doe Now unto this prayer use thou these means following After prayer for Faith which I would should be first Secondly because the same springeth out of the hearing not of Masse Mattins Canons Councells Doctors Decrees but out of the hearing of Gods word get Gods word but not that part which serveth specially to Contrition that is the Law but the other part which serveth specially to consolation and certain perswasions of Gods love towards thee that is the Gospell or publication of Gods mercy in Christ I mean the free promises But here thou must know that there are two kindes of promises one which is properly of the Law another of the Gospel In the promises of the Law we may indeed behold Gods mercy but so that it hangeth upon the condition of our worthinesse as if thou love the Lord withall thy heart c. thou shalt find mercy This kind of promise though it declare unto us Gods love which promiseth where he needeth not yet unto him that feeleth not Christ which is the end of the Law they are so farre from comforting that utterly with the Law they bring man to great despaire so greatly we are corrupt for none so loveth God as he ought to doe From these therefore get thee to the other promises of the Gospel in which we may see such plenty and franke liberality of Gods goodnesse that we cannot but be much comforted though we have very deeply sinned For these promises of the Gospel doe not hang on the condition of our worthinesse as the promises of the Law doe but they depend and hang on Gods truth that as God is true so they cannot but be performed to all them which lay hold on them by Faith I had almost said which cast them not away by unbeliefe Marke in them therefore two things namely that as well they are free promises without any condition of our worthinesse as also that they are universally offered to all I say which are not so stubborne as to keep still their hands whereby they should receive this almes in their bosomes by unbeliefe As concerning Infants and children you know I now speak not but concerning such as be of years of discretion and under the Gospel And now you look that I should give you a tast of these promises which are both free and universall except none but such as except themselves Well you shall have one or two for a say In the 3d of John saith our Saviour So God the Father loved the World that he would give his Deareling his one only sonne that all that believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life Loe Sir he saith not that some might have life but all saith he And what all all that love him with all their hearts all that have lived a good life Nay all that beleeve in him Although thou hast lived a most wicked and horrible life if now thou believe in him thou shalt bee saved Is not this sweet grace Againe saith Christ Come unto me all ye that labour and are laden and I will refresh you Let us a little look on this letter Come unto mee Who shall come Lords Priests Holy men Monkes Friars yea Coblers Tinkers Whores Theeves Murtherers also if they lament their sinnes Come unto mee saith he all ye that labour and are laden that is which are afraid and weary of your sinnes And what wilt thou doe Lord And I shall refresh you saith he Oh what a thing is this And I will refresh you Wot you who spake this He that never told lie He is the truth there was never guile found in his mouth and now will he be untrue to thee good brother which art sorry for thy greivous sinnes No forsooth heaven and earth shall passe and perish but his word shall never faile Saint Paul saith God would have all men saved Loe he excepteth none And to Titus the grace of God bringeth salvation to all men as from Adam all have received sinne to damnation so by Christ all have grace offered to Salvation if they reject not the same I speak not now of Infants I say nor need I enter into the matter of Predestination In preaching of repentance I would gather where I could with Christ As surely as I live saith God ' I will not the death of a sinner art thou a sinner Yea Loe God sweareth he will not thy death How canst thou now perish Consider with thy selfe what profit thou shouldest have to believe this to be true to others if not to thy selfe also Sathan doth so Rather consider with Peter that the promise of Salvation pertaineth not only to them which are nigh or to such as are falne a little but also to all to whom the Lord hath called be they never so farre off Loe nowby me the Lord calleth thee thou Man thou Woman that art very farre off The promise therefore pertaineth to thee needs must thou be saved except thou with Satan say God is false and if thou doe so God is faithfull and cannot deny himselfe as thou shalt feele by his plagues in hell for so dishonouring God to think that he is not true Will he be found false now The matter hangeth not on thy worthinesse but it hangeth on God's truth Clap hold on it and I warrant thee Christ is the propitiation for our sinnes yea for the sins of the whole World of Jew and Gentiles believe this Man I know thou believest it say therefore in thy heart still Domine adauge mihi fidem Lord encrease my faith Lord help my unbeleefe Blessed are they which see not by reason this but yet believe Beloved we must hope above hope as Abraham did And thus much for a tast of the promises which are every where not only in the new Testament but also in the Old Read the last end of Leviticus 26. The Prophet Isaiah 30. Where he saith God tarryeth looking for thee to shew thee mercy also the 40 and so forth to the 60. Read also 2 Kings 24. Ps. 33. Joel 2. c. Howbeit if all this will not serve and if yet thou feelest no faith no certaine perswasion of Gods love then prepare thy selfe unto Prayer and diligent considering of the free and universall promises of the Gospel Thirdly set before thee those blessings which heretofore and at this present God hath given thee Consider how he hath made thee a Man or a Woman which might have made thee a Toade or a Dogge And why did he this Verily because he loved thee and thinkest thou if he loved thee when thou wast not to make thee such a one as he most graciously hath and will he not now love thee being his handy work Doth he hate any thing that he made Is there unablenesse with him Doth he love for a day and so farewell No beloved God loveth to the end his mercy endureth for ever Say therefore with Job Operi manum tuarum porrige dextram that is to the work
