God but to his owne destruction Now thē when we haue by the grace of God found out the cause of our euill to be an euill heart in our selues we may truly say of our harts as Dauid did of Doeg and prophetically of Iudas Psalm 55.12 Surely mine enemy did not defame me but it was thou my familiar friend which was bred and borne with me euen thou my heart with whom I haue bene so familiar that hast wrought me the greatest part of my woe Of the same iudgement is the Apostle Iames Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with euill neither tempteth he any man But euery man is tempted when he is drawne away by his owne concupiscence and is enticed Then when lust hath conceiued it bringeth forth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death Erre not my deare brethren Where the Apostle plainely sheweth vs two things first that such is our impudencie shamelesse ignorance and presumptuous blind boldnesse by nature that rather then we will acknowledge our selues to be in fault and to be the cause of our owne euill we will not sticke to lay the fault vpon God and make him the cause of euill As our first parents did the woman blamed the serpent and the man blamed not simply the woman nor himselfe at all but the woman forsooth which God had giuen him Secondly that whosoeuer thinketh that God is the cause of his euill and not that his owne corrupt hart is wholly the cause thereof the force whereof is so great both to entice and draw vnto euill to conceiue and to bring foorth euill doth erre and is deceiued Hereof it commeth also that the word of God cannot enter into many it cannot fasten vpon their hearts because their hearts are full of leud things Like the Inne where Christ was borne there was no roome for him in the Inne and therefore he was faine to lye in the stable And in many though it enter yet it tarieth not but departeth away presently saying as Christ said when the Iewes sought after his life Arise let vs go hence as being vnwilling to lodge in so filthie a place and amongst his enemies And hence it is likewise that the Preachers words come out from many when they repeat a Sermon as Thamar did from Amnon when he had defiled her with her garments all rent and torne If pure wine be put into a filthy and vncleane vessell in powring it foorth againe it will appeare what stuffe was in the vessell for they come out together so if wholesome doctrine be deliuered to a leud heart in the rehearsing thereof it will appeare with what manner of vnderstanding and affection he heard it Such caskes do many bring with them to put our Sermons in that either runne out like Siues or else are defiled with ignorance or malice or preiudicate conceipts that it wold loth a man to heare it come from them For though it came to them in a princely robe yet it commeth from them like a beggers cloke yea though it came to them with a louely countenance yet it commeth from them like a filthie carrion dragged and haled in the miry streetes amongst dogges that a man would thinke the Preacher had bene out of his wits to deliuer such matter or in such manner as they vtter it or else which is the right that they wanted both wit and vnderstanding or grace or conscience or honestie or all that heard the Sermon to report it in such a leud manner But the best is the shame turneth to themselues and no bodie is so much defiled with such hearts as the owners thereof So saith our Sauiour Christ Those things which proceede out of the mouth come from the heart and they defile the man for out of the heart come euill thoughts murders adulteries fornications false testimonies slanders these are the things which defile the man meaning him that is troubled with them as if he did but vomite vpon his owne clothes that speaketh from a filthie heart And verily they are but fooles that do so for what wise man will carrie one with him still that shameth him wheresoeuer he goeth A leud vnreformed hart is such an vnmanerly companion that doth nothing else but discredite our persons deface our religion grieue our friends harden our foes aduance the Diuell prouoke the Lord marre all the good things that come neare it and alwaies annoy shame and vexe the owner Lot had much ado with the Sodomites but none did more dishonour him then his owne daughters Noah was vexed with the old world but none did him so much shame as his owne sonne Dauid had many enemies but none put him in such feare and danger as his owne Absalom Sampson had much ado with the Philistines but his owne heifter his wife ploughed vp his riddle to the aduantage of his enemies Our Sauiour Christ had many enemies yet none like Iudas who was alwaies in his companie So euery man yea euery true Christian shall haue many enemies crosses troubles and dangers but his owne heart is his greatest enemie which doth flatter him most and deceiue him soonest which for want of godlinesse cannot be content with that it hath which for want of contentation cannot be in quiet for want of quietnesse cannot haue any ioy of any thing that it enioyeth which for want of heauenly wisedome cannot deuide his times aright nor tell how to deale with all sorts of people which for want of patience cannot beare an iniurie or put vp a wrong for want of mercifull affections cannot tell how to forgiue offences for want of charitie cannot tel how to construe things well for want of the feare of God cannot haue a good vnderstanding for want of a good vnderstanding peruerteth the straight waies of the Lord which for want of humilitie cannot see the meaning of Gods wayes which for want of a lowly affection cannot tell how to seeke peace for want of Gods grace cannot acknowledge his fault and for want of remorse of conscience cannot repent him of his leudnesse Such a heart is the heart of the wicked Belial which being fraught with leud things disordereth distempereth and shameth all the life of that man that hath it and is ruled by it And so much for the third point in handling whereof we haue seene that all the cause of outward disorder and trouble is within a mans owne hart of the other three points in the next Sermon Now let vs pray THE VI. SERMON PRO. 6.14 Leud things are in his heart OVt of these words ioyned with the rest of Belials description we haue hitherto learned three excellent and worthy points of doctrine First that Belial is no better within then without Secondly that the heart and whatsoeuer is in the heart of man is knowne to God who will also iudge a man according to that which is
