their superiours whereof prayer and instructions are a part Moreouer I demand whether you were neuer angry or no Asune Yes an hundred times in my daies And I thinke there is no body but will be angry at one time or other especially when they haue cause Theol. Then you haue broken the sixt commandemēt which chargeth vs to auoid wrath anger malice desire of reuenge and all such like fore-runners vnto murther Further I aske you whether you did neuer looke vpon a woman with a lust in your heart Asune Yes For I thinke there is no man free from thoughts that way I had thought thoughts had beene freee Theol. No thoughts are not frée before God For God knoweth our thoughts wil punish vs arraigne vs condemne vs for thoughts Men know not thoughts and therefore can make no Lawes against thoughts but because God is priuy to all our most secret thoughts therefore hée hath made Lawes against them and will condemne them Therfore I conclude that if you haue nourished adulterous thoughts in your heart you are guilty of the breach of the seuenth commandement which forbiddeth all secret thoughts and prouocations whatsoeuer to adultery But further I demaund whether you did neuer pilfer purloine and steale some small things from your neighbour as pasture poultry conies apples and such like Asun I cannot cleare my selfe in these things For I had thought they had bin no sinne Theol. Then haue you broken the eight commandement and stand guilty of eternall death For God in this commandement chargeth vs to haue as great care of our neighbours goods as of our owne and not to iniure him any maner of way in thought word or déed Therefore all deceit pilfering oppressing and all vniust dealing with our neighbours goods is héere condemned Moreouer let me aske you whether you did neuer lie or dissemble Asune Yes assuredly Theo. Then haue you broken the ninth commandement wherein God chargeth vs both in witnesse-bearing and all other matters to speake the plaine truth from our heart without lying or dissembling Last of all I demand whether you did neuer in your hart desire somthing that was not your owne as your neighbours house or ground kine or shéepe c. therein bewraying the discontentment of your heart Asune I am as guilty in this as in any thing For God forgiue me I haue often desired and lusted after this and that which was none of mine owne and so haue bewraied my discontentment Theol. Then I perceiue by your owne confession that you are guilty of the breach of all the Commandements Asune I must needs confesse it For I see now more into that matter then euer I did I neuer heard so much before in my life nor was euer asked any such questions as you aske me I had thought many of those things which you asked me had beene no sinnes at all Theol. I could haue conuicted you in a thousand other particulars wherein you doe daily and hourely breake the Law of God But my purpose was onely to giue you a taste of some particular transgressions and there withal some little light by the way into the meaning of the law that thereby you might be brought to some better fight of your selfe and might a little perceiue in what case you stand before God and by that little conceiue a great deale more Asune Well now I doe plainely see that I haue beene deceiued and am not in so good estate before God as I thought I had beene Moreouer I see that thousands are out of the way which thinke they are in a good case before God whereas indeed they are in blindnesse and in their sins But Lord haue mercy vpon vs. I doe now plainely see that I am farre from keeping the commandements and I thinke no man doth keepe them Theol. You may swear it I warrant you For neither S. Paul Dauid or the virgin Mary could euer kéepe any one of the Commandements I am glad you begin to sée into the law of God and to haue some taste that way For as a mans knowledge and insight is into the law so is the knowledge and insight into himself He that hath a déepe insight into the law of God hath also a déepe insight into himselfe He that hath no sight into the law can haue no insight into himselfe For the law is that glasse wherein we do behold the face of our soules before God The Apostle saith By the law commeth the knowledge of sinne Therefore those which are altogether ignorant of the law and neuer behold themselues in this glasse do commit an hundred sinnes a day which they know not of and therefore are not gréeued for them For how can a man be gréeued for that which he knoweth not But now further I pray you giue me leaue to aske you some moe questions of the principles of religion to the end that you knowing and féeling your ignorance may bée humbled therwith bewaile it in time séeke after the true knowledge of God But yet by the way I will aske Antilegon a question or two because I desire to vnderstand what knowledge he hath in the grounds of religion Tell me therefore Antilegon what was the reason why Christ was conceiued by the holy Ghost Antil I could answer you but I will not What authority haue you to examine me Shew your Commission When I see your warrant I wil answer you In the meane time you haue nothing to doe to examine me Meddle with that you haue to doe withall Theol. I perceiue you are not only ignorant but wilfull and obstinate and refuse all instructions Therefore I will leaue you to God and to your galled conscience But I pray you Asunetus answer that question What thinke you what is the reason that Christ was conceiued by the holy Ghost Asune Beleeue me Sir that is an hard question You may aske a wise man that question For I cannot answer it Theo. What say you then to this Who was Christs mother Asune Mary Sir that was our blessed Lady Theol. What was Pontius Pilate Asun I am somwhat ignorant I am not book-learned but if you will haue my simple opinion I thinke it was the diuell For none but the diuell would put our sweet Sauiour to death Theo. What is the holy Catholicke Church which you say you doe beléeue Asune The Communion of Saints the forgiuenesse of sinnes Theol. What doe you pray for when you say Thy Kingdome come Asune I do pray that God would send vs all of his grace that we may serue him do as we ought to do keepe vs in a good mind to God ward and to haue him much in our mind For som God blesse vs haue nothing but the diuell in their minde they do nothing a Gods name Theol. What is a Sacrament Asune The Lords Supper Theol. How many Sacraments be there Asune Two Theol. Which be they Asune Bread and Wine Theo. What is the principall end
