the son of Abraham and therefore no cause why Christ should not resort to Zaccheus house As Christ said to the penitent theefe This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise So he saith heere to the penitent Publican This day saluation is Luke 13. come vnto thy house and this day thou art become the child of Abraham Christ loueth not to be lōg in any mans debt for as he saith to Zaccheus To day I must abide at thy house so he saith to the same Zaccheus To day and hence-forth for euer thou and thy house must abide with me in heauen Here is a happy change in stead of a little worldly treasure subiect to losse by theeues and to spoile by rust and moths to haue all store of heauenly treasure which neither theeues can steale nor canker can corrupt in stead of an earthly house subiect to fire and falling Mat. 6. to haue a house giuen of GOD not made with hands but eternall in heauen 2. Cor. 5. 1. Who would not rather choose with Zaccheus to giue halfe his goods to the poore that he may be an heire of saluation and the Son of Abraham to rest in his Fathers bosome than with Diues to keep all from the poor be tormented in those eternall flames That rich glutton that denied the crums from his table chalenged Abraham for his father but he was refused because he had not the faith nor works of Abraham but Zaccheus though by nature he Luke 16. were not the child of Abrahā yet by grace he is become the child of Abraham because he walked in the steps of that faithfull Father Abraham beleeued before he was Iohn 8. 39. circumcised so Zaccheus beleeued before he was circūcised As Abraham left his countrey and all that he had Rom. 4. 12. when God called him so Zaccheus left his office and the most part of his riches when he was called by the Son of God as Abrahā desired to see the day of Christ saw it reioyced so Zaccheus desired to see Christ he saw Gen. 32. 1. Acts 7. 3. him reioyced Now is Zaccheus a gentile become the child of Abraham not only he but his whole house also is become the house of Abraham for when Zaccheus Iohn 8. 56. is conuerted his whole house is conuerted As the Master is such are the seruants if he be godly and religious they proue godly and religious if he bee an Atheist they prooue Atheists likewise Therefore keep no companie with the wicked for it is most pernicious but associate thy selfe with those that feare the Lord that thou also maiest learne to feare the Lord who for his mercy grant that we may with Zaccheus be desirous to see Christ ioyfull to receiue Christ liberall to releeue the members of Christ and ready to make amends when we haue Psal 18. wronged any of our brethren that so with Zaccheus wee may be heires of saluation and the true sons of Abraham to raigne with Christ in heauen for euer by the meanes and merites of him that died and rose againe for vs. To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all glorie Amen FINIS O Lord prepare our hearts to pray O Lord God our heauenly Father we thy poore and wretched creatures giue thee most humble and hearty thanks for our quiet and safe sleepe and for raising vs vp from the same We beseech thee for Iesus Christs sake to prosper vs this day in our labour and trauell that it may be to the discharging of our duty in our vocations principally to thy glory next to the profit of this Church and Common-weale and last of all to the benefit and content of our Masters Grant deere Father that we may cheerfully and conscionably do our busines labours not as men pleasers but as seruing thee our God knowing thee to be the chiefe M. of vs and that thou seest and beholdest vs with thy fatherly eies who hast promised reward to them that faithfully and truely walke in their vocation and threatned euerlasting death and damnation to them that deceitfully and wickedly do their works and labours We beseech thee O heauenly Father to giue vs the strength of thy spirit that godly and gladly we may ouercome our labours and that the tediousnes of that itksome labour which thou for our sins hast powred vpon al mankind may seem to vs more delectable sweet Fulfill now O Lord these our requests for thy Sonne our Sauiours sake in whose name we pray as he himselfe hath taught vs. Our Father which c. FOVRE SERMONS PREACHED BY MASTER Henry Smith And published by a more perfect Copy then heere tofore I 〈◊〉 to dy I dy to liue AT LONDON Printed for William Leake dwelling in Pauls Churchyard at the signe of the Holy Ghost 1610. ¶ To the right noble Lord the Lord Edward Earle of Bedford grace and peace from the Lord. AS the little Bee gathereth not hony for her selfe alone but for others so right Honourable I am bold to present your good Lordship with my Choice my Care and the Issue The first your honorable selfe and in this as you are the The Choice hope of the reuiuing of your vndoubted noble Grand father and Father so my hearty well wishing together with the prayers of all the godly is that what the Almighty graced thē with in you may be redoubled The second is the Fountaine whence the first had his streame and The Care being in me as a member of the Church what I wish to the same assured assembly of Gods people I leaue to the alone determiner of all Controuersies whatsoeuer The last I commēd to the onely direction