sheath in other places perhaps drawne foorth and vsed vnseasonably But alas many that be ignorant and weake and yet tender of conscience howsoeuer most of that sort be caried with a spirit of furie and insolencie do stumble exceedingly at these things and surely no great maruel when those that be sworne to present so many things let all alone or else turne the edge of the sword against the Ministers of the word taking as it were a pride and felicitie in disgracing and discrediting of them For to let passe the corruptions of many which are in place and authoritie to punish faults surely this is a thing intollerable for any that are sworne to bring disorders to light to make no more conscience of their oath then if the fearefull name of God were a matter of no regard but to be plaied and dallied withall or made a cloake for mischiefe and malice as if God himselfe did either know nothing of your dealings or had no will or abilitie to punish the same Neither is it any maruell though the Minister of Christ be had in contempt and be counted a contentious and a troublesome fellow when those which should second him with the censurers of the Church are content to let the wicked do what they list without controulment nay are as readie to violate Gods orders as others and assoone as any to misuse Gods Minister for doing of his dutie faithfully And what will be the end of all this but a fearefull iudgement of God vpon the land to end the matter withall As it fell out in the daies of Zedechiah king of Iudah in whose daies both he and the Priests and the people trespassed wonderfully and heathenishly and polluted the house of the Lord euen as in our daies the house of God is polluted and contemned To redresse this geare the Lord sent vnto them his messengers rising early and sending for he had compassion on his people and on his habitation but they did as we do They mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets vntill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy For he brought vpon them the King of the Chaldeans who slue their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuarie and spared neither young man nor virgin auncient nor aged God gaue all into his hands See the 2. of Chron. the 36. Chapter and the 16. and 17. verses to shew vs that though God can beare with manie sinnes yet he cannot beare with the contempt of his word and Ministers And thus you see brethren three foule and fearefull monsters brought forth by the malice and nursed by the negligence and couered by the hypocrisie of Church officers and that is contempt of discipline and gouernment Schisme and deuision in the Church contempt of Gods message and messengers and all attended vpon with the consuming wrath and vengeance of God If any man shall think that I haue vrged these things too neare and too particularly applyed this doctrine let them but seriously consider as before God what dammage the Church sustaineth by the corrupt and partiall dealing of Church officers and I hope they will easily confesse that a Pastor whome God hath made a watchman to see that none of Christs sheepe be lost or deuoured by his pastorall authoritie in his owne place may and ought to say as much as I haue done yea euen to the Church officers of this place without offence to any And I maruel considering the great mischiefe that ensueth the negligence and counterfeit dealing of Ecclesiasticall officers and how the fault when Schismatikes are bred is returned vpon the Ministers faithful teachers that others are so sparing or no more earnest against them then they are For if men be ielous ouer their children do with great indignation set thēselues against those that are means whereby they are bereaued of thē yea of their cattell which is lesse And if the Church ought also to be as iealous ouer her children which through the painefull trauels of her Ministers haue bene begotten vnto Christ as men are of theirs then why should not the Fathers and nurses I meane the Ministers of the Churches children for the Lord Iesus open their mouths yea with great zeale and indignation against those by whose meanes the members of the Church may and do miscarrie For why should the Church of Christ be robbed of her children as this very congregation or flocke hath bene of some since my coming hither through your negligence that be in office and sworne to bring grosse and noisome abuses to light the stinke whereof maketh many weake ones to loath their mothers house and we sit still and hold our peace But alas sir will hypocrisie say what would you haue vs to do when we present faultes nothing is reformed as good let all alone as get the ill will of our honest neighbours and do no good money will buy of all c. But this is too open a net to daunce in when all the world shall see that the least part of the hypocrites care is to reforme