of thy hands put thy helping hand Againe hath he not made thee a Christian Man or Woman where if he would he might have made thee a Turk or Pagan This thou know'st he did of love and dost thou think his love is lessened if thou lament thy sinne Is his hand shortned for helping thee Can a Woman forget the child of her wombe and though she should yet will not I forget thee saith the Lord He hath given thee limbes he hath given thee witt reason discretion c. to See heare goe c. He hath long spared thee and borne with thee when thou never purposed'st to repent and now thou repenting will he not give thee mercy Wherefore doth he grant thee to live at this present to heare him to speak this and mee to speak this but of love to us all Oh therefore let us pray him that he would adde to this that we might believe these love-tokens that he loveth us and indeed he will doe it Lord open our eyes in thy gifts to see thy gracious goodnesse Amen But to tarry in this I will not Let every man consider Gods benefits past and present publike and private spirituall and corporall to the confirming of his faith concerning the promises of the Gospel for the pardon of his sinnes I will now goe about to shew you a fourth meane to confirme your faith in this even by examples Of these there are in the Scriptures very many as also daily experience doth diversely teach the same if we were diligent to observe things accordingly wherefore I will be more breefe herein having respect to time which stealeth fast away Adam in Paradise transgressed grievously as the painfull punishment which we all as yet feele proveth if nothing else Though by reason of his sinne he displeased God sore and ranne away from God for he would have hid himselfe yea he would have made God the causer of his sinne in that he gave him such a Mate so farre was he from asking mercy yet all this notwithstanding God turned his fierce wrath neither upon him nor Eve which also required not mercy but upon the Serpent Sathan promising unto them a seed Jesus Christ by whom they at the length should be delivered In token whereof though they were cast out of Paradise for their nurture to serve in sorrow which would not serve in joy yet he made them apparel to cover their nakednesse a visible document and token of his invisible love and grace concerning their soules If God was so mercifull to Adam which so sore brake his commandement and rather blamed God then asked mercy Thinkest thou O man that he will not be mercifull to thee which blamest thy selfe and desirest pardon To Cain he offered mercy if he would have asked it What hast thou done saith God the voyce of thy Brothers blood Cryeth unto me out of the earth O mercifull Lord should Cain have said I confesse it But a las he did not so and therefore said God Now that is in that thou desirest not mercy Now I say be thou accursed c. Loe to the reprobate he offered mercy and will he deny it thee which art his child Noah did he not sinne and was drunk good Lot also both in Sodom dissembled a little with the Angels prolonging the time and out of Sodome he fell very foule as did Judah and the Patriarks against Joseph but yet I ween they found mercy Moses Myriam Aaron though they stumbled a little yet received they mercy Yea the people in the wildernesse often sinned and displeased God so that he was purposed to have destroyed them Let me alone saith he to Moses that I may destroy them But Moses did not let him alone for he prayed still for them and therefore God spared them If the people were spared through Moses prayer they not praying with him but rather worshiping their golden Calfe eating drinking making jolly good cheere Beloved why shouldest thou doubt whether God will be mercifull to thee having as indeed thou hast one much better then Moses to pray for thee with thee even Jesus Christ who sitteth on the right hand of his Father and prayeth for us being no lesse faithfull in his Fathers house the Church then Moses was in the Synagogue David that good King had a foule foile when he committed Whoredome with his faithfull servants wife Bethsheba whereunto he added also a mischievous murther causing her husband his most faithfull Souldier Vriah to be slaine with an honest company of his most valiant men of warre and that with the sword of the uncircumcised In this sinne though a great while he lay asleepe as many doe now adaies God give them good waking thinking that by the Sacrifices he offered all was well God was content yet at length when the Prophet by a Parable opened the offence and brought David in remembrance of his own sinne and in such sort that he gave judgement against himselfe then quaked he his Sacrifices had no more taken away his sinnes then our Sir Johns Trentals and wagging of his fingers over the heads of such as lie asleepe in their sinnes out of the which when they are awaked they will see that it is neither Masse nor Mattins blessing nor cursing will serve then I say he cryed out saying Peccavi Domine I have sinned saith he against my Lord and good God which hath done so much for me I caused indeed Vriah to be killed I have sinned I have sinned what shall I doe I have sinned and am worthy of eternall damnation But what saith God by this Prophet Dominus transtulit peccatum tuum non morieris The Lord hath taken away thy sinnes thon shalt not dye O good God he said but Peccavi I have sinned but yet from his heart and not from his lips only as Pharavh and Saul did and incontinently he heareth Thou shalt not dye the Lord hath taken away thy sinnes Or rather hath laid them upon the back of his sonne Jesus Christ who bare them and not only them but thine and mine also if that we will now cry but from our hearts Peccavimus we have sinned good Lord we have done wickedly enter not into judgement with us but be mercifull unto us after thy great mercy and according to the multitude of thy compassions doe away our iniquities c. For indeed God is not the God of David only Idem Deus omnium He is the God of all so that Quicunque invocaver it nomen Domini salvus erit He or shee whosoever they be that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved In confirmation whereof this History is written as are also the other which I have recited and many more which I might recite As of manasses the wicked King which slew Esay the Prophet and wrought very much wickednesse yet the Lord shewed mercy upon him being in prison as his prayer doth teach us Nebuchadnezzar though for a time he bare
