for the poore which not to regard is a defect of charitie no effect of faith but of infidelitie The sinne of Sodome was Pride fulnesse of bread Eze. 16. abundance of idlenesse neglect of the needy which sinnes abounde Christ saith Luke 6.25 Woe vnto you that are full for yee shall hunger Woe vnto you that laugh now for yee shall mourne and weepe One saith Foelicitas moderatio diuiduum contubernium habent Prosperitie and moderation dwell in two houses It is dainty to finde them dwelling together Saint Iames 5. threatneth the wicked rich men Goe to now ye rich men weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come vpon you vers 5. Yee haue liued in pleasure on the earth and beene wanton yee haue nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter If such could consider of this and that thousands mourne for meate and drinke which they haue too much of their pleasure would bee pitty their wantonnesse weeping their feasting fasting which surfeting preuents for it is rare for such as pamper their paunches to ouercome euill affections Therefore I pray you vse this preparatiue And the peace of God be with vs Amen Halelu-iah ¶ A Letter to the Licentious GRace and peace be with vs. I pray you consider why impietie is reprooued The finall cause is that God may bee glorified for the sonne that loues his father grieues to see him dishonoured The materiall cause is the commaundement from God the efficient in this manner formall Leuiticus 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sinne vpon him Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another dayly 1. Pet. 4. As euery man hath receiued the gift euen so minister the same one to another A good conscience procures it and amitie bindes it Iam. 5.20 Let him know that he which conuerteth the sinner from the error of his way shall saue a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sinnes Wee ought to succour each other Commiseration is a pulsiue cause which mooueth Gods children They grieue to sée a Beare teare a childe much more to sée Sathan deuoure soules If we sée a house ready to fall on a man and not aduertise him we are guilty of his death so if we sée one séeke the detriment of his soule and not admonish him we are culpable Thinke on this Masters of families Victualers Keepers of Tauerns and all others godly zeale exciteth vs Mat. 7.12 and God commandeth vs to doe as we would be done vnto And good people doe desire to bee taught the bad like the Diuell drawes others to euill and boast they shall to heauen but will not tread the strict path Oh it is vnpleasant but being profitable let vs with lenitie admonish each other and desire to be admonished A blessing is promised They that turne many to righteousnes shall shine as the starres for euer and euer Dan. 12.3 He meaneth faithfull Ministers and others of the faithfull the which hope of felicitie doe quicken to vinification They indeauour to doe good and are grieued that the greedy Diuell gets many into his net It is furnished with leawd delights alluring baytes and sugred sinnes If a Calumnor take his part to confront my labour I wish him first to consider Satan doth cousen him to hale him to hell I doe counsell him and haste him to heauen Eschew the Diuels net full of false bayts PArtialitie for the carelesse Officer superfluous speach for Buyers and Sellers euill excuse for Swearers and Lyers false hope to escape for the Théefe and Filcher false hope of gaine for the Dicer and Gamster néedlesse breake for the base Bankrout calliditie for the Cousener which for fauour will lye and say he is a kinne to good men Infidelitie for the Atheist bragge boldnesse for the Blasphemer wilfulnes for the Wayward enuy for the Ambitions reuenge for Quarrellers Murther for the Wrathfull Lone of loathsome lust for Drunkards Gluttons and filthy Fornicators Inordinate loue of the carcasse for the proud and painted Gryping gaine for Vsurers and greedy Extortioners Worldly affection for the couetous Cruelty for the vnmercifull Desperation and destruction for the faithlesse Disdaine of Gods word for negligent hearers No regard of God for riotous Roysters Dissimulation for Iudas-like hypocrites Vaine-glory for pickthankly world-pleasers Deceipt for seducers Carnall pleasures for prophane liuers Hate of truth for Sectaries Desire to get for the Empericke which by vnskilfulnes causeth death or long sicknesse Enticings to all euil hastinge from heauen halings to hell Many looke like Lucifer to quarrell with the quiot but cowards to resist Sathan he conquers them snarls them in his snares to torment them euer To preuent it repent pray for a cleare heart and a right spirit rest not till you haue it abandon the déedes of the flesh imbrace the fruits of the spirit Gal. 5. They that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts With faith and amendment apprehend Christs merits then God will behold thee in him thou shalt haue fauour with our heauenly Father Consider my Letter and the Lord assist vs. Abhorre Sathans snares Iam. 4. Resist the Diuell and hee will flye from you draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you With a Memento Imbrace amendment haue it in sempiternam rei memoriam Sic fiat Rocede à malo fac bonum ¶ Reproofe of Whoredome a collaterall consort to excesse attendant to the same Sublata causa tollitur effectus Take away the cause and the effect falleth QVaffing is so accustomable that Whoredome commonly is the sequel so monsterous as to auoyd long period I will not expresse Much youth betimes frequent Fornication the which coition is execrable 1. Cor. 6.9 A reproofe of Fornication No Fornicator shall inherit the kingdome of heauen vers 18. Flee fornication euery