of the Lord. Now as the faithfull disposer The Issue of Gods truth was a man linked vnto mee in assured friendship whilst he liued so I hauing with care long fithence collected these his Sermons together doe now with singlenesse of heart present the same to your Lordship and heerewith am prest to performe all such duties to your honour as God shall enable me vnto both in prayer for your health and increase of zeal to the maintenance of his poore flocke which I hope is the onely aime and end of all your honourable purposes Thus with all other graces I most heartily desire that Father of light to enrich you in this life and after this to blesse you with immortality in that place of rest for euer Amen Your Lordships to commaund W. S. The Contents Two Sermons of the Song of Simeon The third of the calling of Ionah The fourth of the rebellion of Ionah THE SWEET SONG OF OLD FATHER SIMEON in two Sermons Luke 2. verse 29. 30 31 32. 29 Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word 30 For mine eies haue seene thy saluation 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people 32 A light to be reuealed to the Gentiles
consciences quiet and also ioyfull in Christ free from the feare of that death they haue deserued and assured by death to passe to that life which God to all faithfull hath promised earnestly wish to die in feruent loue of God and zeale of his glory that so they may cease from offending their good God and neuer cease magnifying his mercy shewing thereby that they are weary of the seruice and bondage of Sathan and sinne and assured after death to enioy the true life most fully glorifying God and most perfectly pleasing him for euer and therefore also they desire death not shortning their life but waiting his leisure and calling thereby glorifying God as in their liues they haue done and sought to doe For man was not borne at his owne will and therefore may not die at his owne pleasure Therfore they beg it of God referring themselues euer to his good will when where and how by death they shall glorifie him stil desiring it but neuer wilfully procuring it If any obiect that Sampson pluckt the house on his owne head as well as on the Philistines we must vnderstand that Sampson was a figure of Christ and therfore as it were offring himselfe to God a sacrifice first praied and then glorified God at his death more then al his life in killing so many of Gods enemies And because they waite the Lords leasure they not only wilfully murder not themselues but are carefull also lest foolishly vnwittingly they hasten it For all they are guilty of their owne blood that either by foole-hardie rash or vnwise behauing or with surfets drunkennesse or any intemperat vsing of themselues shorten their life Yea though they tender their liues neuer so deere yet are they in the guilt because they willingly vse the meanes that brings death Simeon had seene much in his many daies but when he saw Christ he was vnwilling to liue any longer to see more His desire accomplished his long longing at length is satisfied his feruent expectation with free ioy now fulfilled It is enough saith Simeon that I haue seene my Sauiour as Iacob said It is enough that my son Gen. 45. 18. Ioseph liueth How much more then should wee bee satisfied with this and in all thankfulnesse rest in it that we haue seene Christ not as Simeon in weakenes and basenesse but victorious most glorious ouer sin death and hell triumphing and are more assured then Iacob was that hee not as Ioseph vnder Pharaoh in Egypt liueth but in heauen with his Father in highest maiestie raigneth Lord ouer all hauing all power both in heauen and Ioh. 17. 14. 1. Iohn 3. 3. Rom. 8. 18. earth and moreouer where he is thither shall wee come and be like him and with him as fellow-heires reigne in the kingdome of our Father for euer Simeon knew Christ as soone as he saw him and embraced him as soone as he knew him and enioyed him as soone as he embraced him so some know the word of God as soone as they heare it and beleeue it as soon as they know it and feele the comfort of it as soone as they beleeue it But others heare it as though they heard it not like deafe adders which stop their eares at the voyce of the charmer So Pharao would not heare the voyce of Moses nor Baals Priests the voyce of Elias and others Exod. 5. c. 1. King 18. though they know it yet will not beleeue it as if God were vntrue so all malitious wretches that preserre the pleasures of sinne before the glory of God and others though they beleeue it yet can they not either presently or when they will feele the comfort of it much lesse the ioy which is offred by it namely the heart oppressed the desolate afflicted soule The seede is not cast all on a heape but it is cast abroad therfore where be the fruites of the spirit that you haue brought forth For the spirit of God is not like a dead potion in the stomacke which worketh not neither can we haue this spirit in vs and feele it not For if thou hast it it will leade thee as it did longing Simeon as wee haue hitherto seene to the Temple and when thou art there it will leade thee to Christ and when thou hast receiued and embraced him it will possesse thee with ioy and so with thankfulnesse and godly care to keepe him and to entertaine him and to be obedient vnto him nay also with a longing to bee loosed hence and euermore perfectly to please him Therefore beloued iudge your selues that ye be not iudged of the Lord. Thy seruant The godly would not leaue this priuiledge for all the riches in the world for that they are the seruants of God fellowes to princes and Angels for wee serue him whom Dauid Salomon Ezechias Iosias serued yea to whom a thousand thousands Dan. 7. 