and diligent sekinge and vnlest they be redemed wth the best things you affect and to esteme all other marchantdise but trifles whether from Turckie or Denice in comparison of that devine threasure And marck that no adventurers nor the secure or careless can fynd the sayde hydden threasure The Kyngdom of God must be sought ere yt can befownde therfore let the name marchant teacht all to make singuler accowmpt of spirituall and sacred things and of the gospell Sacraments readinge hearing prayeng Psalmes and songs from the hart O that we could love and regarde these preciouse pearles the supernaturall threasure hyd from the worldly hart and the gospell of Christ as they are to be estemed wch ys the gladdest news and ioyfullest tydings the light of the churche and every soule therof the preservative of the Prince and the pyller of her Kyngdom the wch beinge taken a way despised or lothed as manna was of the lothinge Iscalites yt must nedes fall out wth vs as it did on that full gorged people when the ark of God was taken from theme namely bloddie warrs hunger famine pestilences and confusions before and behynde Iff you dyd but sum tymes wey and consider this then would you be as desirouse of the continuans of the gospell by due estimation of suehe a threasure for to save and defend you from Gods wrathe as the elders of Israell coveted the presēs of the lords ark the figure therof to save theme from the Philistines who in there miserie crped out sayeng wherfore hathe the lord smitten vs let vs bringe againe the ark of Gods covenant a mongest vs that when it commeth it may save vs from the hands of our enemies And then as dagon could not stand but fall downe and breake his neck at the presens of Gods arck so can neyther the second spanishe flete the power of papists wth the indian gould be able to stand but rather flee and consume from the Quene of England and her religiouse subiects when they put this Evangelicall arck in reverēt and hartie maner betwene theme and there adversaries otherwise then the wch love and reverens yt wil be as meake a buckler at the fierce assaulte as the arck of God was to the Isralites when they there Kinge and preist were all over chrowen Secondly remember that you must be changed you know not when from your ritches from this vitall lijfe and the whole worlde vnto a nother place paynefull or Ioyfull none otherwise then the sayde preciouse pearle and hydd threasure is of price and valure wth you for the present tyme. Thinck of this and on hym that exhortethe to be changed and renewed in the inward man carefully studienge to change the owld life for a new even as you tender the changinge of this mortalitie to Immortalitie of this drudgerie beneathe to the felicitie above seing yt is written that suche as shal be burgeses there they must be so enfranchised here as to be made Kings and preists to overcom and to offer no less then Prophetts to instruct theme selves and there familie and al to shew forthe the vertues of hym that hathe caulled theme out of darckues into his marvelouse light Evill Marchants And further vnderstand that as there be honest and Godlie men of your trade so the very contrarie are bothe knowen and felt who yet marche vnder the ensigne of honest marchants and would appere as religiouse as they be covetouse or impiouse beinge as greate a scandale to that worshipfull companie as corrupt lyvers and teachers do greyve the Godlie learned in the ministerie These marchants deceyve moche by there paynted faulshode and lipp religion wherby they endamage others to inritche there estate Suche ys the choyce that these make of duplicitie and hypocrisie when they affect so little the grace of truthe and simplicitie These fellows wyll brave yt out how slender so ever they be wthin and prease to be eyther equall or higher then there betters fleinge the meane estate wch is the happiest and steale credit by other mens valure vntill they become eyther breakers or banckerers God in mercie geve suche repentans for borrowinge and dealinge wth many and to kepe towche wth few Exceptinge here nevertheles suche honest men as come to decaye neyther by the pryde of there backs wyfe nor table but by shipwrack on the sea or by trustinge the vntrustie that borrow moche and repay eyther little or nothinge But God that never chastiseth wthout cause dyd se yt tyme to correct for eyther beinge over gredie to aspire or by covetouse desyre of excessive gaynes dyd rather chuse to write there bad creditors names in there bookes then to take present pay in there purses of honest customers or otherwyse the Lord saw cowldnes and backwardnes in religion by nuszlinge to depely in the world wherby at lengthe to borrow of three and scarce to paye one Seinge then that God so sharplie correcteth suche professors as by toyles and cares retire from there religiouse affections yt ys good to pray for a contented mynde to norrishe your first love and zeale to God by all due meanes and not to suffer the