Gods anger yet at the length he found much mercy The City of Ninivie also found favour with God as did many other which for brevity I will omit and will bring forth one or two out of the New Testament that we may see God to be the same God in the New Testament that he was in the Old I might tell you of many if I should speake of the Lunatick such as were possessed with Divels Lame Blind dumb deaf lepers c. but time will not suffer me therefore one or two shall serve Mary Magdalen had seven Divels but yet they were cast out of her and of all others she was the first that Christ appeared unto after his resurrection Thomas would not believe Christs resurrection though many told him which had seen and felt him by reason whereof a man might have thought that his sinnes would have cast him away Except I should see and feele saith he I will not believe Ah wilfull Thomas I will not saith he but Christ appeared unto him and would not loose him neither will he thee beloved if with Thomas thou wilt keepe company with the Disciples as Thomas did Peters fall was ugly he accursed himselfe if ever he knew Christ and that for feare of a Maiden and lyed not once but three severall times and that in the hearing of Christ his Master but yet the third time Christ looked back and cast on him his eye of grace so that he went out and wept bitterly And after Christs resurrection not only did the Angels will the Woman to tell Peter that Christ was risen but Christ himselfe appeared unto him such a good Lord is he The Theefe hanging on the Crosse said thus Lord when thou comest into thy Kingdome remember mee And what answer had he This day saith Christ thou shalt be with me in Paradise What a comfort is this in that he is now the same Christ to thee and mee and to us all if we will runne unto him for he is the same Christ to day and to morrow untill he come to judgement Then indeed he will be inexorable but now is he more ready to give then we to aske If thou cry he heareth thee even before thou cry Crie therefore behold man he is not partiall Call saith he and I will he are thee aske and thou shalt have seeke and thou shalt finde though not at the first yet at the length If he tarry a while it is but to try thee Nam veniens veniet non tardabit He is coming and will not be long Thus have you foure meanes which you must use to the attaining of faith or certain perswasion of Gods mercy towards you which is the second part of repentance namely prayer the free and universall promises of Gods graces the recordation of the benefits of God past and present the examples of Gods mercy Which although they might suffice yet will I put one more to them which only of it selfe is full sufficient I meane the death of the Sonne of God Jesus Christ which if thou set before the eyes of thy mind it will confirme thy assurance for it is the great Seale of England as they say yea of all the World for the confirmation of all Patents and perpetuities of the everlasting life whereunto we are all called If I thought these which I have before recited were not sufficient to confirme your faith of Gods love towards such as doe repent I would tarry longer herein But because I have been both long and also I trust you have some exercise of conscience in this daily or else you are to blame I will but touch and goe consider with your selves what we are misers wretches and enemies to God Consider what God is even he which hath all power majesty might glory riches c. perfectly of himselfe and needeth nothing but hath all things Consider what Christ is concerning his God-head coequall with his Father even he by whom all things were made he I say by whom all things are ruled and governed Concerning his Man-hood the onely Deareling of his Father in whom is all his joy Now Syr what a love is this that this God which needeth nothing would give wholly his own selfe to thee his enemy wreaking his wrath upon himselfe in this his sonne as a man may say to spare thee to save thee to win thee to bye thee to have thee to enjoy thee for ever Because thy sinne hath seperated thee from him to the end thou mightest come eftsoones into his company againe and therein remaine he himselfe became as a man would say a sinner or rather sinne it selfe even a malediction or curse that wee sinners we accursed by our sinne might by his oblation or suffering for our sinnes by his curse be delivered from sinne and from malediction For by sinne he destroyed sinne killing Death Sathan and sinne by their own weapons and that for thee and mee man if we cast it not away by unbeliefe Oh wonderfull love of God Who ever heard of such a love The Father of Heaven for us his enimies to give hÃs own dearly beloved Sonne Jesus Christ and that not only to be our brother to dwell among us but also to the death of the Crosse for us Oh wonderfull love of Christ to us all that was content and willing to work this deed for us Was there any love like to this love God indeed hath commended his charity and love to us herein that when we were very enemies unto him he would give his own sonne for us That we being men might become as you would say Gods God would become man That we being mortall might become immortall the immortall God would become mortall man That we earthly wretches might be Cittizens of Heaven the Lord of Heaven would become as a man would say earthly That we being accursed might be blessed God would be accursed That we by our father Adam being brought out of Paradise into the puddle of all pain migh be redeemed and brought into Paradise againe God would be our Father and an Adam thereunto That we having nothing might have all things God having all things would have nothing That we being vassailes and slaves to all even to Sathan the Fiend might be Lords of all and of Sathan The Lord of all would become a vassaile and a slave to us all and in danger of Sathan Oh love incomprehensible Who can otherwise think now but if the gracious good Lord disdained not to give his own Sonne his own hearts joy for us his very enemies before we thought to beg any such thing at his hands yea before we were Who I say can think otherwise but that with him he will give us all good things If when we hated him and fled away from him he sent his Sonne to seek us who can think otherwise then that now we loving him and lamenting because we love him no more but that he will for ever love us He