they haue a thousand eies vpon them euery day and that not onely gazing vpon them but also prying very narrowly into them to spie out the least moat that they may make a mountaine of it For as in a cleane white paper one little spot is soone espied but in a péece of browne paper twenty great blurs are scant discerned euen so in Noble men Judges Magistrates Justices Preachers and Professors the least spot or specke is soone seene into but amongst the baser sort and most grosse liuers almost nothing is espied or regarded Phila. Sith the eies of all men are bent and fixed vpon such men as are of some note therefore they had neede verie heedfully to looke to their steps that they may take away all aduantage from them that seeke aduantage Theol. Yes verily And furthermore they had néed to pray with Dauid alwaies Direct my steps O Lord in thy word and let none iniquitie haue dominion ouer mee And againe Order my doings that my footsteps slippe not vphold mee in mine integritie For if such men bée neuer so little giuen to swearing to lying to drinke or to women it is espied by and by and therewithall their credit is cracked their fame ouer-cast their glory eclipsed and the date of their good name presently expired Phila. Now as you haue shewed what great hurt these sinnes doe bring vpon our soule bodies goods and name so also I pray you shew what danger they doe bring vpon the whole land Theol. Questionlesse they doe pull downe the wrath of God vpon vs all and giue him iust cause to breake all in péeces and vtterly to subuert ouerthrow the good estate both of church and Common-wealth yea to make a finall consumption and desolation of all For they be the very fire-brands of Gods wrath and as it were touch-wood to kindle his anger and indignation vpon vs. For the Apostle saith For such things commeth the wrath of God vpon the children of disodedience Phila. Declare vnto vs out of the Scriptures how the Lord in former times hath punished whole Nations and Kingdomes for these and such like sinnes Theol. In the fourth of Hosea the Lord telleth his people that hée hath a controuersie with the inhabitants of the Land and the reason is added because there was no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the Land By swearing lying killing stealing and whoring they breake out and blood toucheth blood Therefore shall the land mourne and euery one that dwelleth therein shall be cut off Héere then we sée what it is that wil incense God against vs and cause vs all to mourne So likewise the Lord threatneth by his Prophet Amos that for the cruelty and oppression of the poore hée would plague the whole land Shall not the land tremble for this sayth the Lord and euerie one mourne that dwelleth therein Againe the Lord sayeth by his Prophet Ieremie Doe they prouoke mee to anger and not themselues to the confusion of their owne faces Therefore thus sayth the Lord Behold mine anger and my wrath shall bee powred vpon this place vpon man and beast vpon the tree of the field and vpon the fruit of the ground and it shall burne and not be quenched Againe the Lord saith If yee will not heare these words I swear by my selfe saith the Lord that this house shall be waste and I will prepare destroyers against thee euery one with his weapons and they shall cut downe thy chiefe Cedar trees and cast them in the fire Likewise the Lord threateneth by his Prophet Ezechiel saying Because yee haue not walked in my statutes nor kept my iudgements therefore behold I euen I come against thee and will execute iudgement in the middest of thee euen in the sight of Nations and I will doe in thee that I neuer did before neither will I doe any more the like because of all thine abhominations For in the middest of thee the fathers shall eat their sonnes and the sonnes shall eate their fathers Againe by the same Prophet the Lord saith The land is full of the iudgement of blood and the citie full of crueltie Wherefore I will bring the most wicked of the Heathen and they shall possesse their houses I will also make the pompe of the mighty to cease and the holy places shall be defiled When destruction commeth they shall seeke peace and not haue it Calamity shall come vpon calamitie and rumour vpon rumour Then shall they seeke a vision of the Prophet but the law shall perish from the Priests and counsell from the auncient The King shall mourne and the Prince shall be clothed with desolation and the hands of the people in the land shall bee troubled I will doe vnto them according to their waies and according to their iudgements will I iudge them and they shall know that I am the Lord. Last of all the Lord saith by his Prophet Heare O earth behold I will cause a plague to come vpon this people euen the sruit of their owne imaginations because they haue not taken heed to my words nor to my Law but cast it off Almost innumerable places to this purpose are to be found in the writings of the prophets but these may suffice to prooue the maine point to wit that the iust God doth punish whole nations and kingdomes for the sinnes and rebellions thereof Phila. Sith all these sinnes for the which the Lord did execute such vniuersall punishments vpon his owne people doe abound and ouerflow in this land may wee not iustly feare some great plague to fall vpon vs and the rather because our transgressions doe increase daily and grow to a full height and ripenesse so as it seemeth the haruest of Gods vengeance draweth neere and approacheth Theol. We may indéed iustly feare and tremble For if God spared not the Angels that sinned how shall he spare vs If he spared not his owne people what can wée looke for If hée spared not the naturall braunches how shall hée spare vs which are wilde by nature Are we better then they Can we looke to bée spared when they were punished Are not our sinnes as many and as great as theirs Doth not the same cause bring forth the same effect Is the arme of the Lord shortned Or is not God the same iust God to punish sinne now that he was then Yes yes assuredly And therefore wée haue great cause to mourne and lament to quake and tremble because there is a naked sword of vengeance hanging ouer our heads Thus did Ieremie thus did Amos thus did Abacuck when they plainely saw the imminent wrath of God approching vpon the people of Israel and Iudah Phila. I thinke we may the rather doubt and feare because the punishment of these forenamed vices is neglected by the Magistrate For commonly when they that beare the sword of Iustice doe not draw it out to punish notorious offenders and malefactours the Lord himselfe
