Snayle Man compared to a Snayle who in his nature hath these thrée properties hee is slowe in going blinde in sight defileth the way that he goeth in for commonly you shall sée hys trace Euen so mankind in going any the wayes that a maÌ„ should trauell in namely the way of godlines of truth of fayth of honesty of mercy of loue of equity which are the onely wayes we shoulde treade in thys world we finde him wholly to bée very slowe and slacke in his pace and touching his sight euen as he hath lame legs to tread his pathes euen a snailes pace so hath hee blinde eyes to see the same pathes as they ought to bee séene and behold but rather in hys slowe and blind trauell defileth his passage either with ignoraunce pride whoredome enuye theft murther or some one filthye sinne or other In so much that if man doo but account the wandring motions of hys mynde the wylling consents of his hart and the wicked actions of hys body hée shall in himselfe beholde such a filthy account as if with a conscience and consideration he looke backe and be hold but the trauell of a fewe dayes I wyll not say many yéeres peraduenture he shall be ashamed to beholde hys defiled pathes and the steppes that hée hath left behind him so filthy O Lorde howe many desires arise in the concupisence of mans flesh howe many wicked wyshes spring out from the bad affection of his hart howe many vanities haue taken possession in his eyes and howe many felons are written in hys bloddy handes how many bright daies hée hath occupyed in drousie sléepe to wander in the darke night howe hée hath obeyed sathan refused his swéete sauiour Howe he hath followed fables and refused the comfortable counsell of the Gospell howe he hath turned hys eyes from hys poore afflicted brethren and followed the wicked crewe of infidells how he hath shut vp his compassion from the poore and opened his liberality to drunkards wantons and light persons what greater losse of nobilitie cane there be then to refuse the glorious company of heauen yea euen that swéete Christ himselfe and to be conuersant with sathan hys crew what greater deformity then to flee from the protection of the almighty to be subiecto eyther to the flesh or to the world and what greater shame then to cast of the iewels of honesty and godlines and to be bankerupt with the infidels of thys worlde not able to boast of one good work no not so much as delighted with one godly thought God himselfe hath proclaimed all his seruice to be doone in the open light and open places and in all congregations namely faith loue charity pitty patience equity the preaching of hys word the vsing of his Sacraments insomuch that he that is hys seruaunt in these thinges may boldly knocke his breast and say Hic murus aheneus esto nil conscere sibi Horace Eâ—isto 1. nulla impallescere culpa To know no guiltines and to blush at no offence is a brasen wall on the otherside sathan shutteth vp all hys workes in hugger munger he wyll haue none of the come in light as for example the théefe the whoremonger the drunkard and euery euill dooer wyl not be knowne of his action neyther committe any of these wycked offences in the sight of the worlde but secretelie and in feare of daunger yet notwithstanding such is the folly of thys world and the peruersnes of mans nature that notwithstanding that light be come into the worlde Iohn 3.19 yet men loue darknes more then light because theyr déedes are euill Thus you sée the whole state of man described and his lyfe to consist of a weake substaunce his estate in mysery and his honour cast downe to the grounde A prayer O Eternall God and most mercifull father who of thine owne goodnes haste vouchsafed to frame vs of a vile substance made vs to thine owne similitude and likenes and didst set our first parents Adam and Eue in the pleasant Paradise and didst crown them with innocency immortality which they lost by their disobedience plucking vpoÌ„ theÌ„selues their posterity thy iust curse by the which wee alwayes in this transitorye world sauour of sin sorrowe death yet thou of thy goodnes O Lord forgetting thy wrath and remembring thy mercy didst giue vs thy sonne Iesus Christ to restore vs againe to our estate and bring vs againe into thy fauour who hath already entred the gates taken possession for vs in thy heauenly Paradise where wee shall bee assured of euerlasting comfort ioy and blessednes Vouchsafe O Lorde wee humbly beseech thee to comfort our harts with thy holy spirite and open our vnderstandings with the continuall preaching of thy holy worde that we may truely acknowledge thee to be our onely creator preseruer and redeemer and that we may so viewe and behold our owne lamentable estate and hauing our owne insufficiencie alwaies bâ—fore our eyes may alwayes flee to thee for succour graunt O Lord that wee may so acknowledge our owne weakenes that we bee not caryed away with vaine pompe nor fed with filthy