rule his owne family so how can it bee that you care to settle Religion in the places where you abide if you be carelesse of it in your owne families what care you haue to further it in the places of your abode will the better appeare if wee examine how yee vse the meanes to further it there which are of two sorts 1 either with men 2 or God With men and those are either 1. the Church liuings thou hast to bestowe 2. thy words and countenance 3. thy purse 4. thy iourneying 5. thy magistracie and authoritie If thou vse all these to furthering Religion in the place where thou dwellest thou reioycest in the truth if not thou doest not and so by consequence no loue in thee That we may the better perceiue this let vs consider these things in order 1. Art thou carefull to bestow these benefices and Church-liuings vpon able and sufficient teachers doe you commit holy things as the soules of the people the word of God and the Sacraments to holy men who haue vrim thummim purity of life and soundnesse of Doctrine nay rather are you not Ieroboams that prefer to the place of the Ministerie the baggage and refuse of men the more by farre of such now in the Church then of sufficient Preachers doth testifie it to your shame O let vs pray that these things were amended Here had I thought to haue spoken to the reuerend Father of this Church but let mee speake to his eares and eies that I would haue done to him namely that forasmuch as Patrones bee carelesse whom they present but most commonly him that will giue most or hath greatest friends caring not a iote to falsifie the trust committed to them O that it would please our Church gouernours to be carefull of these things and to admit institute and induct none but men sufficient and therefore not to be ouer intreated by great Persons nor importuned by flatterers about you who for their Bribes not for any goodwill to the Church importune you Thus by your care of bestowing your Liuings you may see whether you haue any ioy in Religion yea or no. But alas by this it appeareth that the Patrons of our dayes haue little Loue that way For who seeketh for an able Minister but one that is able to giue well for it before hee haue it Now let vs come to see what reioycing you haue in the truth by vsing your word and countenance to profit the same Whom doe you speake for and vouchsafe a good word to Is it for the distressed Iewes Dost thou speake to Ahashuerosh in their behalfe Doeth the benefit of thy words extend to the Saints that are vpon the earth Doest thou further their causes and defend them Little of this beloued amongst you I would I might not say the quite contrarie that your tongues are sharpe arrowes and speares against them and that you are speakers for and fauourers of Romane Catholickes many of you more then of Protestants Thus by your words and countenance you little shew your reioycing in the trueth Let vs see what you doe with your Purse Dost thou lay out thy money to haue the Darkenes remooued and the Light I meane the Gospel of Christ brought to thee Dost thou buy the trueth Nay rather do not you sell it As the buying and selling of Church liuings and Offices in these dayes rather shew Doe you lay out your money to continue the sincere and sound Ministerie of the word amongst you Nay rather is it not to thrust them out For many spend that way but few the other is it to defend innocent and righteous persons and causes Nay rather is it not to fee a Procter to speake against them whom thou vniustly slanderest Is it to buy good Bookes No rather to buy Play bookes Ballads and wanton Sonnets if not Popish bookes Is it spent to relieue the Saints vpon the earth No but vpon the scumme of the world Stage players the bellowes of lust Fidlers and Roguish Musitians by all which you shew plainely you reioyce not in the trueth for by laying out of your money you shew the same And as in this so I doubt you shew your selues little better in the next which is your iournying For do you iourney with Ezra to seeke the Law of the Lord and to teach it in Israel Is it to good exercises No rather it is to thy whorish sports and pastimes for the satisfying of thy self wherein no iourney is too long too tedious or chargeable whereby you shew your want of Loue by your little reioycing in the trueth trauailing against it not for it Now let vs come to the last meanes to bee vsed amongst men and that is Magistracie what answere will this giue I doubt as the former Let vs see a litle by more particular discourse First you Gentlemen to whom is committed the Sword in the Countrey doe you vse it to forward pietie and godlinessse there Let the Greene meetings the May-powles and May-fooles the Wakes Barebaitings and Footeball playings vpon the Sabbath day say whether you doe or not But to leaue you let me come to this Citie and to you Right Honourable the L. Mayor with the rest of your Brethren the