10. euen innumerable Angels minister Heb. 12. 22. euen him who is most blessed for euer Euery seruing man beares the cognisance of his master vpon his sleeue What then will the Lord say when he commeth and findeth vs marked with the badge of Sathan Surely he will say giue vnto Sathan Exo. 12. 22. 23. Eze. 9. 4. 11. Re. 10. 7. 3. 5. 6 that which is Sathans But all the houses of Israel are sprinkled with the blood of the Lambe and all mourners in Ierusalem are marked and all the chosen are sealed with the seale of the liuing God Well was it said the poore receiue the Gospell The young men are more forward in the trueth and more zealous then the aged the sonne then his father the seruant then his Master Once the younger Brother stole away the blessing from the elder therefore the elder hated him euen for his zeale And when was Iacob hated more then he is now When was he so hated and persecuted as he is now by Esau Yet in the old time men were more zealous in their age then euer wee heare of them to be in their youth yea they were zealous in the Lords businesse Age hindreth not Noah from building of the Arke when God commanded him age hindered not Simeon Gen. 5. 32. 6. 22. from reioycing and mirth when he beheld and embraced the Lord Iesus Christ Then old Simeon embraced Christ and he enioyed him with hearty ioy in zeale but now where is old Simeon There be but few of them to be seene comming to the Temple to receiue Christ but Dan. 1. 8. 1. Sam. 2. 3. 1. Ti. 4. 12. Phil. 10. Mat. 21. 15. now young men receiue him yong Simeons young Daniels young Samuels young Timothies and young Onesimus and the young infants beginne to speake againe The young haue him they are zealous and J hope they wil keepe him though old men neglect him Sathan thou hast too much for nothing already In peace c. Christ brings peace with him not the peace of the world but that peace which passeth all
is in vs more then other men but for your sakes that we might reueale it to you Therfore heare vs euen for this cause because the Lord hath reuealed vnto vs these things for your sakes and good From the calling we come to the charge Arise and goe to Niniue that great c. God commeth and findeth vs all asleepe then he bids vs arise for they are not fit to conuert others which are not yet conuerted themselues according to that saying of Christ to Peter When thou art conuerted strengthen Luk. 22. 30. thy brethren teaching them by your experience Now adaies men take vpon them to reprooue others for committing such things as themselues haue practised and do practise without amendement notwithstanding their diligence in teaching others their dutie they can teach all the doctrine of Christ sauing three syllables that is Fellow me Therefore these are like some Taylors which are very busie in decking and tricking vp of others but goe both bare and beggerly themselues Yet they will not let vs plucke out the more that is in their eyes vntill wee haue plucked out the beame which is in our owne eyes Go to Niniuie Niniuie was the greatest and the antientest Citie in the land of Assyria and the name of it signified Beautifull which name was giuen it rather for the greatnesse and beautie thereof then for the name of Ashur which was the builder and first founder thereof as we reade in the booke of Genesis It had a faire name but foule deedes like this Citie Gen. 10. 12. Goeto Niniuie c. God would not suffer any people to bee vntaught therefore he hath written this name in great letters easie to bee read of all The heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth the work of his hands They haue no speech nor language without them is their Psal 19. 1. 2. 3. voyce heard Their line is gone foorth through all the earth their words into the ends of the world In them Rom. 1. 19. 20. is manifest for all what may bee knowne of God For his eternall power and God head are seene by the creation of the world but especially hee teacheth some by his word also Therefore he sent vnto the old world Noah Gen. 6. Gen. 19. Act. 16. 6. Lot to Sodome Moises to Israel and heere Ionah to Niniuie But when Paul with Silas and Timothy had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia they were forbidden of the Holy ghost to preach the word in Asia Then came they to Mysia and sought to goe into Bithynia but the spirit suffered them not Goe to Niniuie The Iewes would not heare the wod of God by Ionah and therefore the Lord sent him to Niniuie They that griue the spirit quench the spirit Then goes the Prophet from Samaria to Niniuie The word was in Samaria it went thence to Niniuie the Gospell was at Ephesus it is come into England it is gone out of the Citie Reu. 2. 4. 5. 1. Cor. 10. 