pleasure and lust nor drawen away by the allurements of the world but may alwaies settle a firme confideÌ„ce in thee which art the only stay gage of our frayle and casuall estate for thy sonne Iesus Christ his sake our onely mediatour and aduocate Amen ¶ Howe Sinne doth alwayes budde forth and grow in our nature and how it is nourished and encreased in our flesh â—p 2. SIthence the fall of Adam there is a certaine defect and corruption of nature in man by the which hée is prone and ready to commit sin and neuer able fully to satisfie the Lawe of God this corruptnes lieth hidden and taketh roote in that nature of ours which procéeded from Adam and buddeth or breaketh foorth by the thoughts and wyll of the hart béeing enclined vnto euill euen in the whole course of our life en 8.21 as God himselfe sayd The imagination of mans hart is euill euen from hys youth Although we sée in youth no such apparant showe of sin as wée doo in ryper yéeres yet that euil which is called originall or inhabiting dooth assuredly so remaine that sometime is séene anger reuenge vntruth in them and then concupiscence which sticketh in nature from the beginning and aptnes to sin dooth appeare euerye day more and more euen as age dooth encrease and then as S. Iames fayth Ia. 1 14.1â— He is drawen away by his owne concupiscence and is enticed then when lust hath conceiued it bringeth foorth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth foorth death Sinne it selfe is found in our corrupt nature but the order and encreasing thereof is séene in the maturitye and ripenes of yéeres Touching the first sinne and simple sin which is called Originall The prophet speaketh Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in wickednes and in sinne
clogging accusing pressing down as a heauy lump of lead shaming at condemning our own reasons and wils for giuing entertainmeÌ„t vnto sin in asmuch as sometimes ye shal find the tormeÌ„ts gréeues of conscieÌ„ce to worke greater sorrow care in our minds theÌ„ if we were either in prison or ready to goe to execution and although there bée 2. consciences the good and the bad Two consciences forasmuch as I write vnto the good people of God I will haue to doo but with the conscience of the good referring the other to his continual hardnes And although oftentimes we sée not the conscience of the good by their wickednes of sin for that they are not yet called yet if theyr consciences do not shew her force of accusation no doubt it is imprisoned and so hid in the great heape of corruptioÌ„ that though it cannot now speake in the end wil breake foorth that we sée in many disordered personnes in these daies which in the hardnesse of their hartes haue contynued in theyr sinne a long tyme vntouched or vndisclosed Yet in the ende when God wyll call them or sathan bring them to shame or wheÌ„ no man can iustly accuse them how be it suspect them of euill liuing being called to examinacion before any magistrate then who can better accuse then the conscience who doth first condemn and then strike a great feare in the ende produceth two witnesses that is eyther the stammering tongue or els the blushing face to accuse the guilty wyth hys owne mouth and make him speake although he sée eyther shame to discredite him or the magistrate to punish hym or the Gallowes to confound him Therefore is the conscience called Mille testes a thousand witnesses because it dooth more euidently know that which is hid in him then a thousand men and dooth boyle and burne in the harts of wicked men like a fire As Tully sayth Nolite putare quemadmodum in fabulis sepenumero videtis In oratione pro Roscio eos qui aliquid impie scelera te que commiserunt agitari perterreri taedis ardentibus sua quemque fraus suus terror maxime vexat suum quemque scelus exagitat amentiaque afficit suae malae cogitationes conscientiaeque animi terrent c. Thinke not as Poets haue fayned that they that haue committed something vngodly or wickedly are vexed and scourged with burning Torches it is our owne guile and our owne feare doth most trouble vs it is our owne wickednes doth torment vs and amaze vs our owne wicked thoughts and consciences that dooth affright vs c. There is a great accusation of the conscience in the hart of the sinner as when the Scribes and Pharisies had taken a woman in adultery they brought her to Christ to sée what sentence he woulde gyue against her because they hadde found in Moses Lawe that such a one should be stoned to death but they dyd it not for Iustice but to tempt him Then he writ wyth hys finger on the ground and said béeing vrged by them for his sentence Let him that is among you without sinne cast the first stone at her And when they heard it Ioh. 8.7.9 being accused by their owne consciences they went out one by one beginning at the eldest euen vnto the last It is most true that Iuuenall sayth â—â—t 13 Euasisse putes quos diri