end that thereby men might be kept from the reading of the Scriptures For euen as a Lapwing with her busie cry draweth men away from her nest so the Popish generation by these fabulous deuices draw men from the Scriptures Antile Ah sir I see now a fooles bolt is soone shot You are more precise then wise The Vicar of Saint fooles shall be your ghostly father What tell you me of your opinion I would you should well know I neither regard you nor your opinion There be wiser men then you which doe both reade allow and take pleasure in these bookes Theol. Let him alone good Philagathus for you sée what he is There is no end of his crossing and cauilling But hée that is ignorant let him be ignorant And he that is filthie let him bée more filthy Let vs now turne our spéech to Asunetus for I sée he is heauie hearted and troubled in his mind How doe you Asunetus how doe you féele your selfe mée thinketh you are very sadde Asune I am the better for you Sir I thanke God I neuer knew what sinne meant till this day It hath pleased God now to giue mee some sight and feeling thereof I am greatly distressed in my conscience to thinke what I haue beene The remembrance of my former sinnes doth strike an horror into me when I consider how ignorantly and prophanely and how farre off from God I haue liued all my life it stinges and gripes me to the heart I doe now see that which I neuer saw and feele that which I neuer felt I doe plainly see that if I had died in that state wherein I haue liued all my life I should certainely haue beene condemned and should haue perished for euer in my sinne and ignorance Theol. I am very glad that God hath opened your eies and giuen you the sight and féeling of your miserie which indéed is the very first step to eternal life It is a great fauour and special mercy of God towards you that he hath so touched your heart you can neuer be thankfull enough for it It is more then if you had a million of gold giuen you It is the onely rare priuiledge of Gods elect to haue the eies of their soules opened that they may sée into heauenly and spirituall things As for the world it is iust with God to leaue them in their blindnesse Asune I do feele the burden of my sins I am greatly grieued for them I am weary of them I am sory that euer I sinned against God or that I should be such a wretch as to incur his displeasure and prouoke his Maiestie against me But I pray you good M. Theologiu sith you are a spirituall Physician and I am sicke of sinne that you would minister vnto mee out of Gods word some spirituall Physicke and comfort Theol. Truely I must néeds thinke that the promises of mercy and forgiuenesse of sinne made in the Gospell doe belong vnto you and that Jesus Christ is yours you are truely interested in him and haue a proper right vnto him For hée came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance You doe now féele your selfe to be a finner you are grieued for your sins you are wearie of them therefore Jesus Christ is for you all the benefits of his passion belong to you Againe he saith The whole need not the Physician but they that are sicke But you doe acknowledge your selfe to be sicke of sin therefore Christ Jesus wil be your Physician he wil swaddle you and lappe you hee will binde vp all your sores he wil heale al your wounds he will annoint them with the oyle of his mercy he will smile vpon you and shew you a ioyfull countenance he will say vnto you your sins are forgiuen In him you shall haue rest and peace to your soule Through him you shall haue ease and comfort For he taketh pity of all such as mourne for their sinnes as you doe Hée diddeth you and all that are in your case to come vnto him and he will helpe you Come vnto me saith he all yee that are weary and heauy loaden and I will ease you You are one of them that are bid to come for you are weary of your sinnes you féele the burden of them Christ is altogether for such as you are He regardeth not the world that is the prophane and vnregenerate men He bids not them come he praieth not for them I pray not for the world saith hée They haue no part nor interest in him They haue nothing to do with him nor with his merits righteousnesse He is onely for the penitent sinner such as mourne for their sins He is a pillow of downe to all aking heads aking consciences Be of good comfort therefore feare nothing for assuredly Christ and all his righteousnesse is yours He will cloath you with it He will neuer impute your sins 〈◊〉 you or lay any of thē to your charge though they be neuer so many so or so 〈…〉 happy are you that haue such a Mediator and high Priest Rest therefore wholly vpon him and vpon that perfect eternal and propitiatory sacrifice which hée hath once offered Apply Christ apply his merits apply the promises to your selfe and to your owne conscience so shall they doe you good bring great comfort to your soule For put case you had a most excellent and soueraigne salue which would cure any wound it were laide vnto yet if you should locke it vp in your chest neuer apply it to your wound what good could it doe you Euen so the righteousnes merits of Christ are a spirituall salue which will cure any wound of the soule but if we doe not apply them to our selues by faith they can doe vs no good You must therefore apply Christ all the premises of the Gospel to your selfe by faith stand fully perswaded that whatsoeuer he hath done vpon the Crosse he hath done for you particularly For what is the iustifying faith but a full perswasion of Gods particular loue to vs in Christ The generall confused knowledge of Christ of his Gospell auaileth not to eternal life Labour therefore to haue the true vse of all these great and precious promises sticke fast to Christ for through him only we haue remission of sins and eternall life To him all the Prophets giue witnesse saith S. Peter that through his name al that beleue shal receiue remission of their sins Where the Apostle telleth vs that if a graund Jury of prophets were panelled to testifie of the way meanes to eternal life they would al with one cōsent bring in a verdit that remissiō of sins eternal life are only in Christ Let vs heare the fore-man speak one or two of the rest for in the mouth of two or thrée witnesses shall euery word stand The Prophet Esay saith He was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our
