well Isaac sonne of the free woman as Ishmael sonne of the bond woman as well Iacob whom God loued as Esau whom God hated as well chast Ioseph as incestuous Ammon as well meeke Moses as rayling Rabshekah as well zealous Phineas as the luke-warme angell of Laodicea as well Dauid a man according to Gods owne heart as Saul from whom God tooke his spirit and mercy as well Salomon the wise as Nabal the foole as well tender hearted Iosiah as hard harted Pharaoh as well the humble Publican as the proude Pharisie as well poore Lazarus to bee caried into Abrahams bosome as the rich glutton to be caried into hell as well Iohn the beloued disciple as Iudas the traytour as well Simon Peter the Apostle as Simon Magus the sorcerer Mercilesse death doth exercise her crueltie vpon all alike Why should this be so Hath not Christ dyed for the righteous why then should they dye Death is the reward of sinne Christ hath satisfied for all their sinnes wherefore should they beare this penaltie of sinne The righteous must dye the first death though Christ haue died for them and suffered for their sinnes His death shall free them from the second death but not from the first death which is the separation of soule and body He hath onely altered the nature and vse of the first death but not quite taken it away Whereas at first it was ordained for a punishment of sinne he hath made it a passage into heauen it was threatned and inflicted as a curse but he hath turned it into a blessing It did at first depriue men of good but now it putteth them in possession of good Christ hath taken away the sting of it and therefore Paul saith O death where is thy sting So as it can no more hurt vs then a Bee which hath lost his sting It doth not hurt vs but help vs not hinder vs but further vs in obtaining of glory Iacob not long before his death pronounced this as a curse from the Lord vpon the tribe of Simeon and Leui for their crueltie I will diuide them in Iaakob and scatter them in Israel Yet when the children of Leui shewed their zeale and obedience in killing the idolaters at Moses commandement the Lord turned this curse into a blessing Their scattering was a furtherance vnto them to make them more fit to teach the people in euery citie and receiue the tythes of euery tribe So at the first the Lord threatned death at the punishment of sin but by faith in Christ it is made the end of sinne and beginning of glorie He who could at the beginning bring light out of darkenes could afterward bring a blessing out of a curse If Phisicians by their arte can extract an antidote or preseruatiue against poyson out of poysonfull things why may not God by his infinit power and wisdome drawe good out of euill a mercy out of iudgement and a blessing out of curse Yea and as Augustine teacheth death remaineth still for the righteous to exercise their faith withall If immediatly vpon remission of sin there should follow immortality of the body faith should be abolished which waiteth in hope for that which is not yet enioyed Yea the Martyrs could not testifie their faith their patience their courage their constancie and loue vnto Christ in suffering death for his sake But now let vs more particularly consider the titles giuen to the death of the righteous First it is said that he perisheth which must not so be vnderstood as if he were quite destroyed brought to nothing and had no more being as it befalleth bruite beasts at their death whose soules being traduced with their bodies are mortall and perish with their bodies the righteous hath a being euen after death yet may be said to perish in regard of outward appearance in the iudgement of flesh and blood he seemeth to perish Yet we must know that the righteous consists of soule and bodie his soule being immortall cannot perish by any meanes it can liue out of the bodie as well as in the bodie When it leaues the bodie it goes vnto the Lord. This Salomon taught Dust returnes to the earth as it was and the spirit returnes to God that gaue it This Paul wished desiring to bee loosed and to be with Christ. This Lazarus enioyed at his death being carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome And this Iohn in a vision saw performed to the Martvrs vnder the Altar hee sawe the soules of them which were killed for the word of God But the bodie of a righteous man may bee saide to perish because it loseth the forme the nature and propertie of an humane body It is within a short space eaten vp of wormes and turned into dust and ashes so as there can appeare no signes of a body Though wee make neuer so much of our bodies yet can wee not keepe them from perishing though we feed them most daintilie clothe them most costly and cherish them most carefullie yet at last they will become a thing of naught the beautie of them will fade they shall be deformed and most ougly to behold The strength of them will be taken away so as they shall not stirre an hand or a foote the agilitie of them will be lost they shall remaine stiffe and be nummed the parts and members of them shall perish and fall away one after another The flesh blood and bones shall be so strangely turned to dust and earth that there shall not remaine any propertie or qualitie of them and a man if he knew it not before would neuer iudge that dust and earth to haue been flesh and blood and bones of a liuing man yea so greatly shall our bodies be altered that men shall not be able to discerne which dust came of them and which came of the earth Yet one thing I must needs adde for the comfort of the righteous that although his body seeme thus to perish in the iudgement of men yet it still hath