conscia facti Mens reddit attonitos et surdo verbere caedit Doost thou thinke he can escape whoÌ„ the conscience of a moste horrible facte maketh amazed and whippeth with a deafe scourge And as the same Iuuenall saith in an other place Nocte dieque suum gestat in pectore testem But day and night where that he goe or rest hee â—till doth beare a witnes in his brest Conscientia S. Paule speaking of the Gentiles sheweth that they haue the effect of the Lawe written in their harts their consciences bearing witnes Rom 2 15 and as long as we liue in this worlde God graunt that this witnes may alwayes stirre and sting vs till we be ashamed of sin vnlesse after this life it be opened as in an inditement to accuse at the iudgment seate Reu. 20 12 as Iohn maketh mention And I saw the dead both great small stand before God and the (a) That is their consciences bookes were opened and an other booke was opened which is the booke of life the dead were iudged of those thinges which were written in the bookes according to their works Thus we may sée the conscience in thys world that accuseth and the conscience in the worlde to come that condemneth God grant the we may in this worlde so behaue our selues as with Horace to say Hic murus ahaeneus esto This is a brasen wall when a man may knock his breste and say I knowe nothing héere that maketh me ashamed or a feard Miscellan prelect sepâ— time Toâ— primi He that wyll sée more of the conscience let him looke in the Bishoppe of Exceter hys booke Not in Ally though indéede he wryte of conscience at large But D. Wolton that is now Bishop who wryte larger in his booke called the Conscience dedicated to a godly zealous knight S. Iohn Gilbert mine olde good master louing fréend a fit Patrone for such a booke and title there he shal find inough touching the conscience The third enemy vâ— to sinne An other most terrible enemy vnto mankind for sinnes sake is death who by reason that our bodye is all spotted corrputed with sinne hath his lawfull accesse vnto mankind and foloweth him step by step from place to place of what estate or degrée soeuer he bée either King Prince Duke Marques Earle lord baron knight or whether he be rich or mighty wise or politike tyll at last he plucketh him downe and depriueth him of life wife children houses lands goods and all those thinges in the world wherin he setled his hart The cause of this his power is that man beeing corrupted wyth sin is rewarded with death a certaine appoyntment of God in our first parent for his sin and disobedience â—n 2.17 As appeareth in Genesis 2. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death In that he dyd eate he disobeyed and so sinned which sinne hath runne into all hys posterity by discent hetherto â—m 5 12 and shall vnto the worlds ende and that is the cause that Death triuÌ„pheth ouer vs in this world in ouerthrowing vs. S. Paul sayth Stipendium peccati mors â—om 6 23 The rewarde of sinne is death Likewise the Apostle Iames sayth â—m 1.15 When lust hath conceaued it bringeth forth sinne and sin wheÌ„ it is finished bringeth foorth death So that there is no doubt among men but by reason of sinne death hath taken hold in them â—om 5.12 and as sin is entred into all the worlde as the Apostle sayth euen so death
downe what the force of all those enemies is that we may sée how that dayly by the entertainement of sinne wée prouoke gréeuous enimies against vs. And touching the first which is the vengeaunce of God vpon sinners Vengeance of God I wyll begin with the Hystory of the Isralites expressed in the Bookes of Exodus and Numery where the people for theyr murmuring wyshing of their fleshpots for worshipping the Golden Calfe Exo 15 16 17 19 32 Chapters and many other sinnes had the plague leprosie and gréeuous diseases among them and many of the Idolaters were slayne And in Numery such as rebelled were swallowed vppe in the earth Chapters 16 21 25 such as murmured had firye Serpents sent among them and such as commitmitted fornication among them hadde the plague in so much as there dyed in the plague twentye foure thousande We reade also that for the sinnes of the people the world was drowned and for the sinne of Sodome and Gomor Gen 6 13 those Citties were consumed with fire and brimstone Horosius reporteth Gen 19 24 that for sinne the two great Citties in Asia Colossa and Hierapolis suncke into the earth and were swallowed vp Iericho was besiged by Iosua and the Cittye was taken Iosu 6 21 and all the inhabitants sauing Rahab and they that were wyth her bothe olde and young were put to the sworde and the Citty burnt but of all lamentable plagues sent from God the destruction of Ierusalem by Titus and Vespasian may be a terrible example vnto vs for they hadde the Lawe Prophets Math 11. yea Christ himselfe who bitterly wept ouer them and yet they would not turne from theyr wicked sinne but hardned theyr harts and cared not