grosse abuses to do good indeed and with a religious heart zealously to maintaine the glorie of God but rather bend all their studie to serue the time to please men and to crosse the truth Nay rather if mens hearts be vpright with God they are of Iosuahs mind who said Though all Israel will not yet I and my house shall serue the Lord so though no man else will make a conscience of their oath or office yet we will and so do I pray you For if others will be remisse and partiall and corrupted when you haue presented faults and will swallow those Cammels that you bring out of their stables that is their sinne and they shall answere for it But if you faile in your dutie seeing and not seeing straining gnats and swallowing of camels that is your sinne and you shall answere it also for euery one shall beare his owne burden And therefore in the feare of God let vs looke euery one of vs better vnto in then we haue done and repent of that which is past that God in Christ Iesus may be mercifull vnto vs. THE V. SERMON MATH 6.2 As the hypocrites do WE haue hitherto heard how vaineglorie and hypocrisie do defile all our good actions before God and how by taking heede vaineglorie is to be auoyded The reward likewise of sinceritie we haue seene and in part the mature of hypocrisie according to the intent and purpose of our Sauiour Christ who both describeth hypocrites vnto vs in their colours and in so doing doth plainely tell vs that he would haue the doings and qualities of hypocrites to be made known vnto the world To which end it is necessary that the hypocrite be vncased and viewed well in the light that euery one espying his vgly visage and taking good markes of him may beware
done as if we had done nothing but euill or else in doing of good we offend God and hazard his heauenly reward which in Christ is layed vp for vs. The contrary to this is it as I take it which the Prophet Habakuk condemneth in the wicked when he sayth They sacrifice vnto their net and burne incense vnto their yarne because by them their portion is fat their meate plenteous Meaning that they imputed all their wealth vnto their owne industry only and to the meanes whereby they compassed the same And surely it is neither good nor safe but very vngodly and dangerous in doing of good workes to make our selues priuie thereunto if we could chuse or once to keepe account with our selues of the good that we do I deny not but that a Christian soule truly humbled in the feeling of his owne vnworthinesse and inability may with some comfort call to remembrance what duties he hath performed the day or weeke that is past through the grace and fauour of God who hath wrought both in him and by him so that withall he be as I say truly humbled and prepared thereunto calling to mind withall to that end what graces he wanteth what sinnes he hath committed what dangers he hath incurred and with what weaknesse and imperfection the good hath bene performed which is a rare thing But surely otherwise it is very dangerous to keepe account vnto our selues of any good deed that we do For by reason of our naturall corruption which cleaueth too fast to euery one and hangeth on if not presseth downe the very regenerate themselues we are so prone and apt to the study affectation of vainglory which is indeed plaine robbing God of his glory that it is a very hard matter to do good and not to be proud of it It fareth with vs as it doth with wanton women who when they vnderstand how faire they are casting away all modesty waxe proud like the Peacocke that alwayes strouteth it when his taile is spred Take for example the Pharisee spoken of in the 18. of Luke whose prayer was proud boasting of his owne righteousnesse First he keepeth a note to himselfe of what grosse sinnes he was free that other men were ouertaken withall then he scoreth vp his good deedes and namely his integrity and vprightnesse in tithing and then his due and constant course of weekely fasting And hauing thus made his left hand priuy to that which his right hand did that is recounting with a wrong affection to himselfe what he had well done he spreadeth his taile and falleth to crowing ouer his poore brother in this sort I thanke God I am not as other men are extortioners vniust adulterers or as this Publican I fast twise in the weeke I giue tithe of all that I possesse as if the proud Peacocke should haue sayd behold my feathers are not of that colour that other birds are of but his feete were which he then remembred not In like manner do many keepe a score of their good deedes and register in their note-bookes what they bestow weekely or monethly or yearly vpon the poore c. I warrant you say some it costs me euery weeke so much and so much ordinarily besides that I spend extraordinarily It were good for them and others the like to regard the admonition of Christ here Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth Do good and make no bodie priuy vnto it if thou canst no not thy owne soule take no notice of any good thou doest thy selfe least thou be proud of it It was the wisedome of God in creating of the woman not to create her vntill he had first cast Adam into a sleepe and while Adam slept he tooke a rib out of his side whereof he made woman least if he had bene awake when this was done he might haue thought that he had had a stroke in it if it had bene no more but suffering or consenting to haue one of his ribs taken from him which yet had bene great folly in him so to haue done So should it be the wisedome of Christians in doing of good deeds to cast their carnall affections in a sleepe least they seeing and knowing what is done should imagine that they had a stroke