that giveth the more to his enemies will he not give the lesse to his friends God hath given his own Son then which nothing is greater even to us his enemies and we now being become his friends will he deny us faith and pardon of our sinnes which though they be great yet in comparison they are nothing at all to the price given Christ Jesus would give his own selfe for us when we willed it not and will he now deny us Faith if we will it This will is his earnest that he hath given us truly to look indeed for the thing willed And look thou for it indeed for as he hath given thee to will so will he give thee to doe Jesus Christ gave his life for our evils and by his death he delivered us O then in that he liveth now and cannot dye will he forsake us his heart blood was not too deare for us when we asked it not what can then be now too deare for us asking it Is he a changeling Is he mutable as a man is Can he repent him of his gifts Did he not foresee our falls Paid not he therefore the price Because he saw we should fall sore therefore would he suffer sore Yea if his suffering had not been enough he would yet once more come again God the Father I may say if the death of his sonne incarnate would not serve would himselfe and the Holy Ghost also become incarnate and dye for us This Death of Christ therefore look on as the very pledge of Gods love towards thee whosoever thou art how deepe soever thou hast sinned See Gods hands are nailed they cannot strike thee his feet also he cannot run from thee his armes are wide open to embrace thee his head hangs down to kisse thee his very heart is open so that therein looke nay even see and thou shalt see nothing therein but love love love love to thee hide thee there lay thy head there with the Evangelist This is the clift of the Rock wherein Elias stood This is for all aking heads a pillow of downe Anoint thy head with this oile let this oyntment embalme thy head and wash thy face Tarry thou on this firme rock and I le warrant thee Say with Paul What can separate me from the love of God can death can poverty can sicknesse hunger or any misery perswade thee now that God loveth thee not Nay nothing can seperate thee from the love wherewith God hath loved thee in Christ Jesus whom he loveth he loveth to the end So that now where abundance of sin hath been in thee the more is the abundance of grace But to what end Certainly that as sinne hath reigned to death as thou seest to the killing of Gods Sonne so now Grace must raigne to life to the honouring of Gods Sonne who is now alive and cannot dye any more So that they which by faith feele this cannot any more dye to God but to sinne whereto they are dead and buried with Christ As Christ therefore liveth so doe they and that to God to righteousnesse and holinesse The life which they live is In fide Filii Dei in the faith of the Sonne of God whereby you see that now I am slipt into that which I made the third part of repentance namely newnesse of life which I could not so have done if that it were a part of it selfe indeed it is an effect or fruit of the second part that is of faith or trust in Gods mercy For he that beleeveth that is is certainly perswaded sinne to be such a thing that is the cause of all misery and of it selfe so greatly angreth God that in Heaven nor in earth nothing could appease his wrath save onely the death and precious bloodshedding of the Sonne of God in whom is all the delight and pleasure of the Father he I say that is perswaded thus of his sinne the same cannot but in heart abhorre and quake to doe or say yea to think any thing willingly which Gods Law teacheth him to be sinne Again he that beleeveth that is is certainly perswaded Gods love to be so much towards him that where through sinne he was lost and made a firebrand of Hell the eternall Father of mercy which is the omni-sufficient God and needeth nothing in us or of any thing that we can doe to deliver us out of Hell and to bring us into Heaven did send even his own most deare Sonne out of his bosome out of heaven into hell as a man would say to bring us as I said from thence into his own bosome and mercy we being his very enemies he I say that is thus perswaded of Gods love towards him and of the price of his redemption by the deare blood of the Lamb immaculate Jesus Christ the same man cannot but love God againe and of love doe that and heartily desire to doe better the which might please God Think you that such a one knowing these things by Faith will willingly insist and wallow in his wilfull lusts pleasures and fantasies Will such a one as knoweth by Faith Christ Jesus to have given his blood to wash him from his sinnes play the Sow to nuzle in his puddle of filthy sinne and vice againe Nay rather then he will be defiled againe by his wilfull sinning he will wash often the feet of his affections watching over the vice still sticking in him which as a spring continually sendeth out poyson enough to drowne and defile him if the sweet water of Christs passion in Gods sight did not wash it and his blood satisfy the rigour of Gods justice due for the same This blood of Christ shed for our sinnes is so deare in the sight of him that beleeveth that he will abhorre in his heart to stamp it and tread it under his feet He knoweth now by his beleefe that it is too much that hitherto he hath set too little by it and is ashamed thereof Therefore for the residue of his life he purposeth to take better heed to himselfe then before he did Because he seeth by his faith the grievousnesse of Gods anger the foulenesse of sin the greatnesse of Gods mercy and of Christs love towards him he will now be heedy to pray unto God to give him his grace accordingly that as with his eyes and tongue hands and feet c. he hath displeased God doing his own will even so now with the same eyes tongue c. he may displease his own selfe and doe Gods will Willingly will he not doe that which might renew the death of the sonne of God He knoweth he hath too much sinne unwillingly in him so that thereto he will not adde willing offences This willing and witting offending sinning whosoever doth flatter himselfe therein doth evidently demonstrate and shew that he never yet indeed tasted of Christ truly He was never truely perswaded or beleeved how foule a thing sinne is how grievous a thing Gods anger