for the Lords swéete warning and comfortable calling nor yet for their owne harme and confusion which was so néere at hande but euer they thought that the Lorde woulde not destory hys Temple among them nor yet that they shoulde bee spoyled for their Temples sake and besides that they were so many they boasted of their multitude and strength and thought all the worlde could not ouercome but all the world cannot preuayle where God him selfe dost sette against as appeared by this great and populous Ierusalem Whereof Iosephus maketh mention that they were besieged so long that a bushell of Corne was worth a talent yea they were so hungry that they dyd eate the Leather of their Targets and shooes Anno salutus 73. and glad were some of them to eate the dunge of Oxen the mother killed her owne child to eate if which was a most lamentable vnnaturall thing there were xâ— C.M. besides Gaâ—â—leans slayne by Vespasian xvii M. sent to Alexandria by Titus to be kept 〈◊〉 vile bondage Two thousand to be brought 〈◊〉 Rome for a triumph which afterward were deuoured of wylde beastes â—â—llâ—es that xxv M. Iewes were sold all this grâ—â— multitude which man 〈◊〉 haâ—â— thought could haue conquered the whole 〈◊〉 the Lord 〈◊〉 their sinnes and for the contemning of hys word and trueth deliuered vppe to the bloddy hands of their enimies What harâ— is so hard that wyll not tremble to heâ—â—e this lamentable vengeaunce and wrath 〈◊〉 God with so sharpe punishment vpon his owne people which before he loued so well and among all other nations of the worlde chose for his peculiar flocke Besides this the hayle thunder lightning stormes tempest fluds mists palpable darknes frogges caterpillers and firye serpents which the Lorde hath sent vnto hys people for sin The Prophet saith that for the sinnes of the people the Lord wil send a dearth vpon theÌ„ not of bread and oyle onely but of hys holye worde and therfore for their Idolatry and iniquity Eze. 14 the Lorde sent false Prophets among them and the Lord sent word vnto the people by the Prophet Ezechiell That if they did sinne by committing any trespasse against him he woulde stretch foorth hys hande and break the staffe of bread and sende such a famine vpon it that man and beaste shoulde bée destroyed likewise be would sende â—â—â—soâ—e beastes into the lande to spoyle it a sword to destroy them or a pestilence to ouerthrowe man and beast and their if Noab Daniell and Iob were among them they shold deliuer but theyr owne soules but their sonnes and daughters should not be deliuered How bitterly were the offences of Aâ—hab and Iezabel punished for the taking away of a little péece of land I would to God it were séene in England by them that taketh away great liuings and manours and sendeth a whole housholde it begging if the sonnes of those menne were so vsed as Achabs sonnes theyr heads cut of all in one day and likewyse theyr hungrye Iezabels were vsed as Achabs Iezabel deuoured of dogs and foules of the aire they would I thinke consider what a a God there is that séeeth into the harts of wicked offenders and dooth beholde the multitude of their sinnes not onely entertained in corrupt nature but allowed in corrupt wyll Good Lord considering the ripenes of sinns in these dayes it is to be lamented that wee feare not the vengeaunce of God Eze 16 19 The Prophet Dauid could say If thy wrath be kindled O Lord who may abide it Ezechiell doth shewe howe greatly the Lorde cryed out against Ierusalem shewing the offences of Sodome for the which they were destroyed whych were pryde fulnes of bread Idlenes and contemning the poore But alas we haue not onely thys but an infinite more of most horrible sins raigning amongst vs. As disobedience murther enuy couetousnes horedome extortion vsury false accusation drunkennes lying dissimulation and periury from the iust iudgement of which sins nowe ripe among vs I beséeche God of hys mercy defend vs and be fauourable vnto vs. Truely our owne sins of EnglaÌ„d béeing so many and so boldly and openlye vsed doo blind vale a great many that they neither beholde the maiestye and authority of God not yet the iustice he may lay vpon vs as barrennes dearth famine and pestilence and in stéede of our great plenty to sende vs scarcity in stéede of our peace to send vs warre and for the quietnes of our habitations and families to banish vs froÌ„ our owne houses and to scatter our families before our faces and to deliuer them and vs into our aduersaries hand as a pray This God can doo and vnles we spéedily repent vndoubtedly this first enemy to sin which is Gods vengeaunce wyll be powred vpon vs. The second enemy vnto sinne is our owne conscience Second enemy to sin which forasmuch as it hath an inward taste of the law of nature a knowledge of our deformed conuersation a sight of our going a stray from the image of our good creator doth alwaies at the rebellion of sin especially when we ioyne our wils therto stir in our bodies as though we had the féeling of some liuing thing there crawling Synteresis gnawing