therein and so should begin to filch and steale some glory to themselues which belonged not vnto them The horse doth employ his strēgth to carry draw but yet he knoweth not so much if he did peraduenture he would not be so subiect vnto man as he is The sheepe doth yeeld vs her fleece to cloth vs and her flesh to feede vs and her lambe for increase but yet she knoweth not so much if she did perhaps she would if she could vpbraid vs by her benefits and not be so beneficial vnto vs as she is The birds with their variety of notes do delight our eare but God saw it not good that they should know so much for if they should perhaps they would be as mute as nonresidents scorning to affoord their musicke vnto such fantasticall and vaine maisters as they now do serue The flowers with their varietie of orient and beautifull colours and fragant and pleasant smels do delight our eyes and refresh our spirits but God saw it not good that they should know so much for if they did perhaps they would disdaine to be abused so much and so little regarded to the praise of their maker as they are In like maner if we could do good workes to the glorie of our God and profit of our brethren and not let our left hand know thereof that is not consult with our carnall and crooked affections about them we should not be so loth to go about them nor so lazie in doing them not so lustie when we haue done them as we are If the Peacocke were hatched blind or could shut his eyes when he spreadeth his taile surely his pride would abate for it is not the hauing of such colours but the knowing them and viewing of them that breedeth conceitednes and causeth his nature to swell So if Christians when they take any blessing from Gods hand or enioy the graces of Gods Spirite or bring foorth the fruites of the same Spirite had not their minds and affections so much bent vpon them and set to vew the beauty of them but could set them to looke narrowly downward vpon their blacke feete that is vppon their sinne and sinfull affections it would be a meanes greatly to humble them Therefore the Apostle sayth Let them that weepe be as though they wept not and them that marry be as though they maried not So sayth the Scripture too Let him that giueth almes be as though he gaue not And in another place he saith of himself his brethrē thus We are as men sorrowing but yet reioycing and as men reioycing yet sorrowing as poore and yet making many rich as dying yet liuing
my clothes how shal I put them on againe I haue washed my feete how can I defile them That is whē we haue no list to heare the Sermon or to call vpon God or to receiue the holy Sacrament a small excuse will hold vs backe a shadow is euen as good as a wall to stop vs. And otherwise it will not be so long as we consult with flesh and bloud about Gods matters therfore saith Christ Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth And that we may do al indeed with our right hand that is with our best affections cheerfully and comfortably and prosperously let vs still consult with the word of God that we there may learne what is to be done for our good workes if they be not warranted by the word are abhominable vnto God as glorious sinnes And next let vs confer with him by praier that we may be enabled to do that good we know must be done as for carnall reason and worldly perswasions shut them out and do not once call them to counsell about the matter for they wil both hinder thee and spill thy good deed THE X. SERMON MATH 6.4 That thine almes may be in secret and thy father that seeth in secret he will reward thee openly THat thine alme that is betweene God and thy owne conscience let it be done that thy conscience may witnesse for thee vnto God that thou hast sought nothing lesse then the vaine applause of men and God that seeth thy secret thought and intent of hart may approue of the same and witnesse for thee against Sathan and all the world that thou hast vprightly in thy secret thoughts and affections serued him and sought nothing more then his glorie In this case we may learne of Ioseph who caused euery mans money of his brethren to be secretly conueied into his sackes mouth with their prouision which when they saw by the way at their Innes they maruelled giuing God the glorie who as they confessed had sent it vnto thē but by whose meanes they knew not Some are secret inough and too secret in giuing to the poore for that which they giue is onely in conceipt that it may be in secret and knowne to no man and most prophanely and scoffingly abusing this place as they do all other holy things and the whole body of religion they will giue nothing at all lest as they like themselues most wretchedly pretend that their left hand should know what their right hand doth as though the purpose of our Sauiour Christ had bene to disswade men from giuing any almes at all These men are like the Frier that would prouide well ouer night against the next day by carrying with him the remainder of his supper scoffingly alleadging or rather blasphemously abusing the wordes of Christ in this chapter Be not carefull for to morrow and therefore I do it saith he because I would haue no care for to morrow These persons haue learned this lesson of Christ to the halfes they haue learned to be secret but not to giue almes in secret as the Papists haue learned another lesson of Christ so haue these men learned this Christ saith Pray for your enemies blesse them that curse you and if thy enemy hunger giue him meate if he be thirsty giue him drinke c. In so doing thou shalt heape coales of fire vpon his head This latter part they haue learned well namely to heape coales of fire vpon the heads