will endeavour my best now to helpe you by Gods grace But first because we cannot well tell what repentance is through ignorance and for lack of knowledge and false teaching I will to begin withall shew what Repentance is Repentance is no English word but we borrow it of the Latinists to whom it is an after thinking in English in Greeke a being wise afterwards in Hebrew a conversion or turning the which conversion or turning cannot be true and hearty unto God especially without some good hope or trust of pardon for that which is already done and past is therefore after hearty sorrow an earnest purpose to amend and to turne to God with a trust of pardon This definition may be divided into three parts 1. First a sorrowing for our sinnes 2. Secondly a trust of pardon which otherwise may be called a perswasion of God's mercy by the merits of Christ for the forgivenesse of our sinnes 3. And thirdly a purpose to amend or a conversion to a new life The which third or last part cannot be called so properly a part as an effect of that repentance we now speake of as towards the end ye shall see by Gods grace But yet lest such as seeke for occasion to speake evill should have any occasion if they tarry not out the end of this sermon I therefore divide repentance into the three foresaid parts 1. Of sorrowing for our sinne 2. Of good hope or trust of pardon 3. Of a new life Thus you may see what the thing is a sorrowing for sinne a purpose to amend with a good hope or trust of pardon This penance not only differeth from that which men commonly take to be penance in saying and going over our enjoyned Ladies Psalters seaven penitentiall Psalmes superstitious Fastings Pilgrimages Almes-deeds and such like things but also from that which the more learned have declared to consist of three parts namely contrition confession and satisfaction Contrition they call a just and a full sorrow for their sinne For this word just and full is one of the differences between Contrition and Attrition Confession they call a numbering of all their sinnes in the eare of their ghostly Father for as say they a judge cannot absolve without knowledge of the cause or matter so cannot the Priest or ghostly Father absolve from other sinnes then those which he doth heare Satisfaction they call amends making unto God for their sinnes by their undue works Opera indebita workes more then they need to doe as they terme them This is their penance which they Preach Write and allow But how true this stuffe is how it agreeth with Gods word how it is to be allowed taught Preached written let us a little consider If a man repent not untill he have a just and full sorrowing for his sinnes dearly beloved when shall he repent For in as much as hell fire and the punishment of the Divels is a just punishment for sinne In as much as in all sinne there is a contempt of God which is all goodnesse and therefore there is a desert of all ilnesse alas who can beare or feele this just sorrow this full sorrow for our sinnes this their contrition which they doe so discerne from their attrition shall not man by this doctrine rather despaire then come to repentance If a man repent not untill he have made confession of all his sinns in the eare of his ghostly Father if a man cannot have absolution of his sins untill his sins be told by tale and number in the Priests eare in that as David saith none can understand much lesse then utter all his sins Delicta quis intelligit Who can understand his sins In that David complaineth of himselfe elsewhere how that his sinnes have overflowed his head and as a heavy burthen doe oppresse him alas shall not a man by this doctrines be utterly driven from repentance Though they have gone about something to make a plaister for their sores of confession or attrition to asswage this stuffe bidding a man to hope well of his contrition though it be not so full as is required and of his confession though he have not numbred all his sinnes if so be that he doe so much as in him lieth dearely beloved in that there is none but that herein he is guilty for who doth as much as he may think yee that this plaister is not like salt to sore eyes Yes undoubtedly alas when they have done all they can for the appeasing of consciences in these poynts this is the summe that we yet should hope well but yet so hope that we must stand in a mammering and doubting whether our sins be forgiven For to beleeve remissionem peccatorum that is to be certaine of forgivenesse of sinnes as our Creed teacheth us they count it a presumption O abomination and that not onely therein but in all their penance as they paint it As concerning satisfaction by their Opera indebita undue workes that is by such works as they need not to doe but of their own voluntarinesse and willingnesse wilfulnesse in deed who seeth not monstrous abomination blasphemy and even open fighting against God For if satisfaction can be done by man then Christ died in vaine for him that so satisfieth and so reigneth he in vaine so is he a Bishop and a Priest in vaine Gods law requireth love to God with all our heart soule power might and strength so that there is nothing can be done to God-ward which is not contained in this commandement nothing can be done over and above this Again Christ requireth to man-ward that we should love one another as he loved us And think you beloved that we can doe any thing to our Neighbourward which is not herein comprized Yea let them tell me when they do any thing so in the love of God and their Neighbour but that they had need to cry Remitte nobis debita nostra forgive us our sinnes So farre are wee off from satisfying Doth not Christ say When you have done all things that I have commanded you say that ye be but unprofitable servants Put nothing to my word saith God Yes workes of supererogation yea superabomination say they Whatsoever things are true saith the Apostle Saint Paule Whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things pertaine to love whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise have you them in your minde and doe them and the God of peace shall be with you Beloved this lesson well regarded would pull us from Popish satisfactory Works which doe deface Christs treasures and satisfaction In heaven and in earth was there none found that could satisfie God's anger for our sinnes or open heaven for man but onely the Son of God Jesus Christ the Lion of the Tribe of Juda who by his bloud hath wrought the work of
believe to publish and live in his holy word In Gods Law we see it is a foule spot to our soules not only to be an open prophaner of the Sabbath day but also not to rest from our own words and works that the Lord might both speak and work in us and by us not to heare his holy word not to communicate his Sacraments not to give occasion to others to holinesse by our example in Godly workes reverent esteeming of the Ministry of his Word In Gods Law we see it a foule spot to our soules not only to be an open disobayer of our parents Magistrates Masters and such as be in any authority over us but also not to honour such even in our hearts not to give thankes to God for them not to pray for them to aide to help or relieve them to bear with their infirmities c. In Gods Law we see it is a foule spot in our soules not only to be a man-queller in hatred malice proud lookes brags back-biting railing or bodily slaughter but also not to love our neighbours yea or enemies even in our hearts and to declare the same in all our gestures words and works In Gods law we see it a foule spot to our