iust cause of mourning wéeping and lamentation because such abhomination is committed in Israel Dauids eies gushed out with riuers of téeres because men kept not Gods lawes and an horrible feare came vpon him because men forsooke the law of God Ieremy did sigh in secret wishing that his head were ful of water his eies a fountaine of téeres because of the sins of the people Nehemiah mourned for the transgressiō of Gods people Lots iust soule was vexed with the vncleane conuersation of the Sodomites shall we mourn nothing at all for these things shall we be no whit grieued for the pride of our land shall we shed no téeres for such horrible intolerable abhomination They are odious in the sight of God and men the aire stinketh of them It is Gods maruellous patience that the diuel doth not carry them away quicke and rid the earth of them or that fire brimstone doth not come downe from heauen consume them Antil You are too hot in these matters of attire you make more of them then there is cause Asune I conne him thanke Gods blessing on his heart I shall loue him the better while I know him because he is so earnest against such shamefull and detestable pride Is it not a shame that women professing true Religion should make themselues such pictures puppets and peacockes as they doe And yet I heare few preachers in the pulpit speake against it Antil I maruell you should be so earnest in matters of apparell You know well enough that apparell is an indifferent thing and that Religion and the kingdome of God doth not consist in these things Theol. I know right well that apparell in it owne nature is a thing indifferent but lewd wanton immodest and offensiue apparell is not indifferent For all such abuse taketh away the indifferency of them and maketh them sinfull and euill by circumstance For otherwise why should the Lord threaten by his Prophet that he would visit the Princes and the Kings children and all such as were clothed with strange apparell that is the fashions of other countries Zeph. chap. 1. 8. Againe why should the Lord so plague the proud dames and minsing minions of Ierusalem for their pride and vanity in attire if there were no euill in such kinde of abuse the Lord saith thus in the third of Esay against those braue gallant dames Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walke with stretched-out neckes and with wandring eies walking and minsing as they go and make a tinkling with their feet therefore shall the Lord make the heads of the daughters of Zion bald and the Lord shall discouer their secret parts In that day shall the Lord take away the ornament of the slippers and the calles and the round tires the sweet bals and the bracelets and the bonnets the tiers of the head and the stops the head-bands and the tablets the ear-rings the rings and the mufflers the costly apparell and the vailes and the wimples and the crisping pinnes and the glasses and the fine linnen and the hoods and the lawnes And in stead of sweete sauour there shall be stinke and in stead of a girdle a rent and in stead of dressing of the haire baldnesse and in stead of a Stomacher a girding of Sacke-cloth and burning in steade of beautie Then shall her gates mourne and lament and shee being desolate shall sit vpon the ground Thus we sée how terrible the Lord threatneth the gallant dames of Ierusalem for their excessiue and abhominable pride And this may wel be a Mirrour for the proud minions of our age which assuredly may well feare the Lord will bring some such iudgement vpon them as hée did vpon the daughters of Ierusalem For their sin is as great in this kinde as was the daughters of Zion and God is the same God now that he was then to punish it Antile Tush neuer speake so much of these matters of apparell For we must doe as others doe and follow the fashion or else wee shall not be esteemed Theol. If you follow them not you shall be more estéemed of God of his Angels Saints and all good men As for all others if you estéeme them more then these you shew what you are Antil Well for all that say you what you will pride is in the heart and not in the apparell For one may be proud of plaine apparell as well as of costly And some are as proud of their falling bands and little sets as others are of their great ruffes Theol. You speake foolishly For how know you that can you iudge mens hearts inward affections Can you say when mens and womens apparell is sober modest and Christian-like that they haue proud hearts are proud of that attire You goe very farre indéed to iudge the heart You ought to iudge charitably of such as goe soberly and modestly attired euen that their heart is according to their attire As for you we may rather thinke your heart is vaine light and foolish because your attire doth strongly argue it And as the Prophet saith The triall of your countenance testifieth against you you declare your sinnes as SODOME and hide them not Antile I pray you then set downe some rules for apparell out of the Scripture Theol. I may well set downe what I will but surely most men and women will do what they list For verily it may be thought that many of this age haue forsworn God his word al goodnesse For they are come to this point let God say what he will they will do what they list For as the Prophet saith They haue made a couenant with Hell and with death and are growen to an agreement Esay 28. 15. And I doe verily thinke if God himselfe should come downe from Heauen in his owne person and disswade men and women from this vanitie of apparell yet would they still vse it as it were in despite of God and as it were to anger him the more For they are so extraordinarily enamoured and so immoderately delighted with it and do so continually and altogether dote on it and are so wood mad of it that they will haue it though men and angels and all the world say nay nay which is more though they should go to the diuel quicke with it And therfore it is but lost labour to speake against it preach against it or write against it It is but euen to plough the sea or knocke at a deafe mans doore for there is no hope of any reformation Onely this we gaine that the world is reprooued and conuicted of sinne and these things shall stand in record against them in the last day so that they may say they had a faire warning and that there was a Prophet amongst them Philaga Yet for all this I pray you set vs downe some directions and rules out of Gods holy booke concerning attire For albeit some bee very bad and