of their enemies yea of Gods deare Saints and faggots too and to burne them to ashes too but the former part which containeth workes of loue and charitie is yet to learne they can no skill of that And if some of them be told of their hard dealing they will not sticke to alleadge this Text and say why doth not Christ say we must heape coales of fire vpon our enemies heades Such gibers and scoffers at the word of God I couple with Iulian and Lucian their predecessours wishing them in time to take heed and pray vnto God if it be possible that they may truly repent them of their blasphemous courses their state is fearefull and daungerous for that they go on plodding and scoffing at religion Blessed is the man that commeth not into their way for it leadeth as directly as can be and in time will bring men vnto the sin against the holy Ghost which is vnpardonable Now for the consolation of those that do all their good workes as in the sight of God debarring themselues from all vaineglorious applauses and commendations in the world and in themselues too it is said further that thy father which seeth thee in secret will reward thee openly to shew first that we must indeuour to approue our selues vnto God and not vnto the world like an honest wife that will so attire her selfe and so behaue her selfe in all things as she may please her owne husband and not other men And next that the best way to weane our selues from these vaine desires of worldly praise is to consider effectually and to remember continually that we are still at all times and in all places in the sight of our heauenly father to whom we either stand or fall and of whome we shall be abundantly rewarded openly according to his gracious premise for that which faithfully we haue done in secret And lastly to shew that those which seeke for open praise of men or giue vnto themselues any secret praise to the impeachment of Gods glorie cannot look for any open reward at Gods hand in the day of iudgement but those that are perswaded of that and moued effectually with that do not care which way it goeth with them in the world so that they may be approued of God their heauenly Father and carry a good conscience vnto their graues Here be three things attributed vnto God our heauenly Father First that he seeth those things that are done in secret Secondly that he will reward the good that we do in secret Thirdly that he will reward it openly Fitly are these things propounded to the children of God that they may accustome themselues to do whatsoeuer they do as in the sight of God and to approue themselues vnto their heauenly Father And as fitly are these three opposed to the vanitie of the flesh all which men do so hunt after For the first that God seerh and knoweth all things that are done in secret the Scriptures in many places do witnesse Whither shall I go from thy presence saith the Psalmist If I go vp to heauen thou art there if I go downe to hel thou art there If I go beyond the sea thy right hand will there find me out if I say that darkenesse shall couer me behold darkenesse and light to thee are both alike thou art about my bed and spyest out all my waies and thou knowest all my thoughts long before meaning before they are conceiued Againe He that made the eye
The rich men of their aboundance cast much into the treasurie and the poore widow cast in two mites which makes a farthing Now by the iudgement of Christ she cast in more then the rich men did because they of their superfluitie gaue some but she gaue all that she had And so it is we see by daily experience that many a meane man considering his abilitie or rather his inabilitie doth giue more when he giueth a peny then some rich man doth when he giueth a pound And perhaps as he giueth all that he hath in coÌ„parison of some other so he parteth from it with a better mind then some that giue more and can better spare it then he Diuerse do examine in giuing of almes whether he be a good man or no to whom they giue as though it were of necessitie required to the truth of almes that he must be a good man to whom almes is giuen and not rather a good man that giueth it Facile dignus est pauper hoc ipso quod miser est egenus vt eleemosynam accipiat saith Musculus A poore man is capable inough of an almes in that he is in miserie and want Some say they would giue almes if they were able but let them giue of that small abilitie that they haue a little and it shall be acceptable before God being giueÌ„ of a pitiful mind There is the alms of the hand the almes of the tongue and the almes of the eyes the almes of the heart The almes of the hand is some visible thing giuen as gold siluer bread cloth c. The tongues almes is two fold first good counsell and comfortable speeches which oftentimes do more good then gold and siluer such an almes did Peter bestow vpon the creeple when he said Siluer and gold I haue none but such as I haue I giue thee in the name of Iesus arise and walke Act. 2. Secondly earnest prayer vnto God such an almes did the Church bestow vpon Peter when he was in prison and it releeued him more then mony for it caused the prison doores to open alone and Peter escaped Act. 12. The eyes almes are teares for the calamities of other proceeding from a sorrowfull heart such an almes did the women of Ierusalem bestow vpon our Sauiour Christ when he went to suffer death And Christ noted theÌ„ in gracious termes for it saying Weepe not for me daughters of Ierusalem but weepe for your selues c. The almes of the heart is a certaine griefe and sorrow arising from the feeling of anothers miserie and is the mother of all the rest if abilitie serue and of all thâ—se he that