soules not only to be a Whoremonger in lusting in our hearts in wanton looking in uncleane and wanton talking in actuall doeing unhonestly with our Neighbours Wife Daughter servant c. But also not to be chast sober temperate in heart lookes tongue apparell deeds and to help others thereunto accordingly c. In Gods Law we see it is a foule spot to our soules not only in heart to covet in look or word to flatter lye colour c. in deed to take away any thing which pertaineth to another but also in heart countenance word and deed not to keepe save and defend that which pertaineth to thy neighbour as thou wouldest thine own In Gods Law we may see it a foule spot not only to lye and beare false witnesse against any man but also not to have as great a care over thy Neighbours name as over thine own Sinne in Gods Law it is we may see and a foule spot not only to consent to evill lust or carnall desires but even the very carnall lusts and desires themselves are sinne as selfe love and many such like By reason whereof I think there is none that looketh well therein but though he be blamelesse to the World and faire to the shew yet certainly inwardly his face is foule arrayed and so shamefull filthy pocky and scabbed that he cannot but be sorry at the contemplation thereof and that so much more by how much he continueth to look in this glasse accordingly And thus much concerning the second mean to the stirring up of sorrow for our sinne that next unto Prayer we should look in Gods law spiritually The which looking if we use with prayer as I said let us not doubt but at the length God's spirit will work as now to such as believe for to the unbelievers all is in vaine their eyes are starke blind they can see nothing to such as believe I say I trust something is done even already But if neither by prayer nor by diligent looking into Gods law spiritually as yet thy hard unbelieving heart feeleth sorrow nor lamenting for thy sinne Thirdly look upon the tagge tied to Gods Law for to his Law there is a tagge tied that is a penalty and that no small one but such an one as cannot but make us cast our currish tailes between our leggs if we believe it for all is in vaine if wee be faithlesse not to beleeve before wee feele This tagge is Gods malediction or curse Maledictus omnis saith it qui non permanet in omnibus quoe scripta sunt in libro legis ut faciat eam Loe accursed saith he is all no exception all saith God which continueth not in all things for he that is guilty of one is guilty of the whole saith St James in all things therefore saith the Holy Ghost which are written in the booke of the Law to doe them He saith not to heare them to talke of them to dispute of them but to doe them Who is he now that doth these Rara Avis few such Birds yea none at all For all are gone out of the way though not outwardly by word or deed yet inwardly at the least by default and wanting of that which is required so that a child of one nights age is not pure but by reason of birth-sinne in danger of Gods malediction then much more we which alasse have drunken in iniquity as it were water as Job saith but yet we quake not Tell me now good brother why doe you so lightly consider Gods curse that for your sins past you are so carelesse as if you had made a covenant with death and damnation as the wicked did in Esais time what is Gods curse At the Popes curse with book bell and candle O! how trembled we which heard it although the same was not directed to us yea hanging over us all by reason of our sinnfs alas how carelesse are we O faithlesse hard hearts o Jesabels guests rocked and laid asleepe in her bed O wicked wretches which being come into the depth of sinne doe contemne the same O sorrowlesse sinners and shamelesse harlots Is not the anger of a King death and is the anger of the King of all Kings a matter so lightly to be regarded as we doe regard it which for our sinnes are so wretchlesse that we slugge and sleep it out As wax melteth away at the heat of the fire saith David so doe the wicked perish at the face or countenance of the Lord If dearely beloved his face be so terrible and intollerable for sinners and the wicked what think we his hand is At the face and appearing of Gods anger the earth trembleth but we earth earth yea stones Iron flints tremble nothing at all If we will not tremble in hearing woe unto us for then shall we be crushed in pieces in feeling If a Lyon roare the beasts quake but we are worse then beasts which quake nothing at the roaring of the Lyon I meane the Lord of Hosts And why because the curse of God hardnesse of heart is fallen upon us or else we could not but lament and tremble for our sinnes If not for the shame and foulenesse thereof yet at the least for the malediction and curse of God which hangeth over us for them Lord be mercifull unto us for thy Christs fake and spare us in thine anger remember thy mercy towards us Amen And thus much for the third thing for the moving of us to sorrow for our sinnes that is for the tagge tied to Gods Law I meane for the malediction and curse of God But if our hearts be so hard that through these we yet feele no hearty sorrow for our sinnes Let us fourthly set before us examples past
of these examples especially of our late King and this troublesome time will move some teares out of thine heart if thou wilt pray for Gods Spirit accordingly For who art thou think alwaies with thy selfe that God should spare thee more then them whose examples thou hast heard What friends hast thou Were not of these Kings Prophets Apostles learned and come of holy stocks I deceive my selfe think thou with thy selfe if I believe that God being the same God that he was will spare me whose wickednesse is no lesse but much more then some of theirs He hateth sinne now as much as ever he did The longer he spareth the greater vengeance will fall the deeper he draweth his Bow the sorer will his shaft pierce But if yet thy heart be so hardned that all this will not move thee then surely art thou in a very evill estate and remedy now I know none What say I none Know I none Yes there is one which is suresby as they say to serve if any thing will serve You look to know what this is forsooth the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ You know the cause why Christ became man and suffered as he suffered was the sinnes of his People that he might save them from the same Consider the greatnesse of the sore I mean sinne by the greatnesse of the Chyrurgion and the salve Who was the Chyrurgion no Angel no saint no Arch-angel no power no creature in heaven nor earth but only he by whom all things were made all things