12. but it may depart from England againe If any thinke that he standeth let him take heede left he fall But the Prophet goes from Samaria to Niniuie that was both to shake off the dust of his feete to witnesse against them their obstinacie and hardnes of heart and secondly to let them see that the wicked Gentiles were more righteous then they in that they repented at the voyce of one Prophet yea and that with one sermon whereas themselues refused and resisted all the holy and worthy Prophets that God sent vnto them And thirdly it may bee to signifie that the Iewes for their contempt and negligence should be reiected and the Gentiles should be receiued into the fauor of God that they might bee an holy and sanctified people vnto the Lord in their trouble That great Citie Niniuie had fifteen hundred towers in it as some doe Ion 2. 4. 11. write and a hundred twenty thousand little children as it is noted in the end of this story therefore it may well be called a great City but the greater it was the more vngodly it was For as one man taketh sicknesse of another so one man is infected by the wicked wordes and ill example of another and so taught to sinne the more till the measure of sinne be full And cry against it c. First God biddeth him Arise and shake off all impediments then to goe and call them to the battell and now he bids him cry out against them and so terrifie them Euery Prophet is a crier as appeareth where the Lord biddeth Esay to lift vp his voice like a trumpet Euery Esay 48. 1. Prophet must both bee plaine and bold and this many times maketh the poore seruants of God to speake their mindes as plaine and bold as if they sate in iudgement Iohn was a voyce a voyce would not serue he was Luk. 3. the voice of a cryer and yet hee could not make all the crooked straight nor the rough plaine And because all the Preachers of the Gospell should cry that is preach zealously in the second of the Actes it is written The Holy ghost came downe in fire and tongues but this fire is quenched and the tongues are tied vp so that they that should cry are starke dumbe but though they cannot speake they can see they can see if a great benefice fall though it be an hundred miles off and Pharaoh had more care of his sheepe then wee haue of our soules If Preachers were not deafe they needed not to crie one to another but such is the dumbnesse of Preachers and the deafenes of all sorts of hearers that there is great slownesse of followers so that there is but little good done and but a few fruits gathered If ye were not deafe we neede not to crie but because yee be dull of hearing therefore wee cry with mouth with heart with hand with foote and with all the powers of our bodies vnto you and yet how little do you regard it But are not ye commanded to heare as well as we to cry Yet the cocke croweth when men are asleep Mat. 36. 70. 72. 74. Prou. 28. 9. yea the cocke croweth and still Peter yet denieth his Master Before you cry vnto the Lord heare what the word crieth vnto you and let not your workes crie for vengeance while your tongues cry for mercie When men heare the Preacher speake against pride hypocrisie couetousnesse or anie other sinne then they looke one vpon another as though it belonged not vnto them but who can say his heart is cleane And cry against it Our sins buffet God on euerie side as the Iewes buffeted Christ first on the right side then on the left side and neuer leaue till they haue prouoked him to cry against vs. When God cries then we should weepe considering wherefore hee cries for there is nothing that can prouoke the Lord to cry but sinne
of God And he found a ship going to Tarshish Ionah was no sooner come to Iapho but he goes to the hauen or meetes with Mariners and presently vnderstands of a ship not going to Niniuie but to Tarshish As soone as hee set forward to flie from God Sathan straightwaies prepared a ship so that temptation and doccasion of sinne doe alwaies goe together Shall Iudas lack money or Ionah stay for a ship No saith Sathan by the mouth of his ministers here Iudas take thee money and betray thy Master and Ionah here is a ship for thee goe hast thee away and flie from the presence of the Lord. For the diuell is alwaies a very seruiceable and pleasant diuell to such as flie from God he can finde occasion at all times and meanes and instruments fit for that purpose If thou wilt flie from God the diuel will lend thee both spurres and a horse yea a post-horse and that will carry you swiftly and lustily away vnto all vanitie and vngodly lusts Therefore if any will aske what the diuels occupation is it is to tempt to entice by all meanes to prouoke to sin and then to prouide vs of the meanes to practise our purpose to commit and as Iames speaketh to bring forth sinne And he payed the fare thereof This mony was cast into the Sea it did him as little good as if hee had vtterly lost it it had beene good for him if he had lost it for it did him much harme There are many that will spend and waste they care not how much vpon cards and dice and vnlawfull games this money also is cast into the Sea for it doth them much more harme then they know of it doth them no good it were good for them they had not a penny to lose And so men care not what they pay for vanities braueries the most part of which is vnprofitable rather hurtfull then necessary for them but onely for the vaine vse of the present time and for some vaine respect this also is cast into the Sea and better should they be if they had it not to lauish and to their owne and many others hurt so to garnish themselues Men care not what they pay for their vanities so it doth please their mind for the presēt without consideration of the end and vse thereof but they will giue little or nothing to do good withall so that Lazarus can get nothing and Dauid can get no meat Shal Luke 16. 