cannot giue one may affoord another Some giue but it is grudgingly and angerly and some in pollicie onely to please vnruly persons and stay a further mischiefe for feare that else they should lose all like those that cast bread to a dogge for feare of biting these giue no good almes No more do those that giue somewhat of that which they haue ill gotten to the end they might keepe the rest in the better securitie Nor they that giue of a vainglorious affection to seeme to be mercifull when they be nothing lesse We are not to iudge any mans hart but euery man by this doctrine is to examine and iudge his owne heart Now we are to see why the Lord will haue almes to be giuen that is why it is his pleasure to haue poore men in the world that shal stand in neede of the rich mans almes for it cannot be denied but that this is the Lords doing as Salomon saith The rich and the poore meete together but the Lord is the maker of all He could haue made many women for one man saith the prophet for he had abundance of spirit meaning he had power inough to giue many wiues to one husband but he made but one wife for one husband and why but one because he sought a godly seede So he could haue made all rich or those rich which he made poore those poore which he made rich for he had abundance and inough for euery one if euery one had bene a world and yet he would not do so but would haue some to be rich some to be poore And why so Surely to giue thereby occasions of patience as he doth vnto the poore by their pouertie and of liberalitie and doing of good as he doth vnto the rich by placing of poore and needy amongst them God could haue brought to passe that sinne should neuer haue bene in the world if it had so pleased him but then how should his iustice haue appeared in punishing the vessels of his wrath and the riches of his mercie bene manifested in pardoning his elect Euen so if he had made all rich and none poore what should then the rich haue had to exercise their liberalitie vpon and wherwithall should the patience of the needy haue bene tried Both rich and poore therfore hath he made for the manifesting of the singular worke of his Spirit to his own praise and glory in both Let not therefore the rich contemne the poore because they haue not their aboundance for themselues but as stewards appointed of God to releeue therewith those which want Neither let the poore enuie the rich or impatiently beare their burden because God hath prouided that their want should be supplied by the rich but let both poore and rich glorifie God in their estate and calling and know that if they vse the same to that end that God hath ordained them for they shall reape vnto themselues the most sweete fruits of the sanctifying spirit vnto the sealing vp of their euerlasting election and adoption in Christ. In the next place we are to consider how men may be moued or induced to giue almes willingly and chearefully First because almes giuing is nothing else but a worke of mercie as almes it selfe is mercies gift it can haue no better inforcer to worke then mercie it selfe that is a compassion or fellow feeling of another mans miserie which naturally should be in al meÌ„ But because that is by natural corruption deaded in some turned into a sottish kind of inhumanitie in others weakned in all Therefore secondly it is needfull that we be regenerated made new men by the Spirite of God who by his heauenly grace and effectuall working in vs may restore that which is lost and cause mercie to appeare in her liuely hew and beautifull colour againe Thirdly when we are borne againe it is a motiue of no small force to consider that Christ in his members is miserable poore and needie and that whosoeuer doth succour them is iudged to haue succored Christ himselfe as appeareth by the testimonie of Christs owne mouth in Mat. 25. verse 24. and so forward Now if it be so that Christ is releeued wheÌ„ his poore meÌ„bers are releeued what reason hath any hard harted Nabal to be so close
the word of God a painefull searcher of the Scripture a seuere reprouer of sinne and a strict man in his life and conuersation what is their verdict of such a one Forsooth such a one is an hypocrite a Puritane a Precisian oh fie vppon him none are worse then these professours a busie fellow I warrant you a dangerous man an enemy to the state c. But if a man will serue the time and play the pot companion and become an vnthrift a gamster a tauerne hunter or a whore hunter and blaspheme the sacred name of God at euery word and scoffe handsomely at religion then their verdict is this and their bolt is leuelled in this manner Such a man is euen the honestest man that liueth a notable good fellow and no mans foe but his owne A preposterous iudgement they giue on both sides like the Barbarians with whom Paule was either a murtherer or a God But now heare the iudgement of the word concerning these swift iudges their crooked measures Wo be vnto them saith the Prophet Esai that speake good of euill and euill of good which call light darkenesse and darkenesse light sower sweete and sweete sower He that iustifieth the wicked and condemneth the innocent euen both these are abhomination vnto the Lord saith Salomon And in another place He that sayth to the wicked thou art righteous him shall the people curse and the multitude shall abhor him All which places do teach vs two things First that it is lawfull for a man to iudge betweene a godly man and a wicked but then we must beware how we iudge that we condemne not or commend not one for another Secondly that those which rashly and vnaduisedly iudge of men at their owne pleasure are the worst men that liue Let vs learne