away himselfe for euer Now the holy Ghost saith the Adulterer doth such an act giueth such a venture and willingly murthereth himselfe Oh therefore woe vnto him that euer he was borne For sure it is that great Crowner of heauen that crownes whom hée will crowne shal one day sit vpon it and giue iudgement Moreouer as the Adulterer sinneth against his soule so also he sinneth against his bodie after a speciall manner as witnesseth the Apostle Also he sinneth against his goods and outward estate as the holy man Iob testifieth saying Adulterie is a fire that deuoureth to destruction and it will roote out all our encrease Furthermore he sinneth against his name For the Adulterer shall finde a wound and dishonour and his reproch shall neuer be put away Item he sinneth against his wife who is his companion and the wife of his couenant And God saith in the same place Let none trespasse against the wife of his youth keepe your selues in your spirit and transgresse not Last of all he sinneth against his children and posteritie as the Lord said to Dauid Because thou hast despised me and done this therefore the sword shall neuer depart from thy house Beholde I will raise vp euill against thee out of thine owne house Now therefore to conclude this point we may sée how many deadly wounds men make in themselues by committing of adultery They wound themselues in their soules They wound themselues in their bodies They wound themselues in their goods They wound themselues in their names They wound themselues in their wiues and in their children What man except he were stark mad would thrust in himselfe in so many places at once The adulterer with his owne sin of adulterie maketh all these deadly wounds in himselfe And it is a hundred to one he will neuer get them cured but will die and bléed to death of them Lo thus you sée the dangerous quality and condition of this sin Shall we now therfore make light of it Shall we say it is but a tricke of youth Shal we smooth ouer the matter with swéet words when the holy Ghost maketh it so hainous and capitall Shal we make nothing of that which draweth downe Gods wrath vpon the soule body goods name wife and children That were an intolerable blindnesse and most extreame hardnesse of heart An ancient writer hath long agoe passed sentence vpon vs who make so light of this sin for saith he Adultery is the very hooke of the diuell whereby he draweth vs to destruction And another godly Father saith that Adulterie is like a furnace whose mouth is gluttonie the flame pride the sparkles filthy words the smoke an euill name the ashes pouertie and the end shame And so wée plainly sée that howsoeuer wée regard not this sinne but flatter our selues in it yet those whose eies the Lord hath opened haue in all ages condemned it as most flagitious and horrible yea the very Heathen will rise vp in iudgment against vs who haue spoken and written many things against this filthy beastly vice Phila. Now indeede you haue sufficiently branded the vice of adulterie and laid out the vglinesse thereof that all men may behold it starke naked and abhorre it If any man notwithstanding all this will venture vpon it hee may be saide to be a most desperate monster For what doth he else but as it were put his finger into the Lions mouth and as it were take the beare by the tooth and they may well know what will follow and what they may looke for Let all men therefore in time take heed to themselues and to their owne soules as they will answer it at their vttermost perill at the dreadfull day of iudgement when the secrets of all hearts shal be disclosed But now one thing resteth to wit that you should shew vs the speciall roots and causes of adulterie Theol. There be fiue speciall causes of it The first is our naturall corruption for the verie spawne and séed of all sinne is in our corrupt nature and this of all other is a most inherent sinne as witnesseth the Apostle Iames saying When lust hath conceiued it bringeth foorth sinne and sinne when it is perfected bringeth forth death The second is gluttonie and fulnesse of Bread for when men haue filled their bellies and crammed their paunches as full of good cheare wine and strong drinke as their skins can hold what are they méet for or what mind they else but adulterie and vncleannesse And therfore well saith one Great nourishment and grosse feed it is the shop of lust The Heathen Poet could skill to say Sine Cicere Baccho friget Venus Without meat and drinke lust waxeth colde And to this effect the wise king saith that their eies shall behold strange women whose hearts are set vpon wine and belly-cheare And therefore he aduiseth all men not to looke vpon the wine when it appeareth red when it sheweth his colour in the cup or stirreth very kindely and that for feare of this after-clap An ancient writer saith to the sam purpose Hee that delicately pampereth his belly and yet would ouercome the spirit of fornication is like him that will quench a flame of fire with Oyle Therefore to close vp this point sure it is though men pray heare and read much and be otherwise well disposed yet except they be absteinous in diet they will be much troubled with lust The third cause of adulterie is Idlenesse For when men are lazie luskish and idle hauing nothing to do they lie wide open to adulterie and lust créepeth into them Some Historiographers write the Crab-fish is very desirous to eat Oysters but because she cannot perforee open them she watcheth her time when they open themselues vnto the sun after the tide and then she putteth in her claw and pulleth out the Oyster Euen so sathan watcheth his opportunity against vs that he may infect and breath into vs all filthy lusts and adulterous desires when wée lie open vnto him by idlenesse Wisely therfore to this point said the Gréeke Poet Much rest nourisheth lust And another Poet saith Quaritur agistus quare sit factus adulter In promtu causa est desidiosus erat Slothfull lazinesse is the cause of Adulterie And therefore another saith Eschew idlenesse and cut the sinewes of lust The fourth cause of adultery is wanton apparell which is a ministrelsie that pipes vp a daunce vnto whoredome But of this enough before The fift and last part of adultery is the hope of impunitie or escaping of punishment For many being blinded and hardened by Sathan thinke they shall neuer be called to an account for it And because they can bleare the eies of men and carry this sin so closely vnder a cloud that it shall neuer come to light they thinke all is safe and that God séeth them not And therefore Iob saith The eie of the adulterer waiteth