a being in the sight of God and doth euen at that time and in that case remaine a member of Christs mysticall body For the vnion betwixt Christ and the faithfull is not of soules only but also of bodies the body of euery faithfull man and woman is truely vnited to Christs bodie And this vnion cannot be broken death cannot dissolue it though death doth breake the vnion betwixt man and wife yet it cannot breake the vnion betwixt Christ and the faithfull As death did not make a separation betwixt the two natures of Christ at the time of his suffering but his soule and bodie being farre distant the one in heauen the other in the graue were at that time and in that case personally vnited to his godhead no more can death make a separation betwixt Christ and the faithfull though their bodies doe putrifie and lie rotting in their graues yet stil they remaine
lie is taken you all do well know which haue any experience in the world whither he is brought the Apostle teacheth when hee saith Ye are come to the mount Sion and to the citie of the liuing God the celestiall Ierusalem and to the companie of innumerable Angels And to the congregation of the first borne which are written in heauen and to God the iudge of all and to the spirits of iust and perfect men and to Iesus the mediatour of the new testament Who would be vnwilling thus to be taken away And why should the righteous be afraid of death by which they are thus taken away Had the Israelites anie cause to be vnwilling or to feare to be taken out of the land of Egypt the house of boÌ„dage and to bee caried as it were vpon Eagles wings into the land of Canaan a land that flowed with milke and honie No more cause haue the righteous to feare death which would carie them from the bondage of this world to the heauenly Canaan a place of eternall rest And why then should we mourne immoderately for the death of the righteous WheÌ„ Ioseph was taken from prison to be made a chief ruler in Egypt if his father Iacob had bin in prison with him and had beene acquainted with his preferment should he haue had anie iust cause to be grieued So soone as hee heard of it he reioyced and was willing to go vnto him When Saul was takeÌ„ froÌ„ seeking his fathers asses and annointed to be king ouer Israel had his father Kish any reason to lament WheÌ„ Dauid was taken from following the Ewes great with yong ones and ordained King to feed the Lords people had his father Ishai anie iust occasion of sorrow No more cause haue anie of vs to bewaile the death of the godly seeing they are as highly preferred as any of theÌ„ When Hester was takeÌ„ from Mordecai who had brought her vp as his own daughter to be maried vnto king Ahashuerosh and crowned as Queen did he lament it was he not most willing to leaue her Why then should anie man be so vnwilling to leaue either daughter or wife though neuer so deare vnto him seeing that shee is but taken vp into heauen there to be maried vnto Christ the husbaÌ„d of his Church and there to be crowned as a Queene to raigne in glorie with him But in this taking away there is great difference betwixt the godly and the wicked They are also taken away but why The godly are taken out of the world because the world was not worthie of them but the wicked are taken away because they are vnworthie to liue in the world Those are taken away in mercie these in iudgement those in the Lords fauour and these in his displeasure And whence are these taken or whither They are taken from the practise of sinne to suffer punishment for sinne from ease to torment from the first life to the second death from men to diuels from earth to hell from prison to the place of execution In a woful taking shall they be when they are thus taken away Their lamentable taking away is described in him that will not in time be reconciled to his brother The iudge deliuereth him to the sergeant the sergeant takes him and casts him into prison whence he must not come till hee haue paide the vtmost farthing Likewise in him that would not forgiue his fellow seruant an hundred pence his master being wroth deliuered him to the iayler who tooke him and cast him into prison till he should pay all that was due Also in him that wanted the wedding garment at the marriage feast of the kings sonne the king saith to his seruants binde him hand and foote take him away and cast him into vtter darkenes there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Likewise in the vnprofitable seruant which would not imploy his maisters talent the talent must be taken from him he must be taken and cast into vtter darkenes where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Lastly in them which would not suffer their king to raigne ouer them he shall say those mine enemies which would not that I should raigne ouer them bring hither and slay them before me It is a grieuous thing for one that is making merrie among his companions to be sodainely apprehended by a sergeant or officer for a traitour theefe or murtherer and presently without baile or mainepâ—ise to be taken from his companie and carried to prison and from thence to the place of execution As grieuous is it for a wicked man that liues in the pleasures of sinne to be taken away by death which is the Lords sergeant to apprehend him and bring him to the prison of hell As his entrance into the world was euill and his continuance in the world was worse so his taking out of the world shall be worst of all Oh then let vs take heede least we be thus taken away Let vs learne to liue in the world as the righteous doe and then shall we be taken away as the righteous are Balaams wish is vsed by many Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his And yet they will not liue the life of the righteous but few of these obtaine their desire Looke what way a tree boweth while it stands and groweth the same way it commonly falleth when it is cut downe euen so looke how men are inclined in their life time to righteousnes or vnrighteousnesse so shall they fall at their death Men can hardly begin righteousnesse at their last end Late repentance is seldome sound repentance Men drawing neere to their end shall be so affrighted with death so troubled with paine and grief that they shal not be able to set themselues to repent soundly They shall then rather seeke ease for their bodies then mercie for their sins or grace for their soules The beginning of euerie thing is hardest and therefore he which hath begun wel is said to haue done halfe his worke As it is in other things so is it with repentance it is a harder matter to begin repentance at the first then to renue it afterward therfore the fittest time should be taken for the beginning of it that is rather the time of our life then the time of our death rather the time of our health then the time of our sicknesse In the time of our life and of our health we be scarse able and fit to begin serious repentance but much more vnable and vnfit shall we be in the time of sicknes death We read in scripture but of one which became righteous at his last end the theefe on the Crosse wee reade of one that no man might despaire though hee haue deferred his repentance so long we reade but only of one that no man might presume to deferre it so long The surest and safest way is to begin
liue are subiect vnto these as wel as others yea oftentimes more then others He which will bee Christs Disciple must take vp his crosse daylie and follow him Through manie tribulations wee must enter into the kingdome of heauen Iudgement begins at the house of God The Lord doth chastise his children by his iudgements least they should be condemned with the world A father hath two sons the one offends and is corrected the other also offendeth is not corrected why is the one corrected and not the other because the father hath hope of his amendment and reserues the inheritance for him but he hath no hope of the other and therefore will not correct him but doth disinherite him and cast him off so doth God deale with men Those which hee seeth incorrigible hee letteth alone though they offend yet he seldome correcteth them but casts them off but others which may by correction bee brought to repentance and kept in awe he often correcteth and for them is reserued an inheritance immortall and vndefiled in heauen yea the world hateth them because they are not of the world yea among men they shall oftentimes suffer euill for righteousnes sake And God hereby will make triall of their faith of their patience constancie and herein make them examples vnto others so that they must looke for afflictions so long as life lasteth but death makes an end of them al. Life and miserie are two twins which were borne together must die together And therefore Iohn heard it from heauen was commaunded to write it for the comfort of men on the earth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their works follow them Then shall God wipe all teares from their eyes then shall there be no more sorrow nor crying nor paine Then shall they haue euerlasting rest and no labour continuall ioy and no sorrow perpetuall pleasure and no paine great plentie of all good things and no want all manner of happines and no miserie The spirituall euils from which they are freed by death are three First their combat with the diuell Here we are in continuall warfare this is the militant Church so long as wee liue and abide in it wee must fight as the Lords souldiers not against flesh and bloud but against principalities against powers and against worldlie gouernours the Princes of the darkenesse of this world and not for a naturall or temporall but for a spirituall and eternall life not for an earthlie but for an heauenlie kingdome And in this battell there is no time of truce If the diuell be ouercome at one time he will on a sodame and none knowes how soone giue a fresh assault againe but death ends tho battell not as if the diuell got the victorie by our death as it is commonly seene among warriours on the earth if the one die in fight the other getteth the vpper hand but the faithfull at their last end get a finall conquest and then ascend to heauen there to triumph The diuell cannot assault them there He may compasse the earth but he cannot enter within the lists of heauen He neuer came thither to assault any since he was first cast out though he tempted Adam in the earthly Paradice and got him thrust out of it yet can he not tempt any in the heauenly Paradice to cause them to be thrust thence And therefore as a souldier which hath endured an hard and dangerous battell a long time doth greatly reioyce when he hath gotten the victorie so may the faithfull reioyce at the houre of their death because then they make a finall end of their spirituall enemies and begin their triumph ouer them 2 Another miserie from which they are freed is the practise of sinne Who liueth and sinneth not as Salomon saith In many things we offend all Though we be â—ruely sanctified yet it is but in part and therefore we may say with S. Paul I allow not that which I doe for what I would that I doe not but what I hate that doe I. And further I delight in the law of God concerning the inner man but I see another law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde and leading me