sinne that a man doth is without the body but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne body He defileth his owne soule and body and also the party with whom he is so filthy Thinkest thou to make amends with mariege repent remember the dreadfull sentence Reuel 22. Such shall be shut out from heauen Eph. 5.3 Fornication and vncleanenesse must not bee once named 1. Thess 4. For this is the will of God euen your sanctification that ye should abstaine from fornication It is so heynous and God doth so abhorre it 1. Cor. 10.8 that there fell in one day three and twenty thousand Consider this ye shameles fornicators with dogs and bitches qualities your sins cry for vengeance Gen. 19.13 as the sinnes of Sodome Re. 14. It is written that no man could learn that new song but they which were not defiled with women for they are virgins And would you sing in heauen repent lest ye sigh in hell Young men maydens if sinners intice you consent not take example of chaste Ioseph An example for
they abide such mislikers Ps 35. The abiects did teare him with hypocriticall mockers in feasts they gnashed vpō him with their teeth He saith False witnes did rise vp they laid to my charge things I knew not they rewarded me euil for good to the spoyling of my soule Yet in their sicknes he mourned in his aduersity they reioyced It was and will be false filbellies hate their vnlike with crueltie The sighīg singer of Israel had many enemies Patheticall affections are with afflictiōs vnmercifulnes are adioynts to miscreāts like tyrāts in time of blindnes against the modest martyrs being patients when fierce agēts threw fagots on their faces Effecting their craft without mercy that the martyrs might not professe their maister Yet did they eleuatīg harts hāds in fire flames sing psalmes to God to whō be all honor for euer Amē Whether Papists or Atheists some Alemates obserue this Adage Nō amo te nec possū dicere quare I like thée not nor can I tell thee why theyr Eglogue comes of enuie But sance for the false tongue Byrche for black tongues are Psal 120. Sharpe arrowes of the mightie with coles of Iuniper Yea Psal 101.5 Such shall be cut off Yet armed with Ale they euaporate that such and such are miserable because they are frugall and to better vses liberall not haunting nor delighting with Drunkards Younglings hearing this spend till their purses be pennilesse For a false tale with Ale is in stéede of a toast They harken to the fiction of such is made mētion wherin they thinke it strange that you run not with them to the same excesse of ryot 1. Peter 4.4 speaking euil of you So such kissers of Culigna frequēt excesse riot and contemne those that wil not Quaffing mockers confabulate with petulancie against painfull Preachers which renounce pomps vanities are industrious to draw vs to goodnes by their good conuersation profitable preaching which doe pray watch and studie to deliuer Doctrine in the best manner to send soules to saluation but intemperancie vse cōtinually will not behold the liues of good liuers Asmodeus do spight and not delight them If any did prooue a ply pot ready to riot they would count him quiet though a pleasurable plague If Drunkards could draw any to bée as Simon magus awong the Disciples and as vnsatiable Iudas among the Apostles Or to refraine from the counsell of Saint Peter 1. Epist 5. and from the life of Timoth 2. epist 3.10 and from the charge giuen him 2. Tim. 4 Sathan had his seeking Or to forget the great menacing Ezechiel 3.18 and Chapter 33.6 that bloud might goe with bloud and destruction for want of instructing Or to be like the trée Caprisicus that God might reiect them Or aduerse to ayme at the vertuous and quench god beginnes the Pope were eased and the Diuell pleased Good men are prudent and innocent and haue Gods blessing by preuenting euill occasions for Inticers flatter them in the face but prate in priuate The Scorpion hath a fayre face and a foule tayle so some haue sugred words but bite the backe They cannot abide reproouers of impiety but are like the rude rout which said of Paul Act. 22.22 Away with such a fellow from the earth for it is not fit that hee should liue Many quaffers haue such Iewish qualities There can bée no true concord betwéene men moderate and Monsters inordinate good and euill agrée not Gen. 3.15 Enmitie is betwéene the Serpents séede and the Womans 2 Pet. 2.7 Iust Lot was vexed with the filthy conuersation of the wicked but they were destroyed and he was deliuered The Bée hath honey on her legges but a sting in her tayle so though sinne seemeth swéete when God doth strike the stroke the sting shall strike the soule If such were said to Leaue hibbing your houses and a burning they would not grudge to haste home much lesse must such bee angry but faster runne being warned from excesse that their soules be not burned Alas men runne to ruine It is of the Lords mercies that wee are not consumed To him be all honour for euer Amen Laudate Deum A profitable Preparatiue for the Excessiue I Beséech all such as would haue happinesse to leaue excesse and seeke for safetie that they may arriue at the Hauen of Heauen to that purpose I expresse a Preparatiue as a meanes to bring the body in subiection to the spirit It is a Fasting ioyned with true Prayer not thinking thereby to merite as sond Papists affirme Luke 17.10 When yee shall haue done all those things which are commanded you say We are vnprofitable seruants Of Fasting we read Leuit. 23.14.27.29 Iudges 20.26 Daniel 9.3 Ioel 2. Ionas 3. Moses and Elias fasted Ezra did appoint it 8.21 Dauid saith Psa 35.13 I humbled my selfe with fasting As it is commanded so it is commended and of Christ and his true seruants hath been vsed Lu. 4. Acts 9. Acts 10. Acts 13. 