reconciliation with God when by casting off sinne in this houre he may in this houre cast off al these curses and miseries accompanying sinne and so both liue a blessed life all his time and close vp his daies with a blessed death which shall be the beginning of eternall life what foolish bodie wouldly forty or fifty yeares mortally languishing of some disease refusing to be cured all his best time and seeking helpe onely in his last worst time when the cure is doubt full by reason nature is decayed or if he recouer yet he cannot enioy his health aboue a day or a weeke or a month and then giue ouer life all But ten thousand times worse infatuated are they that would lie the whole age of a mā in a mortall languishment of soule as it were bedred by reason of sinne and neuer take the physick of repentance till they lie gasping for breath when it is vncertaine whether they shall then haue leasure to repent or if they repent whether it will be of force and able to fetch life in the soule being so farre gone in that desperate consumption or if they recouer and liue the true life which rarely happens they liue in a sort too late both to themselues and others CHAP. 4. THey haue euer proued vnprofitable in religion that haue held too much of that truantly rule the way to well doing is neuer too late Eccles Therefore Salomon calles vpon yong men to remember their Creator in their yong daies as if well doing were neuer too soone Heb. 3.13 And the Apostle exhorteth the Hebrues to call one vpon another to turne to God whilest it is called to day not to make it a morrowes worke his reason is Lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnes of sinne See heere then one maine danger of dwelling in our sinnes and putting off our amendment from one day to another the longer we continue in sinne the more we are hardened in sinne so that at length wee cannot repent no though wee seeke it with teares as Esau did It is as easie to temper the flint stone betweene our fingers and to make it soft and pliable for sealing as to supple our stonie hearts and fit thē to receiue the impression of grace you thinke you can repent when you will and apprehend the mercies of God when your owne leasure serues you but you are deceiued it is not in man to order his waies nor to returne into the right path being mislead Sinne is cunning and will make you beleeue you may come and goe without entanglement or restraint especially whilest you haue day light enough before you But trust not this fleering Iahel for if you vse to turne in to sleepe in her tent and tast of her milke and butter which she can set in a Lordly dish she wil when you suspect least nayle your head to the ground that it shall be impossible to get loose from her Iudg. 16. This Dalila hath a crue of Philistines ready in a corner when she hath shorne the lockes of your strength vpon her lap to come vpon you and bind you with fetters and put out your eies that you shall neither haue power to start nor yet see the meanes to make an escape In your youth she will teach you to excuse your mistreadings with It is the time and when that excuse is out of fashion by reason of more yeares puld ouer your heads then she will reach you another Apologie It hath beene my custome and I cannot leane it and then followeth hardnes of heart that you cānot repent the greatest iudgemēt that God bringeth vpon a man or woman in this world for then we are past hope God hath decreed our destruction and all the prayers and suffrages of the faithfull which are of great force will doe vs no good God wil answere as hee did to Ieremie Doe not intreat noe for them Ier. 7.16 14.11 make no intercession to doe them good for I wil in no wise heare you I haue thrust them out of my sight I haue decreed to destroy them Yet you may preuent this iudgement yet your custome of euil is not so strong but you may breake it yet you may cast off a litle and a little by good custome that which you haue got at times by euill custome yet your hearts are tender flexible deferre not the new moulding of them til they be growne peruerse and incorrigible lay hold of offered grace whilest the accepted time the day of saluation lasts Remember he that promiseth mercie to the penitent hath not promised repentance to the presumer vpon mercy nor one day of life to the delayer of repentance But you are yong and healthy what then therefore you are not like to die do not lambes skinnes come to be sold as well as sheepes skinnes Doe we not see and heare where euer we go that men and women die that were neither sicke nor old wee may say we will go to morrow to such a place to see such a commodity to receiue such a summe of money to make merry c. and yet before this next euening may heare that voice Foole to preuent thy bargainings thy talkings thy merriments c. this night before the morrow thy soule shall be taken from thee Aske but that one street which leadeth from the City to the common iudgement hall how many times her stones haue beene bestained with the reeking gore of murdered men since the beginning of this last terme and tell me whether life be so sure a thing when so many sound bodies haue groand their last in a peaceable well gouerned City within the compasse of one terme and the limits of one street and how knowest thou whether thy time be not as short as theirs seeing as I said afore not onely wicked men vpon earth but all the Diuels in hell all the creatures in the world are armed against thee whilest thou remainest impenitent and weltrest in thy sinnes Thou knowest how short warning Esay 38.1 Ezekias had Put thy house in order for thou shalt die and not liue Numb 20.25 And Aron Bring Aron and Eleazar his sonne vp into mount Hor and cause him to put off his garments and put them vpon his sonne and then he shall die immediately vpon the top of the mount What if the like warning were giuen thee where is thy repentance then become where are thy good purposes for hereafter Then thou wilt cry out if I had knowne my time had beene so short Ifs at deaths aproch vaine foolish I would long ere this haue reformed my waies If it were now to begin my life I would take another course In what sanctimony and vprightnes would I walke before God man O that the Lord would spare me a little before I goe away from hence and be no more seene O that he would allowe me but one moneth or one weekes respite