captiue vnto sinne And nothing is more grieuous vnto a true Christian heart then the practise of sinne and therefore euerie one in this case will cry out with the same Apostle O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death But death destroyes sinne Sinne brought in death and death driues out sinne After death all the righteous shall be perfectlie sanctified and made like the Angels to do the will of the Lord readilie willinglie and cheerefullie As herbs and flowers breed wormes in them yet those wormes at last will kill the hearbes and flowers so sinne bred death in it selfe but at last death will kill sinne And as Sampson could not kill the Philistims who were his greatest enimies but by his owne death no more can the righteous kil sin which is not their least enimie but by their own death At the first death was ordained as a punishment for sinne but now it is vsed as a meanes to stop the course of sin It was then said vnto man if thou sinne thou shalt die the death but now it is said thou must die least thou sinne that which theÌ„ was to be feared that men might not sin must now be suffered least they should sinne Sinne hath taken such deepe roote in our bodies that it cannot be destroyed vnlesse the bodie be as it were quite plucked vp by the roots least any roots remaining new buds of sinne doe sprout from the same If a wild figgetree doe grow in the walles of a faire temple and spread the roots of it al along ouer all the stones of the whole building it will not cease from springing till all be pulled downe if the stones be pulled downe they may afterward bee set vp a gaine in their owne places and the temple made as faire as euer it was and so the fig-tree may be pulled vp by the rootes will grow no more this comparison haue the learned vsed In the same manner the Lord a skilfull workeman hauing made man for his temple there sprung sinne in him like a wilde figtree which was spread wholie ouer all parts of man and it could not be destoryed vntill the bodie was destroyed by death and God hauing destroyed the bodie by death that so hee might quite roote out sin will build it vp againe to be a new temple vnto him yea mans bodie was in this respect like vnto a faire and beautifull picture of gold which an enuious and ill disposed person doth so mangle and disfignre as that it cannot be brought vnto the same forme and beautie vnlesse the owner doe melt it againe and fashion it all a new 3 Furthermore it
the Scriptures speaking haue not I said ye are Gods As and if the authour should say out of the familiaritie we haue with God wee are made partakers of the diuine nature according as his diuine power hath giuen vnto vs all things that pertaine vnto life and godlinesse thorough the knowledge of him that hath called vs vnto glorie and vertue Good Ignatius confirmed this doctrine as in life so in death for qualis vita finis ita Of whom it is reported that being opened they found in his heart the fruit of his faith and daylie meditation written in letters of gold to this effect Amor mens crucifixus est my loue is crucified Learned Cruciger confirmed the same when dying he said Inuoco tâ— Deus fiducia filii tui licet languida tamen aliqua fide Oh God I call vpoÌ„ thee in confideÌ„ce of thy son thogh with a faint faith yet with some faith and I am encouraged so to doe for I see him in glorie whom I haue followed in grace Nor can I passe in silence what fel out in experience not long sithence at the memorable death of a memorable Saint in this our countrie a Gentleman Scholler and Preacher rarelie qualified both in life and death Oxford will witnes the one and Heaton hall the other where it pleased God to call to his mercie that worthie man and powerfull preacher maister Iohn Holland batchelor of diuinitie a burning lampe consuming it selfe to lighten others for God in mercie called him by a lingring sicknes which staid till hee was readie and pared him to such an end as seldome I haue heard but yet neuer saw the like in any To passe the course of his sicknes in much patience yet with great passion and to come to his end when he put in practise the fruit of his godly life It pleased him the day before he dyed as formerly often so then more egerly to call for the holy Bible with these very words Come O come death approcheth let vs gather some flowres to comfort this howre and turning with his owne hands to the 8. Chapter of Paules Epistle to the Romaines he gaue me the booke and bade me reade at the end of euery verse he made a Selah or pause and gaue the sence in such sort and feeling as was much wee saw to his owne comfort but more to our ioy wonder Pity it were those speeches with other his writings should bee buried with him and kept in priuate from the publicke good of many Hauing thus continued his meditation exposition for the space of two howres or more on the sodain hee sayd O stay your reading what brightnes is this I see Haue you light vp any candles To which I answered no it is the Sunne-shine for it was about 5. a clock in a cleere Summers euening Sunne-shine sayth he nay my Sauior shine now farewell world welcome heauen the day-starre from an high hath visited my hart O speake it when I am gone and preach it at my Funerall God dealeth familiarly with man I feele his mercy I see his maiesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God he knoweth but I see things that are vnutterable So rainshed in spirit he roamed towards heauen with a chearefull looke and soft sweete voice but what he said we could not conceiue At last shrinking downe againe he gaue a sigh with these words Ah yet it wil not be my sins keepe