then to iudge the Lords iudgements It is an easie way that Christ hath taught The tree is knowne by his fruites He that cannot iudge of meate by his taste is sicke So they that cannot iudge of sinne for want of spirituall taste are verie dangerously sicke When God hath set vp a torch and lighted it at noone day and yet we blindfold our selues and will not see it is vnthankfulnesse most peeuish and intollerable which calleth for a most seuere iudgement euen depriuation ipso facto of all spirituall vnderstanding and to be giuen vp of God vnto a reprobate sence But here now groweth a question whether may we iudge of reprobates vnreuealed or no Verily that is a matter that belongeth not to vs but to the high Iudge of heauen and earth Neither doth it follow that because I see such a one is a wicked man therefore such a one is a reprobate and a damned wretch God forbid we should reason so for though I see now what he is yet what he shall be hereafter I know not neither do I know what God hath decreed of him from euerlasting A Iurie of twelue sworne men do find being led thereunto by their euidence that such a one is a theefe and guilty of felonie but further they cannot go to say for certaine that such a one shall dye for it they cannot for the booke may saue him or the Iudge may repriue him or the Prince may pardon him for any thing that they know So a Christian by the euidence that Gods word giueth may find such and such to be guiltie of wickednesse and for the time may by his fruits pronounce that he standeth in the state of reprobation so long as he so continueth but that he shall dye in that case is more then he knoweth for the booke of God may be a meane of his conuersion and God the iudge of quicke and dead may repriue him to a further time of repentance and in the end God for his mercies sake in Iesus Christ may pardon him all his sinnes and so receiue him to mercy but this is more then any man can assure himselfe of if he continueth in his wickednesse therefore let no man presume to be a wicked man still in hope of mercy for he may so deceiue himselfe The Church perceiued that Iulianus the Apostata or backesliding Emperour had sinned against the holy Ghost and therefore was a reprobate that way whereupon they made a decree that all the Church should pray against him Paule by a speciall spirite of discerning discerned of Alexander the Copper-smith to be a reprobate and so did our Sauiour Christ discerne of Iudas to be a diuell incarnate and so a reprobate but these are no presidents nor warrants for priuate persons to hold by while they giue finall sentence vpon any And so much shall suffice for the second point where we see how farre we may safely go in the iudging of other men by the description of Belial and how farre not and now let vs come to the third circumstance and see what we may learne from the coherence or ioyning of this text with the rest of the Chapter In this Chapter Salomon maketh a diuision of sinnes and dealeth against diuerse kindes of sinne as namely against rashnesse and vaine-glorie in suretiship but not against suretiship it selfe as more at large I haue shewed in my Caueat for sureties and then he taxeth those that liue idlely for want of a lawfull calling and negligently in their calling and vnprofitably both as before I haue declared according to my poore measure in my Rowsing of the sluggard the greatest enemy I confesse one of them that euer I had to deale withall in my selfe And these sinnes he prosecuteth vnto the 12. verse From those he ariseth and encountreth with greater and grosser sinnes both of men and women vnto the ende of the Chapter from whence we may note that the fanne that God sifteth sinne withall shall find out all and is like the net that bringeth all to the shore Some thinke to go away with their sinnes as many theeues do with their pilfers and not to be espied but it cannot be for if Gods word may haue free passage it will find them out How fondly then do they deceiue themselues which will haue the word to be sincerely deliuered and throughly applied and yet thinke that they should be exempted from the censure and reproofe of the word and not be touched Of such we reade in the Gospell and namely of a certaine Lawyer who hearing our Sauior Christ inueying against some great fault amongst that profession steppeth vp and bestirreth himselfe as a fish that felt himselfe masked in the net and sayth Maister in so saying thou puttest vs to rebuke also Where we see that there are some sinnes that can be contented to sit stil see their fellows arrested but being attached themselues they storme and startle at the very sight of the officer yea at the very glimering of the light when it commeth to them supposing themselues to be priuiledged by reason that they belong some to Princes
of hell such a louer is Belial and such is his loue In a word true Christians are vnder Christs law they draw his yoke they mortifie the lusts of their flesh they trauell in paine to bring foorth the fruites of Gods spirite but Belial is lawlesse dissolute and carelesse and shamelesse therefore there can be no concord betwixt Christ and Belial The vse of this doctrine is twofold first it bewrayeth the blasphemous slaunder of Poperie that chargeth vs with preaching libertie to sinne because we preach iustification by faith in Christ onely Wheras we are so farre from that slaunder that we affirme cleane contrarie that no Libertine Protestant or dissolute professor of the Gospell hath fellowship with Christ more then the Diuell hath But indeede they know not what faith is except the diuels faith for the diuels do know and beleeue that Christ dyed for sinners