is like to run vpon all theÌ„ which are in the world by reason of sinne But now some will obiect Obiect that whether wée sinne much or little it is all one for we are assured of death thereby not regarding the multitude of sinnes but as it were féeding the inclination of sinne knowing that there is but to the one and to the other a death for a rewarde But I answer Resp if any man shall therevpon boldly presume on sinne and feede the humor thereof Short de terrible Deu. 30.18 he shall not only hasten death vnto him but also plucke vpon him a most terrible death as appeareth in Moses If thy hart turne away so that thou wylt not obey but shalt bée seduced and worshippe other Gods and serue them I pronounce vnto you thys day that ye shall surely perish you shal not prolong your daies in the lande S. Paule charging the Corinthians for abusing the sacrament sayd 1 Co. 11.3 For thys cause many are sicke among you and many fall on sléepe And yet it is not a generall rule that they which are cutte off that theyr dayes are shortned thorough sinne for Iohn Baptist and the Innocents that were murthered by Herode are no such examples for such the Lord dooth not onely take away because they are vnworthy of the worlde but sometimes they are arguments of condemnation vnto their oppressers again in them was not séene such manifest sin wherby they did drawe vnto theÌ„ Gods wrath to cut of their dayes but in those in whom plentifulnes of obstinate sin doth raigne vndoubtedly they shorten their dayes as on the otherside they which serue the Lord and followe hys precepts and lawes their daies shal be prolonged 〈◊〉 â—0 20 As appeareth in the commandements Honour thy father and thy mother that thy daies may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thée K n 20 6 Was there not xv yeeres added to Ezechias in seruing the Lord. The prophet Dauid saith â—sal 34 12 What man is he that listeth to liue wold faine sée good daies kéepe thy tongue froÌ„ euil and thy lips that they speake no guile The very same like wordes hath the Apostle Peter also when the Lord appeared vnto Salomon in Gibeon Pet 3 10 and had giuen him the excellency of wisedom he aduised him saying â— Kin. 3 14 If thou wilt walk in my waies to keepe my ordinances and my commandements as thy father Dauid did walk I wil prolong thy daies And yet not only this blessing of prolonging of daies shal be giuen to the seruaunts of God but euen in the ende they shall die a peaceable death as happened to the good king Iosias to whom the Lord said 2 Ki 22 2â— for his good embrasing of the booke of the Law and fearing him Beholde I wyll gather thée to thy fathers thou shalt be put in thy graue in peace and thine eies shall not sée all the euil which I wyl bring vpoÌ„ this place O good God what sweeter wordes to a christian hart and what greater ioy to a good conscience then to depart in peace the neither God in vengeaunce nor the worlde in exclamatioÌ„ lay any thing to our charge neyther this length of life nor this peaceable death shal be assured to the vngodly and wicked but as I said their daies shal be cut of and their end shal be in terror feare as it appeareth in Ezechiel Ezech 14 either by famine pestilence sworde or wyld beasts Howe terrible was the death of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomor O howe lamentable and most dreadfull was the ende of Hierusalem when it was sackt by Tytus and Vespasian Howe fearefull was the end of Iezabell being rent a sunder with dogges and deuoured by peece-meale How was the ende of rebellious Absalon which was caught from hys horse and hanged by the haire Howe odious was the ende of Antiochus which putrified and rotted where he lay that hys Chamberlaine coulde not abide his smell Most horrible was the ende of Holophernus who was beheaded in hys drunken sléepe and all these wyth a great many more abridged their daies and ended them in most terrible and fearefull manner and that for their wicked and abhominable lyuing in most detestable sinne and wickednes some in horedome some in pryde some in disobedience some in extortion some in tyranny and cruell murther c. I remember I was by the bedside of an olde preacher Hunting 〈◊〉 who diâ—n frooâ— Zelâ—â—d who lay in his death bed and sayd vnto me Euen as the water which is poysoned killeth all the multitude of fish in it so I tell thée in thys world the whole ayre is so corrupted with the sinne of man that I doubt mée it wyll bring all the world to a confusion in a short time I pray God deliuer me and giue England repentant harts The most horrible and most fearefull enemy that yet was spoken of agaynste the sinne of man is hell The last enemy to sinne a place of damnation for euer without release appointed for sathan all such as haue stoutly serued him