me from my God Thus that euening twise rising and twise falling with the Sunne in the morning following he rise then neuer to fall when againe raysing himselfe as Iacob did vpon his staffe hee shut vp his blessed life with these blessed words O what an happy change shall I make from night to day from darkenes to light from death to life from sorrow to solace from a factious world to a heauenly being O my deare brethren sisters friends it pitteth me to leaue you behinde yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feele I hope you shall â—â—idâ—ere you dye that God doth and will do â—â—â— familiarly with men And now thou firy Chariot that came donne to fetch vp Eliah carry me to my happy hold and all ye blessed Angels who attended the soule of Lazarus to bring it vp to heauen beare me O beare me into the bosonâ— of my best beloued Amen Amen come Lord Iesus come quickly and so he fell a slâ—ope I say the truth my brethren I lie not my conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost with an appeale from my own credit to the right worshipfull his brother and all the standers by to iustifie what I haue sayd in comfort of their owne soules and warrantie of the doctrine â—ayme at which is to proue That God neuer suffereth his elect to depart this life comfortlesse nor wil I am perswaded call them hence till they haue seene with Simeon the Lords Christ either in soule spirit body or both The life of this perswasion is the death of sinne and such hope of eternity is the reuenge of iniquity Fie vpon sinne whilst I behold my Sauiour fie vpon shame whilst I behold my glory Heauen is my hope the visions of my hart are the imprâ—â—sions of my ioy and reuelations are expâ—ations to all Gods children they haue bin they are and they will be neuer wanting in supplementum fidei to helpe faith And for conclusion of this point remember Lots wife was Christ his aduertisement to inure vs with a forgetfulnes of our owne people and our fathers house that the Lord might haue pleasure in our beawty But so to looke vpon Zoar and flee thither was Lots sanctuary O it is but a little one and my soule shall liue What is Sodome other then this sinfull world And what is Zoar other then that heauenly being O let me take you by the hand bring you out and say with the Angell Escape for thy life looke not behind thee neither tarry thou in all the plaine escape into the mountaine least thou be destroyed And let this suffice for the first circumstance of my text as balme from heauen to sweeten our miseries in this life and to bury our iniquities in the graue Now passe we from the peace of the soule to the rest of the bodie and quiet of both vrged by the spirit in the second place as an Antidote to preuent a poyson much infecting all flesh who without all comfort of future blessednes do to the hazard of their soules stand doubtfull of the resurrection as also of the rest of their soules after they be departed The one sort are the Atheists the other are the Papists of these dayes times But the text is powrefull to put back both Iordans that the Israel of God may enter Canaan without crosse or feare For if the Lords elect shal rest in their beds they shal rise from their beds Rest implyeth
catched in a snare or grinne and held fast in it as well by one claw as by both legs or the whole body so the Diuell who layeth snares for our soules may catch and hold them as well by one sinne as by many I acknowledge there is imperfection in all Righteous Lot had a fault iust Noah had a fall Dauid shewed his infirmity and Peter his frailty yet the righteous either sinne of ignorance not knowing that they doe amisse or if they know it it is not often but seldome afterward they are grieued for it and made more carefull to auoyde it But he which without repentance continueth still in one grosse sinne and often practiseth it cannot be reputed a righteous man though he eschue many other sinnes A little leauen sowreth the whole lumpe As dead flyes putrefie a whole boxe of oyntment and a little folly him that is in estimation for wisdome so one sinne being continually practised spoileth all his righteousnes Secondly a righteous man may be known by the end whereunto his workes of righteousnes are directed and that is the glory of God Let your light so shine before men saith Christ that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen And Paul saith Whether ye eate or drinke or whatsoeuer else yee doe doe all to the glorie of God Though men practise neuer so many good workes yet if in doing of them they propound not this end they are not to be accounted righteous men no more then he is to be esteemed a good Archer which can draw a strong bow hath a faire loose and doth shoote farre and yet alwayes shootes a great way off from the marke In this respect the Pharisies were not to be reckoned in the number of righteous men for they did all to be seene of men they did fast and pray and giue almes to be seene of men The Papists also faile in this propertie for they doe all to merit thereby like to hired seruants and labourers which worke for their wages and would do little or nothing for their Masters vnlesse they might bee well paied for their paines But we must acknowledge our selues not to bee seruants but sonnes and not sonnes of the bond-woman but of the free-woman and that we ought of dutie to serue the Lord all the daies of our liues though we should receiue nothing for our labour In all our workes we must seeke his glorie if he bestow any reward vpon vs we may take it as an vndeserued gift of his bountifull goodnes I graunt indeede that righteous men haue some hypocrisie