Aldermen and the Officers of this Corporation Doe you exercise your Authoritie to further Religion Let the prophanation of the Sabbath by trauailers into and out of your Citie the carying of burdens in your Citie The publike and secret Markets kept in your Citie both in Streetes in Cheapeside and other places by Apple-women c. Gracious-streete I had almost said Gracelesse streete with her Morning and Euening Market In Shops in the Morning in Tipling-houses ware-houses whore-houses and Tauernes all the day witnesse this and more then this The selling of corrupt Wares yea of the badges of Idolatrie say what you doe O beloued what shall I say But mourne for these things O draw out your Sword of Iustice Right Honourable and stand out like a man of Warre for the redresse of these things Know that your Authoritie is not onely for man but for God to maintaine his Lawes knowe that you stand charged with the whole Citie and the Gates of the same for the yeere and therefore looke to it you are guiltie of the sinnes of those that breake the Sabbath within your iurisdiction by any of the wayes aforesaid if you striue and labour not the amendment of the same You will say what shall I doe I will tell thee what Set a man at euery Gate of the Citie and let the Gates be shut before the Sabbath and not opened vntill the Sabbath bee ended as Nehemiah did whom thou art herein to follow Nehem. 13.19 and if this will not serue vse thy Authoritie to driue them from about the Gates suffer not burdens to be caried both vpon Carts Horses and the backes of men as they vsually are the Lord cannot endure it Iere. 17.20 Ad finem Let not the
it is well they haue no part nor portion in prayer what is the cause of this they are so curiously to bee dressed that the whole morning is too little for that or else they haue accompts to take or one thing or other to confer of that they can come no sooner And as they are tardy commers so who so infrequent there as these persons they haue farmes or yokes of Oxen or the like that they cannot come if once of the day they thinke that sufficient if twise they thinke that more then needeth and that then God is so beholding to them that hee must of desert and in liew of that seruice vouchsafed that day allow them the rest of the Sabboth before and after either for their worldly commodities or cursed delights Besides all this who so hardly drawne to Christ as they they are like to Pickrels not easily nor often taken a man may take twentie Pinkes and lesser fishes before one Pickrell for hee preieth so sore at his pleasure vpon the lesser fishes that hee seldome or neuer hath any stomacke to bite at the bait and so fareth it with the rich men of the world their stomacks are so cloyed with the crusts and hard fare of the things of this life that when the doctrine of saluation is preached they haue no appetite thereto the young man found it to be true nothing hindred his comming to Christ but the losse of his riches vntill our Sauiour tolde him that must be the thing he must part withall who forwarder then hee This hardnesse that experience letteth vs see our Sauiour taught vs saying It is as hard for a rich man to come to the Kingdome of heauen as for a cable to goe through the eye of a needle and not only this but they are meanes to draw men from God as Lots wiues example testifieth and daily experience witnesseth O let these considerations enter into thy heart and cease thou by iniustice to seeke that which is such an enemie to thee in comming to holy exercises and hinderers of thee from comming to Christ pullers of thee from him when thou hast laide hold on him They are dangerous in getting and not safe in keeping who seeth it not that it is a hard thing for a man to be rich and keepe a good conscience and wallie vprightly with God And therefore may I well compare the climbing vp to preferment and the getting of riches to a tree whoâ—e boughes and leaues be hung and clogged with hony vnto which when a hungry man commeth hee falleth of licking one leafe and bough after another vntill he is caried so high from one to another through the greedinesse of his hunger that he slippeth slideth and cannot stay himselfe but downe he commeth and breaketh legge or arme if hee scape with life So dangerous beloued is it to climbe vp the tree of riches for most commonly men lay holde so vpon one hundred after another and one thousand after another that they endanger themselues sore if they escape with saluation of soule and body And truly as they are thus dangerous in comming by so they are not lesse dangerous in vsing keeping them for how can a man lie in a bed of thornes and not be prickt or how can a man feede vpon little fishes full of bones and not be in danger of choaking without good take heede Let this moue vs to ease from climbing by iniustice to riches so dangerous in getting and no lesse in keeping Consider