21. 1. Sam. 23. 10. 11. I take my bread and my wine and the flesh which I haue prouided for my shearers giue them vnto one whom J know not saith churlish Nabal We can be content to giue any thing or do any thing to win the world thereby but we will giue nothing nor doe nothing thereby to win the kingdom of God We haue heard Ionah confessing that hee receiued a charge to goe to Niniuie but hee arose and fled toward Tarshish and went downe to Iapho and found a ship going to Tarshish and paid the fare thereof and went downe into it heereafter we shall heare that being entred the ship hee went to sleepe and slept soundly and being wakened hee confessed not his sinne but suffered the Mariners to deuise to find out for whose cause they were to troubled and at length also the lots to bee cast neuer confessing it vntill he was enforced to it VVhat needed hee to rehearse all this had it not beene enough to haue said that he left his businesse vndone hee was a sinner No for God would haue men to know the stubbornnes and disobedience of Ionah in that this thing was not done vpon the sudden but vpon deliberation and in no short time but in some continuance while he went from Samaria to Iapho and thence was departed and had somewhile sailed In which space hee had leasure enough to haue repented but did not Ionah confessed his sinne that hee should not once haue listned to sathans assaults or reasons of the flesh and when hee had listned he should not haue liked them and when he had liked them he should not haue consented to obey them and when he had consented he should not haue put them in practise he should not haue fled toward Iapho and when he was come to Iapho he should not haue gone to the hauen and when he came to the heauen hee should not haue paid the fare and when hee had paid the fare he should not haue entred the ship and when he was entred the shippe he should not haue hoysed vp the sailes and sailed and gone to sleepe But this he did teaching that sinne runnes on wheeles as it were downe a hill in a ll post-hast and neuer staies till it ariue euen in hell For Ionah thought because he came safe to Iapho therefore he might goe to the heauens because he came well to the hauen therefore he might pay the fare and because he paid the fare in peace therfore he might take shipping and because he entred the ship in safety therefore he might hoyse vp the sailes to goe and because hee hoysed vp the sailes without danger therefore he might go securely to sleepe and safely to saile to Tarshish So sinnes follow one another like linkes of a chayne till the tempest of destruction breake it in sunder So saith the forlorne sinner I haue sworne and God did not punish mee therefore I will steale I haue stoln and God did not punish mee therefore I will kill I haue killed and God did not punish me then why may I not doe what I list I may do this as wel as I haue done other things heeretofore But if Ionah had considered with himselfe that God is the Lord who is all seeing almighty from whom nothing can be concealed hee would neuer haue taken his iourney to Iapho or when he came to Iapho hee would not haue paied the fare or when he had paied the fare hee would not haue entred the ship or when he was gone into the ship he would not haue hoist the sailes but rather would haue leapt out from that ship that should carry him from his God carrying him from his duty but he forgets himselfe thinking the creatures can hide him from the Creator which Heb. 4. 13. is an absurd thing to thinke seeing nothing can bee hid from him neither would any I say adde drunkennesse to thirst or heape sinne vpon sinne or suffer an euill thought to take place in him if they consider that the iust Iehouah be held them in all their very thoughts All those that pity Ionah let them pity themselues for if we consider our owne estate wee haue as many and as soule sinnes in vs as there were in Ionah yea in Niniuie Ionah confessed his sinne that we might confesse Hee confessed it freely he confessed it fully that hee knew his masters will but not onely did it not but also took another course quite contrary to that which hee was commanded and that not in purpose onely but in deede also not for an houre but a long time not in strugling with his weaknes but in a profound vngodly carelesnesse 〈◊〉 in striuing to ouer-master his conscience accusing him for his wickednes And wherefore hath he written it but to admonish vs narrowly to looke to our selues and manfully to fight that we may stand where he fell and when we haue fallen as freely and fully to confesse it to God alwaies and to man also when wisedome commaunds FINIS At London Printed for William Leake dwelling in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Holy Ghost 1610.