for the twi-light and saith None eie shall see me And in another place How shall God know can he iudge thorow the darke cloud But verily verily though the adulterer doe neuer so closely and cunningly conuey his sin vnder a canopie yet the time will come when it shall be disclosed to his eternall shame For God will bring euery worke to iudgement with euery secret thought whether it be good or euill For he hath set our most secret sins in the light of his countenance And hee will lighten the things that are hid in darknesse and make the counsels of the heart manifest For this cause Iob saith When I sinne thou watchest me and wilt not purge me from my sinne Phila. Now you haue shewed vs the causes of adultery I pray you shew vs the remedies Theol. There be six remedies for adultery which no doubt will greatly preuaile if they be well practised Phila. Which be they Theol. Labour Abstinence Temperance Praier Restraint of senses Shunning of womens company and all occasions whatsoeuer Phila. Well sir now you haue waded deepe enough in the second signe of damnation I pray you let vs proceed to the third which is couetousnesse And as you haue laid naked the two former so I pray you strip this starke naked also that all men may see what an vgly monster it is and therefore hate it and abhorre it Theol. I would willingly satisfie your mind but in this point I shall neuer do it sufficiently For no heart can conceiue or tongue sufficiently vtter the loathsomnesse of this vice For Couetousnesse is the foulest fiend blackest diuell of all the rest It is euen great Beelzebub himselfe Therefore I shall neuer be able fully to describe it vnto you but yet I will do what I can to strip it and whip it starke naked And howsoeuer that men of this earth and blind worldlings take it to be most swéet beautifull and amiable and therefore do embrace it entertaine it and welcome it as though there were some happinesse in it yet I hope when I haue shewed them the face thereof in a glasse euen the true glasse of Gods word they will be no more in such loue but quite out of conceit with it I will therefore hold out this glasse to them Saint Paul to Timothy brandeth this sinne in the forehead and boareth it in the eares that all men may know it and auoid it when hée saith Couetousnesse is the root of all euill Our Lord Iesus also giueth vs a watch-word to take héed of it saying Take heed and beware of couetousnesse As if he should say touch it not come not neare it it is the very breath of the diuell it is present death and the very rats-bane of the soule The Apostle laieth out the great danger of this sinne and doth excéedingly grime the face of it when he saith that the end of all such as minde earthly things is damnation Let all carnal worldlings and muckish minded men lay this to heart and consider well of it lest they say one day had I wist Phila. Good sir lay open vnto vs the true nature of Couetousnesse and what it is that we may more perfectly discerne it Theol. Couetousnesse is an immoderate desire of hauing Phila. I hope you doe not thinke frugality thriftinesse and good husbandry to be couetousnesse Theol. Nothing lesse For they be things commanded being done in the feare of God and with a good conscience Phila. Doe you not thinke it lawfull also for men to doe their wordly businesse and to vse faithfulnesse and diligence in their callings that they may prouide for themselues and their families Theol. Yes no doubt And the rather if they doe these things with calling vpon God for a blessing vpon the works of their hands and vse praier thanksgiuing before after their labor taking héed all the day long of the common corruptions of the world as swearing cursing lying dissembling deceiuing gréedy getting c. Phila. Wherein I pray you doth couetousnesse especially consist Theol. In the gréedy desire of the mind For we may lawfully doe the works of our calling and play the good husbands and good huswiues but we must take héed that distrustfulnes and inward gréedinesse of the world doe not catch our hearts For then are we set on fire and vtterly vndone Phila. Sith couetousnesse is especially of the heart how may we know certainely when the heart is infected Theol. There be foure speciall signes of the hearts infection Phil. Which be they Theo. The first is an eager and sharp set desire of getting Therefore the holy Ghost saith He that hasteth to be rich shall not be vnpunished And againe An heritage is hastily gotten at the beginning but the end thereof shall not be blessed The Heathen man also saith No man can be both iustly and hastily rich The second is a pinching and niggardly kéeping of our owne that is when men being able to giue will hardly part with any thing though it be to neuer so holy and good vse And when at last with much adoe for shame they giue somthing it commeth heauily from them God wot and scantly The third is the neglect of holy duties that is when mens minds are so taken vp with the loue of earthly things that they begin to slacke and coole in matters of Gods worship The fourth and last is a trusting in riches and staying vpon them as though our liues were maintained by them or did consist onely in them which thing our Lord Jesus flatly denieth saying Though a man haue abundance yet his life consisteth not in the things that hee hath Luke 12. 15. These then are foure euident signes and tokens whereby we may certainly discerne that meus harts and intrailes are infected with couetousnesse Phila. You haue very well satisfied vs in this point Now let vs vnderstand the originall causes of Couetousnesse Theol. There be two speciall causes of Couetousnesse The one is the ignorance and distrust of Gods prouidence The other is the want of tasting and féeling of heauenly things For till men taste better things they will make much of these till they feele heauen they will loue earth til they be religious they will be couetous Therfore the cause is soone espied why men are so sharpe set vpon these outward things and doe so admire riches worldly pompe pleasures and treasures Because they know no better they neuer had taste or feeling of those things which are eternall Phila. Now as you haue shewed vs the causes of Couetousnesse so let vs also heare of the effects Theol. If I once enter into this I shall bée entar gled and wound vp in a maze where I know not how to get out againe For the euill effects of this vice are so many and so great that I know not almost where to begin or where to end Notwithstanding I will enter into it get out