cannot afford it at such a price and that they will keep it seuen yeares before they will sell it so and yet let their customers back be no sooner turned to be gone but presently he is called againe and his money taken which before was refused with so many othes If Seruants will thus burden their consciences for their masters profit many against their masters wils what will they do for themselues who shall let them then to sweare away all faith truth and conscience for euer to sweare their soules to the Diuel that they shall neuer repent and to sweare a plague into their houses which shall consume the very timber and stones of it O my Brethren tremble at this prouoking sinne tremble to bring the great and holy name of the Lord for a witnesse to your base twelue penny lies tremble to deale so saucily with the omnipotent Maiestie that can send a deadly thunderbolt to strike you presently thorow in the place where you stand Beare with a vehement speech when it proceedes out of a loue more vehement For your pretious soules sake leaue off this profitlesse and pleasurelesse sinne let this be the first sinne thou fightest against and when thou hast got the victory of this the rest of thy conquest will be the easier Hast thou beene a prophaner of the Sabbath and one that hath made no conscience of going to Church longer then thy masters eie hath been vpon thee and when thou hast beene there hast made small account of that which hath beene taught but either hast been talking or sleeping or idly or wickedly thinking c. Henceforth frequent more duely the the holy sanctuary and house of praier prepare thy selfe aforehand that thou maiest reap profit of the things which thou shalt heare intend more reuerently and deuoutly to Gods worship rob not the Lord of the day which he hath consecrated to the glory of his great name he requireth but the seuenth six are ours and shal we not afford him one If a Father hauing called his children together should tell them It is so that I haue cast vp my accounts and I find my estate to be worth seuen thousand pound six of which seuen thousand I am content presently to part with among you and the one thousand see you vse as thriftily and carefully to my behoof as you would the six thousand to your owne What ingratitude vnreuerence were it to so bountifull a Father for these children hauing gotten the seuen thousand pound into their hands to turne all to their owne vse and aduantage neuer respecting their kinde Fathers good nor his charge vnto them or at the most so carelesly that it may appeare there is but little religion of their vow in them The Lord who is our heauenly Father hath giuen vs six daies to do our businesse and affaires in and onely one day he hath reserued to himselfe appointing vs to bestow it in his worship and seruice because that day is his delight as the Prophet saith what negligence what impiety what contempt can be greater then for vs to spend the whole weeke in following our pleasures or our drudgeries whē the holy Sabbath comes to intrude into our heauenly fathers right and consume that also in the carnall workes or couetous proiects or ordinary exercises of the weeke before what intolerable auarice is it or sacriledge rather hauing so bountiful allowance from our heauenly father not to be content vnlesse we may seaze his peculiar reseruation into our hands also This is right to haue thousands of sheepe pasturing vpon our owne downes and yet to kill the poore mans onely Lambe that slept in his bosome for the prouision of our house But here some will say it is true we must lay away all worke on the Sabbath day but yet to sell and take money for wares in the shop before and after seruice is no great worke and therfore as good do that as stand idle No I deny it for as the prouerbe goeth amongst vs Thou hadst better be idle then ill occupied so they were better stand still then vent their commodities they be both sins but selling of ware is the greater how little soeuer for a man may aswell take 40. pounds that day as one pēny For Gods cōmandemēt is broken in both In the 16 of Exodus GOD condemneth the Israelits for purposing to gather Manna on the Sabbath day what easier worke could there be then this nay moreouer it was to be done between fiue and six a clock in the morning when they might haue serued GOD all the day after and they needed not to haue gone far for it neither but onely come forth of their doores and stoop to take it vp But marke whē they came forth they found nothing Here is a good lesson for vs to learne that as they went out to gather Manna on the Sabbath day and found nothing so the gaines that is gotten by selling wares on the Sabbath day is iust nothing howsoeuer men are blinded and thinke the contrary for GODS curse eates it vp and more too I grant we are not tied to so strict an obseruation of the Sabbath in euery respect as the Iewes were yet thus farre the morall part of the precept doth oblige vs to the worlds end namely to do no workes on that day but workes of holines or of meere necessity but men now a daies make no bones to step ouer any of Gods lawes when they bee in the way of their profit and yet they will be good Christians too We remember that day to pamper our belies with good cheere and fine clothes and to take our pleasure we remember to keep a right Epicures Sabbath but to heare Gods word taught to lay our petitions in common together in our Churches and to cal our families together when wee come home that wee may bee the better for that wee haue heard which is the right christians Sabbath this we remember vtterly to forget I am perswaded there is more wickednesse committed both by Prentises and others on the Lords day then on any three daies in the weeke beside and the reason is because men for the most part will see that their seruants shall follow the businesse of their trades all the weeke but vpon Gods day they are careles of them and suffer them to do what they list themselues That is the day of their recreation For as Salomon saith it is a pastime to a foole to doe euill When they should walke to the Lecture for the recreation of their soules the masters are walkt to their gardens or the fields for their bodily pleasure and the seruants to the Tauerne or to some place of greater corruptiō to the endāgering of their soules so the word preached to them in the day time before is no better then the seed that fell vpon stony ground because for want of due rehearsal afterward which is as it were the depth of earth it withereth