and they beleeue all the articles of the Creede and tremble thereat but yet are they Diuels still Looke to their liues which liue vnder the Popes yoke and we shall see that they are the children of Belial for what sinne is there that they are not sold vnto like Achab And what sinne can be named almost that is not bought and sold in the market of the Romish church And the Pope may pardon all as they say for a thousand yeares yea if they will pay well for his pardon for euer And what are their Popes themselues who beare the glorious title of holy Fathers Haue not some of them bene Necromancers sorcerers and coniurers and some of them Sodomits buggerers and most of them common whoremongerers Was not one of thē a harlot did she not trauell of a child in going their Procession And is it not recorded by Platina and other Writers of their owne to their euerlasting shame What should be thought of those sixe thousand skulles of children which were found in another Popes Mote What need they care what they do so they may be forgiuen for giuing of a litle Apostolicall gold They are not ashamed nor afraid when they take a solemne oth to murder Princes yea Christian Princes yea their owne most Christian Soueraignes for they are pardoned aforehand as he was that poisoned King Iohn and the Prince of Orange and that cursed Frier that trecherously stabbed the late French King and therefore they are Belials and not we their religion giueth libertie to sinne and not ours they may do what they list and not they which are iustified by faith in Christ onely The second vse of this doctrine is to teach those that are entred into the bodie of Christs Church and are called by that excellent glorious name of Christians to put on the yoke of Christ and neuer while they liue to put it off againe for though Christ saith Come vnto me and ye shall haue ease yet it is vpon this condition that we labour and feele our selues heauie laden yea though he promiseth to refresh vs yet it is vpon condition that we put his yoke vpon vs and beare his burden Whosoeuer then will haue ease by Christ must not be like the man of Belial without the yoke of Christ but must put on his yoke and carie his burden that is to say he must submit himselfe to the censures of Christ his Church and to the doctrine of the Gospell and to the reproofe of the word and in all things yeeld obedience vnto the truth yea he must labour by all good meanes to mortifie all carnall lustes to ouerrule all his vnruly affections But this is as hard a saying to flesh and bloud as can be yea who can endure it The mother of Zebedeus children thought for the asking she might haue a place in Christes kingdome for her children but Christ told her of two hard things which she dreamed not of and that was drinking of his cup and to be baptized with his baptisme before they could come into heauen so we thinke many of vs to haue heauen for the asking but there belongeth more to the matter then so And as the Papistes thinke to earne heauen with a Kerelyson a Pater noster and a Creede so many Protestants thinke that a sigh and a little lip-labour and eare-seruice will bring them to heauen But when they heare of mortifying their beloued sinnes which bring them in pleasure and profite and of yeelding obedience vnto the Gospell it fareth with them as it did with that young man who went away from Christ with a heauie heart and a sorrowfull countenance He would follow Christ but he would not part from his goods so many will heare Christ preached and looke to be saued by him too but they will not leaue their sinnes If they may be Gospellers and vsurers too and gamesters too and adulterers too and swearers too then so it is otherwise Christ shall go alone for al them These are yet but men of Belial and without the yoke content they are to trauell toward Canaan so they may meete with the commodities of Egypt by the way Manna without the fleshpots of Egypt was lothsome to the Israelites so the Gospell without goodfellowship and carnall delights is irkesome to the man of Belial Lots wife was content to leaue Sodome and go to Zoar as she was bidden but yet she must looke backe though she were forbidden so many are content to leaue Poperie and embrace the Gospell yet not without some looking backe like those which once openly gaue account of their profiting in religion with comfort and commendation but now because their backsliding friends like it not and prophane persons scorne them for it they will shew their faces no more in that conflict The carnall Capernaits would heare Christ till he spake of eating his flesh and drinking his bloud and then because they vnderstood it not they said that saying was a hard saying and taking offence thereat came no more So many now a dayes as carnally minded as they will heare the Preacher till they heare something that doth offend them either for want of good vnderstanding or good affection and then they say that either the preacher found not that in his text or it might haue bene spared or in such a thing he went too farre all which in effect is no lesse then as the Capernaits said this is a hard saying who can abide it And so like bleare-eyed men which are offended at the brightnesse of the Sunne will walke no more by the light thereof except it be once a moneth or vpon a sabbath day for feare of law or for shame of the world And many that do keepe the sabbath day do vse it as the vnnaturall harlot would haue vsed the child for which there was such pleading before Salomon Let it be neither hers nor mine but let it be deuided So they deuide the Sabbath in the forenoone they are at the Temple in the afternoone at home The one halfe shall