are ruled also even Gods own Deareling and only beloved sonne becoming man Oh what a great thing is this that could not be done by the Angells Archangels Potentates powers or all the creatures of God without his own sonne who of necessity must come down from heaven to take our nature and become man Here have ye the Chyrurgion great was the cure that this mighty Lord took in hand Now what was the salve certainly of an unestimable value and of many compositions I cannot recite all but rather must leave it to your hearty considerations Thirty three yeares was he curing our sore he sought it earnestly by fasting watching praying c. The same night that he was betrayed I read how busy he was about a plaister in the Garden when he lying flat on the ground praying with teares and that of blood not a few but so many as did flow down on the ground againe crying on this sort Father saith he if it be possible let this cup depart from me That is if it be possible that else the sinnes of man kind can be taken away grant that it may be so Thou heardest Moses crying for the Idolaters thou heardest Lot for the Zoarites Samuel David and many other for the Israelites And deare Father I onely am thine own Sonne as thou hast said in whom thou art well pleased wilt thou not heare me I have by the space of thirty three years done alwaies thy will I have so humbled my selfe that I would become an abject amongst men to obay thee Therefore deere Father if it be possible grant my request save man-kind now without any farther labour salves or plaisters But yet saith he not as I will but as thou wilt But Sir what heard he Though he sweat blood and water in making his plaister for our sore of sinne yet it framed not Twice he cryed without comfort yea though to comfort him God sent an Angel we know that yet this plaister was not allowed for sufficient untill hereunto Christ Jesus was betrayed forsaken of all his Disciples forsworne of his dearely beloved bound like a Theefe belyed on buffeted whipped scourged crowned with thornes crucified racked nailed hanged up be tween two theeves cursed and railed upon mocked in misery and had given up the ghost then bowed downe the head of Christ then God the Father which is the head of Christ allowed the plaister to be sufficient and good for the healing of our sore which is sinne Now would God abide our breath because the stinke damnation guiltinesse was taken away by the sweet savour of the breath of this Lambe thus offered once for all So that here dearely beloved we as in a glasse may see to the bruising of our blockish hard hearts Gods great judgement and anger against sinne The Lord of Lords the King of Kings the brightnesse of Gods glory the Sonne of God the dearling of his Father in whom he is well pleased hangeth betweene two Theeves crying for thee and mee and for us all My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Oh hard hearts that we have who delight in sinne Look on this see the very heart of Christ pierced with a fpeare wherein thou maist see and read Gods anger for sinne Woe to thy hard heart that pierced it And thus much for the first part of Repentance I meane for the meanes of working contrition First use Prayer then look on Gods Law thirdly see his curse fourthly set examples of his anger before thee and last of all set before thee the precious death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ From this and prayer cease not till thou feele some hearty sorrow for thy sin The which when thou feelest then labour for the other part that is faith in this sort As first in contrition I willed thee not to trust to thy free will for the attaining of it so doe I will thee in this Faith is so farre from the reach of mans free-will that to reason it is plain foolishnesse Therefore thou must first goe to God whose gift it is thou must I say get thee to the Father of mercy whose worke it is that as he hath brought thee downe by Contrition and humbled thee so he would give thee Faith raise thee up and exalt thee In this manner therefore with the Apostles and the poore man in the Gospel that cryed Lord increase our Faith Lord help my unbeleefe pray thou and say O mercifull and deare Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in whom as thou art well pleased so hast thou commanded us to hear him for as much as he often biddeth us to aske of thee and thereto promiseth that thou will heare us and grant us that which in his name we shall aske of thee loe gracious Father I am bold to begge of thy mercy through thy Sonne Jesus Christ one sparkle of true and certaine perswasion of thy goodnesse and love towards mee in Christ where through I being assured of the Pardon of all my sinnes by the mercies of Christ thy Sonne may be thankefull to thee love thee and serve thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of my life On this sort I say or otherwise as God shall move thee pray thou first of all and look for thy request at Gods hand without any doubting though forthwith thou feelest not the same for oftentimes we have things of God given us long before we feele them as we would
is how joyfull and precious a thing Gods mercy in Christ is how exceeding broad wide high and deepe Christs love is Perchance he can talke and Preach of Faith but yet truly in heart he never felt it effectually for if he did once feele this ravishing consolation indeed then would he be so farre from continuing in sinne willingly and wittingly that wholly and heartily he would give over himselfe to that which is contrary I meane to a new life renewing his youth even as the Eagle doth For as we being in the servitude of sinne demonstrate our service by giving over our members to the obaying of sinne from iniquity to iniquity even so we being made free from sinne by faith in Jesus Christ and endued with Gods spirit a spirit of liberty must needs demonstrate this freedome and liberty by giving over our members to the obedience of the spirit by the which we are lead and guided from vertue to vertue and all kind of holinesse As the unbelievers declare their unbeleefe by the working of the evill spirit in them in the outward fruits of the flesh even so the believers declare their faith by the working of Gods Spirit in them outwardly the fruits of the Spirit For as the Divell is not dead in those which are his but worketh still to their damnation so is not God dead in them which be his but worketh still to their salvation The which working is not the cause of the one or the other being in any but only a demonstration a signe a fruit of the same As the Apple is not the cause of the Apple tree but the fruit of it Thus