all our loue and chearefull obedience towards him For therefore wée loue him and obey him because we know hée hath loued vs first and written our names in the booke of life But on the contrarie the Doctrine of the Papists which would haue men alwaies doubt and feare in a seruile sort is most hellish and vncomfortable For so long as a man holds that what encouragement can he haue to serue God What loue to his Maiestie What hope in the promises What comfort in trouble What patience in aduersity Antil Touching this point I am flat of your minde For I thinke verily a man ought to bee perswaded of his saluation And for mine owne part I make no question of it I hope to bee saued as well as the best of them all I am out of feare for that For I haue such a stedfast faith in God that if there should be but two in the world saued I hope I should be one of them Theol. You are very confident indéed You are perswaded before you know I would your ground were as good as your vaine confidence But who is so bold as blinde Bayard Your hope is but a fancie and as a sick mans dreame You hope you can not tell what You haue no ground for that you say For what hope can you haue to be saued when you walke in no path of saluation What hope can a man haue to come to London spéedily that trauelleth nothing that way but quite contrary What hope can a man haue to reape a good crop of corne that vseth no meanes neither ploweth soweth nor harroweth What hope can a man haue to be fat and well liking of his body that seldome or neuer eateth any meat What hope can a man haue to escape drowning which leapeth into the Sea Euen so what hope can you haue to be saued when you walke nothing that way when you vse no meanes when you doe all things that are contrary vnto the same For alas there is nothing in you of those things which the Scriptures doe affirme must bée in all those that shall be saued There be none of the fore named signes and tokens in you You are ignorant prophane and carelesse God is not worshipped vnder your roofe There is no true feare of God in your selfe nor in your houshold You seldome heare the word preached You content your selfe with an ignorant Minister You haue no praiers in your family no reading no singing of psalmes no instructions exhortations or admonitions or any other Christian exercises You make no conscience of the obseruation of the Sabbaths you vse not the name of God with any reuerence you breake out sometimes into horrible dathes and cursings you make an ordinary matter of swearing by your faith your troth Your wife is irreligious your children dissolute and vngratious your seruants prophane carelesse You are an example in your owne house of al Atheisme and conscienceles behauiour You are a great gamester a rioter a spend-thrift a drinker a common ale-house-haunter an whoore hunter and to conclude giuen to all vice and naughtinesse Now then I pray you tell me or rather let your conscience tell mée what hope you can haue to be saued so long as you walk and continue in this course Doth not S. Iohn saie If wee say wee haue fellowship with him and walke in darkenesse we are liers Doth not the same Apostle auouch that such as say they know God and kéepe not his commandements are liers Againe doth he not say Heth at committeth sin is of the Diuell And whosoeuer doth not righteousnesse is not of God Doth not our Lord Jesus flatly tell the Jewes which bragged that Abraham was their father that they were of their father the diuell because they did his works Doth not the Apostle Paul say His seruants we are to whom we obey whether it be of sin vnto death or of obedience vnto righteousnes Doth not the scripture say Hee that doth righteousnesse is righteous Doth not our Lord Jesus affirme that nor euery one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth the will of my father which is in Heauen Therefore I conclude that forasmuch as your whole course is carnall carelesse and dissolute you can haue no warrantable hope to be saued Phila. I doe verily thinke that this mans case which now you haue laied open is the case of thousands Theo. Yea doubtles of thousand thousands the more is the pity Asune Soft and faire sir you are very round indeed Soft fire maketh sweet mault I hope you know wee must be saued by mercy and not by merit If I should doe all my selfe wherefore serueth Christ I hope that which I cannot doe hee will doe for me And I hope to be saued by Iesus Christ as well as the best of you all Theol. Oh now I sée which way the game goeth You would faine make Christ a cloake for your sinnes You will sinne that grace may abound You will sinne frankly and set all vpon Christs score Truely there be many thousands of your minde which hearing of Gods abundant mercie in Christ are thereby made more bold to sin But they shall know one day to their cost what it is so to abuse the mercie of God The Apostle saith The mercy and louing kindnesse of God should leade vs to repentance But we sée it leadeth manie to further hardnesse of heart The Prophet saith With him is mercy that hee may bee feared But many thereby are made more secure and carelesse But to come néerer the marke you say you hope to be saued by Jesus Christ And I answer that if those things be found in you which the Scriptures do auouch to be in all that shall be saued by him then you may haue good confidence and assured hope otherwise not Now the Scriptures do thus determine it and set it downe That if a man bée in Christ and looke to be saued by him he must be indued with these qualities following First he must be a new creature Secondly hee must liue not after the lusts of men but after the will of God Thirdly he must be zealous of good works Fourthly hee must die to sinne and liue to righteousnesse Fiftly he must be holy and vnblameable Sixtly he must so walke as Christ hath walked Seuenthly hee must crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts Eigthly he must walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Last of all he must serue God in righteousnesse and true holinesse all the daies of his life Loe then what things are required of all that shal be saued by Christ Now therefore if these things be in you in some measure of tenth then your hope is currant sound good otherwise it is nothing worth For in vaine doe men say they hope to be saued by Christ when as they walke dissolutely The reason hereof is because the