matters as giue them deserued correction with wisedome discretion For certainly my Brethren had not I had such a master whose care and diligence hath beene so great ouer me in restraining mee from that scope liberty which my wretched and vntamed nature did desire it had beene better a thousand times I had neuer beene borne For my bringing vp from my childhood vntill the time I came to my master was most miserable and wretched by reason of my sinnes and the ignorance wherein I liued as the case of too too many is in these daies yea and since I came to be a Prentise vntill of late time my life was most odious and abominable both in the sight of GOD and Man But blessed bee the name of the Lord who hath giuen me a good master to hold me backe that I could not be so wicked as I would and hath now also in some measure opened mine eies which haue beene a long time kept shut that I might see how to wind my feet out of the snare of Satan Therefore my deere Brethren vnto all those I speake that desire to bee partakers of the heauenly ioyes in the life to come shew yourselues obedient to your masters and submit your selues vnder the yoake yea although it bee irksome to the flesh for you knowe nor the great profit and rewarde that commeth thereby Vngodlinesse of Prentises But certainly in griefe I speake it Prentises for the most part were neuer so leaudly and so wickedly giuen neuer so vaine and so licentious neuer so full of scoffing and derision neuer so insolent and contemptuous of God and good men as they be in these dayes For we are so apt to be corrupted and being corrupted to corrupt partly by reason of our nature and partly of the place that vnlesse our Masters be the more circumspect in bringing of vs vp the soules of many thousand Prentises will be required at their hands impunitie boldening vs in sinne and sinne deceitfully hardening our hearts that all thought of repentance is put away from vs or if any shall friendly remember vs his best thanke is a mock for his labour When inquisition shall be made for bloud of soules I would euery one could stand forth say Not guiltie but the Prentises themselues But I feare greatly that the Masters will be to blame in that day also and be put to their shifts for a currant answer when they shall find none For without offence to any man I will speake a little where is that Master almost that questions with his seruants about any religion at all It may be sometimes he will send them to Church but when they returne what doth he aske them of their learning or profiting there vnlesse perhaps once at the hundreds end hee vouchsafe to knowe the chapter and verse of the Text which betweene the Church-doore and home euen a Parrot wold be taught to pronounce Let him send any of his people of some worldly businesse and hee will be sure to aske him how he sped and nothing will he leaue vnasked to vnderstand the effect of the errand hee sent him about but for Gods businesse and soule matters be they performed negligently or not done at all it mattereth not he is sure no account will be required of any such thing all the time of his prentiship And this is the reason that seruants depart as ignorant after they haue serued seuen or eight yeares seruice as they were when they came first not of their trades I meane of that which is more worth then all the trades in the worlde For a man shall profit much to know God The true knowledge of God will bring more sound profit in one day to a man then the best trade in London will doe in seuen yeares For godlinesse is profitable vnto all things saith the Apostle as hauing the blessings of this life and of that which is to come Howbeit some there be in London that I knowe and more I doubt not that I knowe not which vse good orders in their houses to the generall good of their families and I desire the Lord to increase their number But a hundred to one neuer spent any time with their seruants in the exercises of religion no not so much as to call them to prayers either morning or euening once in a yeare whereas they are bound in duty to God to do it euery morning euening and although there were no cōmandement from God nor president in this kind yet very necessity and the sloth of youth should cōstraine vs surely if masters would care as they should to traine vp their housholds in the feare of god in the practise of good things it could not be that London should harbor so many vngodly Prētises or that diuers men shold cōplain as they do of seruants leaudnes that they cannot thriue in the world for they haue good meanes of getting but is spent they cannot tell how so soone as it is gotten Alas how can it be any otherwise if their seruants be not taught the feare of GOD and to keep a good cōscience how is it possible that euer they should haue any true seruice at their hands But some will say againe this is not so for by experience I can speake this of a truth that for mine own part I neuer instructed my folks in all my life in any religion at all No I neuer heard them so much as to read a chapter and yet I thanke God he hath blessed me with good seruāts For I finde my riches to increase and I thriue well and therefore it is not the bringing of them vp in religion that makes a man come forward in the world but if his fortune be good wealth with come on Fortune no no it is the great handy work of GOD in some mens seruants that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse and seeke more for saluation then their masters be aware of or else their poore soules might be cast away and perish for euer and then who knowes not that such a man thriues for his seruants sake as Laban did for Iacobs and as Potiphar did for Iosephs Or it may be GOD casts his blessings into thy lap euen against all meanes to stirre thee vp to greater thankfulnesse and care to serue him afterwards or else to leaue thee the more vnexcusable in his great iudgement for not performing such duty and seruice And therefore let none cast surmises of excuse to colour or shift out the matter any longer but wherein it appeareth to your owne consciences you haue beene negligent make amends with more care hereafter aske not which of your neighbours doth thus and thus and if they do it not you meane not to begin But resolue you with Ioshua let others take what course they will I and my house will serue the Lord. Let your people see you going before them in the practise of euery good thing and in the abhorring and