without veyling theyr banner of repentaunce to almighty God an enemy so dreadfull as me thinkes the verye remembraunce of so terrible a place should séeme to reuoke and drawe backe a sinner although he had neuer so great a delight in his iourney A place not onely full of all paynes torments but also continuing and enduring for euer and euer a place voyde of release or mitigation of paynes thether commeth neyther mercy nor bayle compassion nor pittye The lamentable out cryes and scriches of them that are tormented doo neuer come from thence vnto the eares of helpe or vnto the compassion of pitty Esa 30 33 It is described in the Prophet Esay Topheth is prepared of olde it is euen prepared for the King hée hath made it déepe and large the burning thereof is fire much woode the breath of the Lorde like a fire of Brimstone doth kindle it He speaketh figuratiuely that as the state of heauen in many places of the new Testament is set forth by similituds because other wise we cannot conceiue of it euen so hell in this place is called Topheth Topheth which was a vallye of the children of Hinnom néere Ierusalem 2 Ki 23 10 where the childreÌ„ were sacrificed to Moloch which was a great Image of brasse Lyra. proportioned like vnto a man and being holow within it should first be made fire redde hote and when the child shoulde be put into it and closed vp then the priestes would make such a noise with Targets and timbrels that the parents should not heare the voice of the infant whereby they myght be moued to coÌ„passioÌ„ but beléeue that the infant died peaceably with out paine and that the Gods did presently receiue the soule of the infant this was their abhominable Idolatrye in thys vally néere
Ierusalem which yet is called Ben-hinnom which is asmuch to say by interpretation as the sonne of Hinnom afterward for the filthy abuse of the place for the conteÌ„pt therof Iosiah caused dead carions to be cast there Nowe Topheth taketh his deriuation froÌ„ Toph which signifieth TimphanuÌ„ a Tabret Psa 81 or dromslade which they vsed as I said in this vally to take away the pittiful cry of the child frying in this Images hote hollow place And in our owne capacities we sée a certaine description of hell by this figure a place full of torments in the which the tormented shall suffer such paines Mat 13 42 as shall prouoke wéeping and gnashing of teeth yea such as are intollerable on the otherside the children of God shall not be moued to compassion to behold them no although they sée their father mother children kinsfolke or such like for as the Tabret and timbrell tooke away the childs cry in the Idol Moloch so shall the ioy and swéete melody of heauen stop their pittye or compassion of them which shall dwell in heauen And although this similitude holdeth not in all parts to the reason of them that would discourse vpon it yet so farre it holdeth as we must conceiue the matter although we omit the manner As the vally of Hinnom was a place néere Ierusalem wherein afterward Iosiah caused all the filth and carions of the citty to be layd as fit for no better thing because of the horrible abuse and Idolatry therin sometimes doone Euen so the heauenly Ierusalem doth purge it selfe of all those filthy carions I meane the reprobate that stincke of their sinne before the face of God and are ordayned to bee caste out into thys Topheth as a place fitte for such a receypt Nowe as there is a damnable place wherin the fire is neuer quenched and the worme neuer dyeth Euen so there are some men whose sinnes are so many offences so greate that neuer séeketh the grace and fauour of almightye God neuer repent them of their sins these I say shal be possessors and inheritours of thys place of torments Math. 13.41 42 as our sauiour Christ sayth The sonne of man shall sende foorth hys Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdome all thinges that offend and them which doo iniquity and shall cast them into a Fornace of fire there shal be wayling and gnashing of téeth Lykewise Saint Paule to the Hebrewes If we sinne wyllingly Heb 10 26 27 after that we haue receiued the knowledge of the trueth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shal deuoure the aduersaries Also it is sayd in the seconde Epistle of Peter 2 Pe 2 9. The Lorde knoweth to deliuer the godly out of temptation and to reserue the vniust vnto the daye of iudgement to be punished Also in S. Iohn hys Reuelation Reu. 20 15 And who soeuer was not found in the Booke of life was cast into the Lake of fire Howe woefull and terrible shall the dreadfull day of iudgement bee vnto the wycked and reprobates when Christ Iesus shall sit and make diuision the Goates from the Shéepe when he shall say to the shéepe Come yee blessed receyue the kingdome prepared for you c. Math 25 34 And to the Goats that is to say the wicked he shal say Verse 41 Depart from me ye cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuill and his aungells Wherfore while we are héere in thys worlde let vs with terror beholde the dreadfull sentence of damnation with all diligence and care call our selues to account Eph 5 redéeming and purchasing againe the time which we haue wickedly spent and become not onely new but stedfast members and then if thy hand or eye cause thée to offend cut them off and cast them from thée Mat 18 8 9 It is better for thée to enter into life halt maymed or blind then hauing two handes two féete or two eyes to be cast into hell fire And because sathan goeth on styll so busily with his worke and all the world in a manner séemeth wyllinglye to be his workmanship It is necessary that now euen nowe we reclaime our selues according to the caueat of the Euangelist Nowe is the axe layde to the roote of the trées Luk. 3.9 therefore euery trée which bringeth not foorth good fruit shal be hewen downe and cast into the fire Thus haue I bréefely layde downe the most gréeuous enimies to mankind which preuaile the more against him by reason of the sinne which he séemeth to nourish and make ripe in his ready wyll and wylling inclination I would it mought be so surueyed that it may be lothed and so lothed that it may bée thâ—oughly mortified wherby these enemies may not so lay siege vnto the soule of man that in the ende he may be taken captiue and led to an vnbailable gaole the Lord grant it for his Christes sake The prayer O Lord God full of all pittie compassion looke downe vppon vs miserable wretches and sinners who are not onely laden ouerladen with the multitude of sinnes and wickednes but are ready to be swallowed vp and vtterly destroyed vnles thou of thy pitty and mercy which haue beene euer of olde vouchsafe to gard and defend vs for the enimies are at hand ready to ouerthrow vs thy vengeaunce hangeth ouer our heads ready to fall vpon vs our conscience burneth in vs ready to consume vs. Death wayteth daylie vpon vs and calleth vs hel gate is open and we shall be vtterly consumed If thou O most mercifull God extend not thine accustomed fauoure Although we haue sinned O Lord and that most greeuous in thy sight wee are hartely sorry for it and forasmuche as thou requirest a humble harte and a penitent minde accept O Lord the repentaunt teares of thy humble seruaunts and vouchsafe to restore thy Israell agayne which hath gone a a stray and though we bee wylling to cast away our selues yet O Lorde bee thou our guyde and director we see not the deepenes of our owne sinne not yet the sweetenes of thy mercy nor yet the bitternes of the scourges which thou hast ordeyned for sinne open our eyes O Lord and giue vs thy holy spirite to mollifie our harts that we may wholy become thine saue vs for thy mercy sake at the last for syn is so rype and the time so corrupted that vengeaunce is at hand and when it is ready to fall we are not able to abide it wherefore O Lord call thy whole flock speedily and deliuer them out of Sodome as thou diddest thy seruaunt Lot that they may not be partakers with the infidels which know not thy name nor come when thou callest but are gon to the worlde and followed the concupiscence of their owne harts Graunt vnto vs O Lorde the sweete consolation of thy spirite for Iesus Christ
Which ioyes as S. Paul sayeth although our hartes cannot conceiue yet let our harts beléeue those vnspeakeable ioyes and although the worthinesse and excellency of the place be such as we may dispayre of in our owne iudgement because of our great vnworthines and the multitude of sinnes yet if we beléeue that Christ is that sonne of the liuing God and that he hath payed the ransome for our sinnes and that he hath nayled our sinnes to his crosse also if we turne vnto him loue him and obey him with all our hart with all our minde and with all our soule then will he assuredly bring vs vnto that place of consolation as he sayeth in Iohn And though I goe to prepare a place for you Iohn 14 3 I will come agayne and receyue you vnto my selfe that where I am there might ye be also Ma. 19.28.29 Also the Euangelist Mathewe sayth And Iesus sayde vnto them verely I say vnto you that when the sonne of man shal sit in the throne of his maiesty ye which followed me in the regeneration shall sit also vpon the twelue thrones and iudge the twelue tribes of Israell And who so euer shall forsake houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or childreÌ„ or laÌ„ds for my names sake he shall receiue an hundred folde more and shall inherite euerlasting life These wordes are not spoken by a mortall man who may lye and deceyue but they are spoken by the very sonne of God hym selfe whose word shal stand and endure for euer tyme shall not chaunge it nor age shall not weare it out And furthermore forasmuch as the nature of maÌ„ is desirous to be resolued whether wée shall know one another after this lyfe I thought good to answere briefely