and vaineglorie mingled with sinceritie in their best actions and do some things as well for their owne prayse as Gods glorie yet if there be more synceritie in them then hypocrisie if they doe more good works for Gods glorie then for other sinister ends they lose not the name and dignitie of righteous men For as the Philosophers teach concerning elementary bodies that they are not made of one element onely but of all foure yet haue their names of the praedominant element as some are called earthly bodies not watery aeriall or fiery bodies because they haue more earth then water or ayre in them and as the Phisitians say of the humours in mans body that although they be not pure but mixed one with another yet euery one doth carry the name of that humour which doth most abound so may wee say of the generall conuersation and the particular actions of men that if in them they seeke more the glorie of God then their owne prayse or profit they are truely righteous Thirdly a righteous man may be knowne by his perseuerance in righteousnes for he which is truely made righteous by faith in Christ and sanctification of the spirit will continue righteous vnto the end True and sauing righteousnes is one of those gifts of God which are without repentance It can not be lost fully and finally Those which turne from their righteousnes and commit iniquitie shall not liue their former righteousnes shall be forgotten and they shall dye in the sinnes which they haue committed If the righteousnes of any bee like a morning cloud or as morning dew which is dryed vp and vanisheth away so soone as the sunne ascendeth on high it shall neuer be acceptable to God He onely which continueth righteous to the ende shall bee saued As God neuer ceaseth to bestow blessings vpon vs so should we neuer cease to serue him in holines and righteousnes all the dayes of our liues Though we hire seruants for a yeare and take apprentices for seuen yeares yet must wee serue the Lord for euer Yea the righteous do not only hold fast that which they haue receiued but their teeth are so set on edge with the sweete taste of righteouâ—â—es that still they desire to increase it So many as are perfect will be thus minded with Paul not to count themselues as if they had already attained to it but they forget that which is behind and endeuour themselues vnto that which is before and follow hard toward the marke of the price of the high calling of God in Iesus Christ. Lastly a righteous man may be knowne by his affection to righteousnes in others He which loues righteousnes it selfe will loue it as well in others as in himselfe yea he will loue all others in whom he beholdeth any seeds of righteousnes his delight will be in the Saints that are in the earth and in them which excell in vertue He which loueth a child for his fathers sake as Dauid loued Mephibosheth for Ionathans sake loueth the father himselfe better so he which loueth righteous men for righteousnes sake declareth thereby that he loueth righteousnes it selfe farre better Moreouer a righteous man loueth righteousnes so wel that he wil labour to make others as righteous as himselfe Dauid promised that if the Lord would create in him a cleane heart and renue a right spirit within him and restore him to the ioy of his saluation then shall I teach thy wayes to the wicked and sinners shall be conuerted vnto thee And Peter when he is conuerted must strengthen his brethren As euery thing seeketh to beget his like so a righteous man seeketh to make another righteous As fire cannot be smoothered wheÌ„ once it hath taken hold in any place and findeth matter to worke vpon but will burne further and further till it haue consumed all before it so true righteousnes wrought in the heart of one cannot there be suppressed but will spread it selfe abroade and worke vpon others for their conuersion He which would be esteemed righteous and yet keepeth all his righteousnes to himselfe and doth not impart vnto others may iustly be suspected to haue no sound righteousnes at all The second title giuen to them which dyed mercifull men Which may be taken two waies either passiuely or actiuely Passiuely that
is here first in nature and order for such as God hath receiued vnto mercy as he did Paul because he sinned ignorantly through vnbeliefe In this respect they are called vessels of mercy prepared vnto glory And of this number are only they which repent and amend For as Salomon saith He that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall haue mercie If we take this title in this seuse we may see good reason wherefore it was annexed vnto the former First to shew who are truely righteous before God namely such as he hath receiued vnto mercy in forgiuing their sinnes Which plainely appeareth by Paules proofe out of Dauid who saith that Dauid declareth the blessednes of the man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnes without works And how prooues he the imputatiō of righteousnes without works but by the remission of sin Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sinne Againe this title so taken might be added to the former to confute the sinister censure which carnall man gaue of those which were taken away in the flowre of their age iudging them to be punished for their sinnes and reiected of God it was not so they were receiued vnto mercy and those which suruiued them were reserued for punishment Actiuely it may be taken for such as shew mercy vnto others And in this sense it is opposed to a cruel man He that is mercifull rewardeth his owne soule but he that troubleth his owne flesh is cruell These two properties are alwaies