what thou shalt leaue to thy children if thou leaue them goods thus gotten not that thou weenest thou were better to leaue them beggers then thus For thou leauest them in an vnquiet possession hauing God their enemie and howsoeuer thy children proue they cannot be good to them If godly then they will be continuall griefes to them to see those in their possession for which their father is gone to the diuell If worldlings like thy selfe thou hast made them able to build on as thou hast begun the tower of Babell if prodigall then thou hast taken the way to make him more prodigall then which to haue seene in thy life time thou hadst rather haue beene childlesse in that he had not beene borne or in hauing him taken from thee before thee by death O then beloued why wilt thou labour thus to much thy selfe and to hoord vp in this manner that which neither is good for thee nor thy children after thee Consider the little auaile and profit that is in these things What euils did they free thee from not from sicknesse I am sure for the rich is sicke as well as the poore will they comfort thee vpon thy death-bed when thy conscience is awaked in horror and griefe No. And therefore thou canst not endure the sight of them they being as so many witnesses foretelling to thee thy damnation whereupon it is that thou saiest thou art dead to the world hast put all earthly matters out of thy sight and why doest thou so not for any minde thou hast to leaue them but to stop the mouth of thy conscience which could not rest accusing and tormenting thee whilst thou hadst them in thy hand But albeit they cannot free thee heere from paine nor comfort thee vpon thy death-bed it may be they can free thee from hell no such matter all that a man hath is too little to free a mans soule from thence Diues must to hell from all his riches because he would not part with them to the poore much more the rich men of our daies that not onely will not giue to the poore but by all meanes they can take from them Oh let this enter into thy heart and if none of the former considerations will preuaile with thee let this to stay thee from further seeking there is no more auaile in riches then in pouerty Now let vs come to the practises which are three the first is prayer that which Dauid hath taught Encline my heart vnto thy testimonies and not to couetousnesse this prayer howsoeuer it is entertained I am sure it is not practised which must be if euer you will come to the practise of iustice You would haue liked me better if I had put couetousnesse in the place of thy testimonies and thy testimonies in the place of couetousnesse Vse this prayer and continually striue with the Lord and thou shalt see the effect sure for he is faithfull that hath promised Consider in euery thing thou doest in thy buying selling purchasing and taking possession lending and receauing that thou must giue account of what thou doest yea alwaies thinke thou hearest the Lord sounding in thy eares this sentence Redde rationem villicationis tuae which will be a meanes and that an excellent one to cause thee to looke to thy waies least by iniustice thou reape to thy selfe damnation Take more then ordinarie paines as thou castest thy booke daily and yearely to see what and how
Sabbath be a Market day for the things of the body which God hath set to be the Market day of the soule Looke that Play bookes and wanton Sonnets the meanes of corrupting yong minds bee not countenanced neither in Printing nor selling by you much lesse Popish bookes but with the rest forget not to abandon the Reliques of Idolatrie from Cheapeside I meane Rings with Crucifixes vpon the same vsually sold there Is it not a thing vncredible that our King who lamenteth the whore of Rome should haue in his Kingdome yea in the chiefest Citie of his Kingdome and the stateliest streete of the same the Badges of that Whore to bee solde yea which is more from thence to bee transported to Popish Countries to furnish them with the same O looke to these and other grosse matters set your selfe to a happy and speedy reformation of the same set vpon it you shall not loose your labour you shall get you praise both in heauen and earth God will loue you the Angels loue you and men will praise you I for my part will and my Brethren succeeding me in this place will giue you your due praise wee will say many Mayors haue done worthily but you haue excelled them all as may witnesse the good commendations of the late Mayor and his officers your Honors and your predecessors giuen vnto him for the good he did in reforming in some measure some of the abhominations aforesaide who began to build the Temple I meane this happy reformation for you but I know not how it is vnhappily all cast in the dust againe Consider this right Honourable and set to the worke you haue let slacke And not onely this but consider why the Lord hath called you to this place not that you should play your part like a Player vpon the Stage or to stand for a Cipher but that you should shew your selfe a man and why hath he suffered these things to be vnreformed but that you should doe the same Let me say to you as Mordecay to Hester Who knoweth whether God hath brought you to this place for this end yea or no Therefore doe it if you will not God will haue reformation by some other but you and yours shall perish If this will not perswade consider a third thing and that is the benefit that is likely to come hereby and that not onely to you but to this whole Citie as the Prophet witnesseth in Ierem. 