then you see briefely that newnesse of life is not indeed a part of repentance but a fruit of it a demonstration of the justifying faith a signe of Gods good spirit possessing the heart of the penitent as the old life is a fruit of impenitency a demonstration of a lipfaith or unbeliefe a signe of Sathans spirit possessing the heart of the impenitent which all those be that be not penitent For meane I know none He that is not penitent the same is impenitent he that is not governed by Gods spirit the same is governed by Sathans Spirit For all that be Christians are governed with the spirit of Christ which spirit hath its fruits All other that be not Christs are the Divels He that gathereth not with Christ scattereth abroad Therefore my dearely beloved I beseech you to consider this and deceive not your selves If you be not Christs then pertaine you to the Divel of which things the fruits of the flesh doth assure you as whoredome adultery uncleannesse wantonnesse idolatry witch-craft envy strife contention wrath sedition murther drunkennesse gluttony blasphemy slothfulnesse vaine talking slandering c. If such like fruit as these grow out of the trees of your hearts surely surely the Divell is at Inne with you you are his birds whom when he hath well fed he will broach you and eat you chaw you and champ you world without end in eternall woe and misery But I am otherwise perswaded of you all I trust you be all Christ Jesus his people and his children yea and his brethren by faith As you see your sins in Gods Law and tremble and sigh sorrow and sob for the same even so you see his great mercies in his Gospel and free promises and therefore are glad merry and joyfull for that you are accepted into Gods favour have your sins pardoned and are endued with the good spirit of God even the seale and signe Manuel of your election in Christ Jesus even before the beginning of the World The which spirit for that he is the Spirit of life is given to you to work in you with you and by you here in this life sanctification and holinesse whereunto you are called that so ye might be holy even as your heavenly father is holy I beseech you all by admonition and warning of you that you would stirre up the gifts of God given to you generally and particularly to the edifying of his Church that is I pray you that you would not molest the good Spirit of God by rebelling against it when it provoketh and calleth you to goe on forward that he which is holy might yet be more holy he which is righteous might be more righteous as the evill spirit moveth and stirreth up the filthy to be yet more filthy the covetous to be more covetous the wicked to be more wicked Declare you now your repentance by workes of repentance Bring forth fruits and worthy fruits Let your sorrowing for your evils demonstrate it selfe departing from the evils you have used Let your certainty of pardon of your sins through Christ and your joy in him be demonstrated by pursuing of the good things which Gods word teacheth you You are now in Christ Jesus Gods workmanship to doe good works which God hath prepared for you to walk in For the grace of God that bringeth salvation unto all men hath appeared and teacheth us that we should deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and that we should live soberly righteously godlily in this present world looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the mighty God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ which gave himselfe for us to redeeme us from all unrighteousnesse and to purge us a peculiar people unto himselfe fervently given unto good workes Again Titus 3. For we our selves also were in times past unwise disobedient deceived serving lusts and divers pleasures living in maliciousnesse and envy full of hate and hating one another But after that the kindnesse and love of God our Saviour to man-ward appeared not by the deeds of righteousnesse which we wrought but of his mercy he saved us by the fountain of the new birth and with the renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour that we once justified by his grace should be heires of eternall life through hope This is a true saying But I will make an end for I am too tedious Dearely beloved repent your sinnes that is be sorry for that which is past beleeve in Gods mercy for pardon how deepely soever you have sinned and both purpose and earnestly pursue a new life bringing forth worthy and True fruits of Repentance As you have given over your members from sin to sin to serve the Divel your tongues to sweare to lye to flatter to scold to jest to scoffe to beastly talke to vain jangling to boasting c. Your hands to picking griping idlenesse fighting c. Your feet to skipping going to evill to dancing c. Your eares to heare Fables lyes vanities and evill things c. So now give over your members to godlinesse your tongues to speak your eares to heare your eyes to see your mouthes to tast your hands to worke your feet to goe about such things as may make to Gods glory sobriety of life and love to your brethren and that daily more and more diligently for in this way to stand you cannot either better or worse you are to day then you were yesterday But better I trust you be and will be if you marke my Theme that is repent you The which thing that you would as before I have humbly besought you even so now yet once more I doe again beseech you and that for the mercies of God in Jesus Christ our Lord Repent you repent you for the Kingdome of heaven that is a Kingdome full of riches pleasures mirth beauty sweetnesse and eternall felicity is at hand The eye hath not seen the like the eare hath not heard the like the heart of man cannot conceive the treasures and pleasures of this Kingdome which is now at hand to such as Repent that is to such as are sorry for their sinnes beleeve Gods mercy through Christ and earnestly purpose to lead a new life The God of mercy through Christ his Sonne grant us his holy spirit and work in our hearts this sorrow faith and new life which through his grace I have spoken of both now and for ever AMEN FINIS Marc. 4.33 Lumen orationis perspicuitas Aug. who would call a bone ossum to avoid the ambiguity in os in Psal. 138. secundum Aug. Mr R. Ca. of Tentat 1. Resipiscentia 2 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 3 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Deut. 6.2 Mat. 22. Mark 20. Luke 10. Ioh. 3. Mat. 6. Luke 17. Apoc. 22. Deut. 4.1 Phil. 4. Isai 45. 1 Joh. 2. Iames 2. Rom. 7. Gen. 6. Gen. 19. Gen. 19. Josua Caleb Num. 14. Lev. 24a Num. 13. 1 K. 5. 3 Reg. 21.22 4 Reg. 21. 4 Reg. 10. Isai 31. Mat. 7. Heb. 10.