found together in the same persons and therefore Christ saith Blessed are the mercifull for ther shall obteine mercie And the King in the parable which had forgiuen his seruant ten thousand talents said vnto him when he had cast his fellow seruant into prison for an hundred pence oughtest thou not to haue had pittie on thy fellow euen as I had pitty on thee and then deliuered him to the iaylers till he should pay all the debt and so will the Lord deale with men and therefore Iames saith there shal be iudgement mercilesse to him that sheweth no mercie And contrariwise he which receiueth mercie of the Lord will shew mercy vnto men For as the sunne beames lighten vpon the earth do not only heate the earth it selfe but also by their reflexion do heate the next region of the ayre so the beames of the Lords mercie lighting on the hart of any christian do not only heate him with inward comfort but also reflect backward and cause him to yeeld some comfort vnto his brethren Yet here we must vnderstand such as shew mercie vnto others as they were mercifull to their brethren so God was mercifull to them would not punish them with the wicked but tooke them away that he might free them from future calamities There be two kinds of mercifulnes the one shewed toward the soule the other toward the body an example of both we may behold in Christ when he saw the multitude scattered abroad as sheepe hauing no shepheard he had compassion on them and bad his disciples pray vnto the Lord of the haruest that he would thrust forth labourers into his haruest and presently after sent his disciples abroad to preach the Gospell among them There was mercie shewed to their soules Againe when a great multitude had bin with him three dayes in the wildernes he had compassion on them and would not send them away fasting least they should faint in the way And therefore wrought a miracle in feeding foure thousand mē besides women and children with seuen loaues and a few little fishes There was mercie shewed to their bodies There be sixe works of mercy appertaining to the soule set forth in this verse Consule castiga solare remitte fer ora Instruct them which be ignorant correct them which sinne comfort them which be heauie-hearted forgiue them that offend thee beare with the weake and pray for all men There be seuen workes of mercy appertaining to the body comprehended in this verse Visito poto cibo redimo tego colligo condo To visit them which be sicke to giue drinke to them which be thirstie to feede them which be hungry to redeeme the captiues to cloath the naked to lodge the harbourlesse and to bury the dead Many doe separate these works of mercy some will be merciful to the bodies of them which are in distresse they keepe great hospitality relieue the bodies of them which want but do nothing for their soules these are mercifull but in part they omit the chiefest works of mercy yea they are no more mercifull to men redeemed by Christs blood then they are to bruite beasts If their Oxe or Horse want meate they will feede him if diseased they will seeke help for him if he be fallen into a pit or ditch they will draw him out and wil they do no more for man hauing an immortall soule redeemed by Christ As the miseries of the soule are more dangerous so should they be more carefully regarded and pitied Others seeme to pitie mens soules but not their bodies they will instruct others admonish them forgiue them and pray for them but will not giue them one penny to help them withall being like vnto a popish prelate who being asked a penny by a poore man refused to giue it but offered to blesse him which the poore man refused because he thought that if it had been worth a penny he would not haue giuen it to him As man consisteth both of body and soule and is subiect to miseries in them both so must we be mercifull to him in relieuing of both The second circumstance obserued in the text sheweth the manner of their death They perish and are taken away There were many vnrighteous and vnmercifull men in those dayes and in that countrey yet they remained aliue when the righteous and mercifull were taken away by death It is appoynted for all men once to dye at one time or other and now the righteous did leade the way Death is the way of all the world as Ioshua calleth it and the way of all the earth as Dauid tearmeth it and the end of all men as Salomon nameth it therefore the righteous must walke this way as well as others Their flesh is grasse that withereth and their glorie is a floure that fadeth death spareth them no more then others The wise dyeth as well as the foole Yea in this respect the condition of the children of men and the condition of beasts are alike as the one dieth so dieth the other all was of the dust and shall returne to the dust No maruaile then if the condition of all men be alike As well died Abel whose sacrifice God accepted as Caine whose sacrifice God reiected as well Abraham the father of the faithfull as any children of vnbeliefe as