17.24.25 And assure your selfe if you doe it not the neglect of this by you will bring seuen worse plagues then yet haue beene seene in this Citie that you shall be farre from sitting as now you doe with mirth in your seates of command O let this perswade or if not hearken to a fourth perswasion the comfort thou shalt haue in thy conscience vpon thy death-bed if thou canst turne thy selfe to the wall and say Lord behold I haue vvalked vvith an vpright heart in my Mayraltie If thou canst not say this what wil it auaile thee to make a Will and to bequeath hundreds and thousands and yet art not able to turne thy selfe in peace to God O consider this and as thou tenderest the peace and comfort of conscience then when all things else will be comfortlesse so looke to discharge this I giue thee to vnderstand of If this will not preuaile let this last consideration the walking in thy office as I haue directed will make thee with boldnesse to appeare before God in prayer with Nehemiah 5 19. Remember me O my God in goodnesse according to all that I haue done for this people Which he could neuer haue so boldly vttered as he did except he had walked conscionably in his calling O let these enter into your honourable brest and consider of them at home and euery day that we may see to the praise of God and your saluation some good effect of this daies worke But why should I stand so long vpon these things me thinks I perceiue that you are and will be as ready to reforme these things as I to discouer them Deceaue not my perswasion right honourable least you frustrate your owne saluation Thus hauing done with the fiue seuerall meanes which euery man that reioyceth in the trueth for the furthering of the same in the place where he dwelleth vseth amongst men as they concerne him let vs come to the means euery man that reioyceth in the truth vseth to further it by with God and that is prayer Which fewe vse and therefore doe so little good as they doe they thinke if they bestow their liuings well speake for and countenance good men spende their money for furthering such causes and persons and iourney to the same end and vse their Magistracie Authoritie for the like then they haue done enough but alas there is one thing which procureth a blessing to all these wanting and that is harty prayer which Dauid vsed in the 51. Psal ver 18. Be fauourable vnto Sion for thy good pleasure build vp the walls of Ierusalem without this thinking his not ceasing to giue the temples of his head any rest till he had found a place for the worship of God and his great a-doe to procure the wealth of Ierusalem was to no end or little worth See and examine thy selfe whether with the former thou ioine the latter if not it argueth thou hast no great heart-burning to or liking of Religion Now followeth the third marke whereby wee may know if wee reioyce in Religion and the happy successe of the same namely If such be companions to vs and wee delight to haue our houses fraughted with such both children and seruants and the more forwarder that way the better liked of vs nay if we be as we should wee will remoue from the Idols of Ieroboam and goe to Rehoboam wee will not stay in Pharaohs Court but will goe to liue with Gods children though in affliction But alas where is this to be found that the companie of such are acceptable to vs and so consequently where is there any reioycing in the trueth this proueth that fewe or none bee louers of the same I doubt the fourth will haue little better successe which is a mourning for the decay of Religion but where is there any to be found that is grieued for the carying away of the Arke by the Philistims crying with Elies daughter in law the Arke is taken away and the glory is departed from Israel Where is any to be found sorrowing to see the people scattered as sheepe vpon a mountain without a shepheard who coūteth this amongst nay the greatest of their griefes and sorrowes that the wayes to Gods house are vntroden that her enemies are the chiefe therein but who of all men doth make the absence from Gods house and seruice and the exercises of Religion the matter of their complaint not being any where whilst they are absent there-from able to sing merrily Few such beloued if any therefore