that as our state shal be farre better so shall also our knowledge be farre clearer for in this world we are the more ignoraunt our sences deceyued by reasoÌ„ of a corruption But in the world to come when we shal be chaunged into an incorruptible estate then our sences shal be much more clearer and we shall know farre the better and let vs be thus perswaded that that worlde is a world of knowledge not of ignoraunce as our sauiour Christ him selfe sayth vnto the chiefe priest that would knowe whether he were Christ the soÌ„ne of God or no He answeared thou haste sayde it neuerthelesse I say vnto you hereafter shall ye sée the sonne of man sitting at the right hand of the power of God Mat. 26 24. and comming in the cloudes of heauen which is to no purpose that they sée his sitting and his comming vnlesse they know it and yet he speaketh this vnto the wicked Iewes that did crucifie him that they should sée it know it Much more assuredly shall the righteous sée him and knowe him The Apostle Paul touching this matter sayth 1. Cor. 13.12 Nowe we sée through a glasse darkely but then shal we sée face to face Now I knowe in part but then shall I know euen as I am knowen So that now what remayneth more comfortable to the godly and to them that thirst after Christ Iesu then to go to a place after this life replenished with all ioye comforte consolation and euerlasting lyfe vnto the which also our sauiour christ Iesus shall conducte vs by his mightie power and in the which is all fulnes of knowledge perfection of a blessed state The God of all blessing and comforte for his sonne Christ Iesus his sake spéedely bring vs vnto that celestiall ioye peaceable estate To whome both with the holy ghost be all glory dominion and power now and for euer So be it A Prayer O Mercifull God the king of all creatures and gouernour of all thinges which of thy mercy and goodnes didest bring thy people out of Egipt from the bondage of Pharo and didest conducte them through the red sea into the comfortable land of CanaaÌ„ we beseech thee of thy accustomed mercy deliuer vs froÌ„ the bondage of sinne the tiranny of Sathan and the persecution of the world and conduct vs vnto the heauenly Ierusalem the onely Canaan of our euerlasting inheritaunce where we may raigne in eternall felicitie with thee and the sonne Iesus Christ to whome both with the holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and for euer Amen FINIS A Christian exercise for priuate Housholders Question WHat doo you chiefely professe Aunswere Christianitie Question What is the badge of a Christian Aunswere Fayth Question VVhat is fayth Aunswere The verye same thing that cannot playnely be expressed in wordes for it is aboue the reach of man and therfore not vnder the reason of man Howe beit we may giue eche to other intelligence of it by wordes out of the Scripture and by the deedes of the godly which is that it is the séede of assured reconciliation sowen by God in our heartes for his sonne Iesus Christ his sake to stirre vs to comfort and to bind vs to obedience to giue vs a true certificate in our consciences that we are called againe to be the children of God and that we are ingraffed into the body of his sonne Iesus Christ and to be his members So that although fayth be such a thing as is giuen â—â—om aboue as a seale of gods mercy Yet it is required here be low of vs as a talent of assuraunce and knowledge Luke 19. receiued of him to be increased by vs. Question What doth fayth woorke in vs Aunswere The knowledge of God the assuraunce of our redemption and the consolation of conscience through the holy Ghost Question Let me vnderstand at large your meaning by this Aunswere By the knowledge of God we learne that he is our creator our gouernour and defender in all necessities daungers And as he hath a speciall care daylie to prouide for our bodies in giuing the plentifulnesse of the earth so are we perswaded that he hath a more care for our soules to preserue them to be honorable ornaments in his heauenly mansion Furthermore by this knowledge we confesse hym to be the Almightie God to whom all honour ought to be attributed of thinges in heauen and thinges in earth whereby we abandon all Idolatrie and superstition as meere inuention of man and as perswasions of Sathan to delude men and deface the knowledge of the high and mightie God whom we worship as our maker and acknowledge to be our defendour in all euilles ghostly and bodyly By the assuraunce of our redemption we are perswaded that Christ Iesus hath payed the ransome of our sins and is the sufficient sacrifice to appease gods wrath and hath for all the church fulfilled the whole lawe hath vanquished death sinne and hel and hath don all that for vs which is required of vs so that in hym God is well pleased and by hym the gats of heauen are opened and euerlasting life is promised By the consolation of the conscience through