speake something of it Theol. The sleights of Sathan in this behalfe are moe and more slie then I or any man else can possibly discouer For who is able to descrie or in sufficient manner to lay open the déepe subtilties and most secret and sinfull suggestions of the Diuell in the hearts of men Hée is so cunning a crafts master this way that none can perfectly trace him His workings in the hearts of men are with such close and hid deceits and most methodicall and craftie conueyances that none can sufficiently finde them out But yet notwithstanding I will béewray so much as I know or can conceiue of his dealings with men that heare the word that he may steale it out of their hearts and make it fruitlesse and vnprofitable First of all hée bestirreth him and laboureth hard to kéepe men fast asléepe in their sinnes that they may haue no care at all of their saluation and therefore disswadeth them from hearing or reading the word at all lest they should bée awaked If this will not preuaile but that they must néeds heare then his craft is to make their hearing vnprofitable by sléepinesse dulnesse by-thoughts conceitednesse and a thousand such like If this will not serue the turne but that the word doth get within them and worke vpon them so as thereby they grow to some knowledge and vnderstanding of the truth then he practiseth another way which is to make them rest themselues vpon their bare knowledge and so become altogether consciencelesse If this will not suffice but that men fall to doing and leaue some sinnes especially the grosse sinnes of the world and doe some good then he perswadeth them to trust to those doings without Christ and to thinke themselues well inough because they doe some good and leaue some euill If this bée not enough but that men attaine vnto the true iustifying faith which apprehendeth Christ and resteth vpen his merits then he deuiseth how to blemish the beauty of their faith and weaken their comfort through many frailties and wants yea grosse downefalles and ranke euils so as they shall bée but spotted and leaprous Christians If this weapon will not worke but that Christians doe ioyne all good vertues with their faith and abundantly shine foorth in all fruits of righteousnesse then he casteth about another way which is to daunt and dampe them with discouragements as pouertie necessity sicknesse reproches contempts persecutions c. If none of all these will doe the déeds but that men constantly beléeue in Christ and patiently and ioyfully endure all afflictions then his last refuge is to blow them vp with gun-powder that is to puffe them vp with a pride of their gifts graces and strength and so to giue them an vtter ouerthrow whilest they doe not walke humbly and giue God the praise of his gifts Thus haue you a little taste of Sathans cunning in making the word vnfruitfull amongst vs. Asune I pray you good sir seeing I am ignorant and vnlearned giue me some particular directions out of the word of Gnd for the good guiding and ordering of my particular actions in such sort as that I may glorifie God in the earth and after this life be glorified of him for euer Theol. It were an infinite thing to enter into all particulars but briefely doe this First séeke God earnestly in his word pray much in all things giue thanks Eschew euil and doe good Feare God and kéepe his Commandements reforme your selfe and your houshold loue vertue and vertuous men kéepe company with the godly and auoid the society of the wicked Liue soberly iustly and holily in the present euil world Speake alwais graciously ◠beware of filthy communication Recompense to no man euill for euill but recompense euill with good Be curteous and pitifull towards all men Take héed of swearing cursing and banning Beware of anger wrath and bitternesse Praise your friend openly reprooue him secretly Speake no euill of them that are absent nor of the dead Speake euill of no man speake alwaies the best or at least not the worst Reuerence Gods name and kéepe his Sabbaths Auoid all the signes of condemnation and labour after all the signes of saluation Aboue all things take héed of sin for that is the very cutthroat of the soule and bane of all goodnesse Tremble therefore and sinne not For if you sinne marke what followeth Sixe great dangers in sinne God seeth His Angels beare witnesse The conscience pricketh Death threatneth The Diuell accuseth Hell deuoureth You sée then that sinne is no scarcrow or iesting matter Euery sin that a man commiteth is as a thorne thrust déepe into the soule which will not be got out againe but with many a sigh and many a sorrowfull oh oh Euery sinne is written with a pen of iron and the point of a diamond vpon the conscience and shall in the last day when the bookes shall be opened accuse vs and giue in euidence against vs. If a man commit sinne with pleasure the pleasure passeth away but the conscience and sting of the sinne abideth and tormenteth deadly but if a man doe well though with labour and painfulnesse the paine passeth away yet the conscience of well dooing remaineth with much comfort But the best end of sinne is alwaies repentance if not in this life then with woe and alas when it is too late Therefore take héed in time take héed I say of sinne Six most hurtfull effects of sinne Sinne hardneth the heart Sinne gnaweth the conscience Sinne fighteth against the soule Sinne bringeth foorth death Sinne maketh ashamed Sinne procureth all plagues of bodie and soule Behold therefore the euil effects of sin For this cause Zophar the Naamathite speaketh very wisely to Iob saying When thou shalt lift thy face out of thy sinne thou shalt be strong and shalt not feare thou shalt forget all sorrow thou shalt temember it as the waters that are past Where Zophar plainly sheweth that the auoiding of sinne is our strength and the committing of it our weakening According to that of Salomon The way of the Lord is the strength of the vpright man Therefore walke in the way of God and take héed of the waies of sinne For God punisheth euery sinne his way some one way and some another and no sinne can escape vnpunished For because God is iust therfore he must néeds punish sinne in all men though in diuers manners as the wicked in their owne persons the godly in Christ Beware of it therefore and flatter not your selfe in your sinnes Remember how euery disobedience and euery transgression hath had a iust recompence of reward God hath in all ages matched the causes with the effect that is sinne with the punishment of sinne The Isralites for breaking the first commandement in making other Gods were often smitten by the hand of God Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron for the breach of the second commandement in offering strange