we subscribe to the Vnity and that there is no name vnder heauen wherby men must be saued other then by the glorious name of Iesus Christ. As and if they might say we haue seene in soule we are come in body there is the star O where is the babe Care is in our hearts and cost is in our hands here is our gold let him be crowned a King here is our frankencense let him be deified a God here is our mirth let him be buried a man all his by gift all ours by grace what he gaue vs we giue againe and here we haue it to bestow vpon our blessed Sauiour from a farre countrey haue wee followed him and walked before him and therefore now we feele peace we haue found rest to our weary soules From the generality of Gods gifts and particularity of our receipt come we now to the proper obiect of our faith and walking contayned in these words before him By which indefinit speech I hold the holy ghost hath reference to one Christ the way the truth and the life of all Christians No way but by him no light but from him no life but in him Him I say nor is he expressed in plainer termes for that his name is sâ—â—ret and till Gabriel came from heauen with his sauing name Iesus and statute of additions Luke 1. 31. from the first age to the latter daies I meane from Adam vntill Shilo came they but hacked at it God in Paradise lapt vp this secret in the seed of the woman Iacob in Shilo which by interpretation is sent Moses in this Mitte quem missâ—ruses Send him whom thou shouldest send Daniel thus One of the Saints said vnto a certain one Ieremy thus He that should call he is the lord our righteousnes The Lord in respect of his to deliuer his Church righteous in respect of his doome determinable vpon the world ours in respect of grace appeasing his father What should I say more sometime they call him by the name of Emmanuel sometime they call him wonderfull Counsellor the mightie God the euerlasting father the prince of peace Maher-shalal-hash-baz Make speede to the spoyle hast to the pray with this pregnant prophecy of him that a virgin should inuiron a man And neerer the daies of Christ they called him Israels expectation Israels consolation Israels redemption And now that I haue told thee and thou hast heard all these speake I aske with Salomon what is his name and what is his sonnes name if thou canst tell It is the gldrse of God to keepe a thing secret but the Kings heart will seeke it out And it is an honorable seede that feareth the Lord but a more honorable seede that findeth him Elder times saw him a farre off comming swadled in types figures shadowes ceremonies but we haue seene the truth bodie and substance of our Christ. We haue him comeâ— and the â—â—yle of the Temple is â—ent from the top to the bottome whereby we haue readie passage into the holâ—est of holies euen Christ Iesus the Lord whom the Angels desire to behold We heard of him at Ephrata and wee haue found him in the woods tied to the tree pierced through with his body crost and soule curst for the sinnes of all the world and now sitteth in heauen a mediator and pledge of our inheritance hauing leâ—t his spirit to liue by and his word to go by and this is he whom the Prophet meant in this word him the obiect of our faith and way to walke in No man can ascend but by him that did descend and that is Christ the ladder Iacob saw at Pinael the clowd by day piliâ—r of fire by night which guided Israel in the desert the kings high way to heauen blessed hold of happie dwelling No Paradise without this tree no perfume without this balme no building without this stone no sacrifice without this lambe I say no God without Christ in this wicked world The light of the day is conueyed vnto vs by thâ— Sunne in the firmament so is the brigâ—â—nes of heauen by that Sonne of righteousnes a Planet in the middest of Planets to lighten all aboue and all below as whom blessed Angels desire to behold and blessed men couet to adore Life is conueyed from the â—art through the veines to all the vitall parts so is saluation froÌ„ the Father through Christ to all his liuing members Out of Eden went a riuer to water the garden being deuided into foure heads it compassed the whole world Out of heauen flowed the streame of Gods mercy in and through our Christ whose graces deuided diuersly all the earth is filled with his glorie What should I say more Christ is a mutuall help to the Father one to vs another An hand to the Father by which hee reacheth vs an hand to vs by which we reach him The Fathers mouth by which he speaketh to vs our mouth to the Father by which we speake to him Our God is a consuming fire and without Christ the vayle we cannot abide the brightnes of his glory for what is our miserie to meete with his maiestie but in the temper of his mercie which mercy-seate all is Christ. As then our words are messengers of our mindes semblances of our soules to paâ—ley with our friends so is the Christ the sonne of God the image of the Father and mouth to instruct his deâ—rest Saints nor onely a mouth to speake by but an eye to see by and the foote way to goe by as it is mâ—ny text Peace shall come and rest shall â—e reserued for euery one that walketh before him So then I dare auouch boldly thinke what thou wilt and without Christ it is an euil thought say what thou wilt and without Christ it is an euill word do what thou wilt and without Christ it is an euill deed tread where thou wilt and without Christ it is an euill way Christ is the life of the world heire of al things without whom I can possesse nothing that good is either in grace or in glory He he is the salt Elisâ—â— did throw in to sweeten the waters of â—ericho with these words Thuâ— saith the Lord I haue healed this water death shall no more come thereof neither barrennes to the ground This faith my deare brethren is right for it hits the soueraigne good and thus to walke is to walke before him None but he careth none but he careth none but he guideth non but he saueth and he is but one as you heere see and will be alone in all his courses without mixture â—â—thout â—edley first last middest and all filling all yet â—ined from all in the glorious worke of our repaire None but he bare our sinnes none but he pleadeth our cause none but he purchased our place none but he traceth our