1. Cor. 7. 2. Cor. 11. Omnis Christi actio nostra est instructio Euery action of Christ is our instruction When hee had cast a Diuell out of a childe he sayd Mathew 17 Howbeit this kinde goeth not out but by Prayer and Fasting This might excite vs to Fast and Pray it is requisite and required Luke 2. Anna a Widdow departed not from the Temple but serued God with fastings and prayers The excessiue serue Sathan in feasting and playing and gormondize their guts in gluttony Bee prepared for thy profite accomodate thy selfe fit for fruits of faith for fasting is a meanes to helpe forward the vertues and graces of the minde Enter thy chamber remember what thou art a blast of breath how short thy time is not sure of an houre and when thou dyest thou goest to him thou seruest Hilarion giues vs a lesson as Hierom relateth Ego Asine faciam te vt non calcitres O thou Asse said Hilarion to his body I will make thee that thou kicke not meaning to tame it Saint Paul was minded so to subdue it 1. Cor. 9.27 Fasting is a meanes to humble men and to brydle their affections 2. Cor. 5.17 If any man be in Christ hee is a new creature the minde is changed actions altered euill company auoyded Not to drinke betweene meales is profitable and peaceable for people that labour little If worke requires it drinke not so strong as shall make thee stagger rather vse small Ale and better Meate Loyterers neede not drinke as Labourers If wantons would be warned they might finde it a meanes to temperance sobrietie lenytie chastitie health wit and wealth then would they consider that abstinence is needfull and excesse needlesse Some will not fast truely because Papists fast falsely and refuse many good meanes which others vse to no good end Wee ought to fast Gods word requires it our gratious King commands it our bodies shall be the more obedient to the spirit and more spared
yée that haue play vsed in your houses lose not Paradise for pelfe It was decréed in the time of Iustinian that such houses should be confiscat In stead of Cardes and Tables haue a Bible on thy Table Put off and abhorre euill Eph. 4.24 And that yee put on that new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Christ nor his Apostles were no gamesters yet the Libertine that should learne to read makes gaming his summam voluptatem and saith it refresheth his wit but that which is swéetest refresheth the wit soonest The Prophet saith Psa 119. vers 103. How sweet are thy words vnto my taste yea sweeter then honey to my mouth vers 62. At midnight I will rise to giue thanks vnto thee because of thy righteous iudgements That time is pleasant to play but not for them to giue thanks and pray Then they throw pots at each other with such swearing and blaspheming of God as is grieuous Vers 148. Mine eyes preuent the night watches that I might meditate in thy word but others refuse their rest to ryot He desired Gods word farre aboue fine gold Psa 19. and thought it swéeter then the hony combe Others refuse it for dice cards wanton company The sanctified grieuing for their sinnes séeke in Gods word for swéete comfort but such as loue leawdnesse get false comfort by lasciuiousnes They refuse Gods word playing wantonnesse and foolish iesting is a salue for their sore Blessed is he that can say in his heart Psa 119.97 O I loue thy Lawe it is my meditation all the day Pray for that minde yee that prophane euery day Deut. 6. Gods precepts must bée as frontlets betwéene mens eyes they are Gods childrens pastime The impious vse an Antithesis and passe their time with contraries they say they are the apter but it is to euill So the Diuell seduced Eue to thinke that by eating the forbidden fruit their eyes should be opened and be as Gods Gen. 3. but it was to the ruine of them and theirs Re. 4. In heauen God is praysed continually and canst not thou endure it at voyd times O rich earth poore earth proud earth loue God and vse it on earth Be not gracelesse and shamelesse to omit vertuous singing reading conference prayer and meditating to vse dice and carding Doe not procrastinate amend spéedily and spend thy short time profitably Be expedit for the day of the Lord Luk. 21.35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth Vers 36. Watch ye therfore and pray alwaies that ye may bee accounted worthy to escape all these thinges that shall come to passe and to stand before the Sonne of man 2. Pet. 1. And giue diligence to make your calling election sure O consider we can spare no time for idle playing nor idle speaking Heb. 6. The earth which bringeth thornes and bryers is reiected 1. Pet. 1.13 Wherefore gird vp the loynes of your minde be sober and hope to the ende Let vs doe well lest God come with deuouring fire and finde vs euill occupied Let the remembrance of his sudden comming preuent euill in thée againe againe I beséech thee Soli Deo laus gloria ¶ A meanes of amendment FOrasmuch as many liue liker Atheists then true Christians here are certaine motiues to excite to amend Many seruing Sathan can boast they shall bee saued not come to the steppe of pietie to hate iniquitie that they may apply Christs righteousnes to their conscience That most of this world shall be saued many places of holy writ refelleth Mat. 22.14 Multi sunt vocati pauci vero clecti Many are called but few are chosen It followes few shall be saued O fearefull sequell O consider thine estate hee without whom is no saluation spake it Heb. 9.28 Christ was once offered to beare the sinnes of many yet few saued relatiuely in respect of the damned His death is sufficient but few haue that seruent faith whose effect is a godly life Christ giueth a cauent Mat. 7.13 Enter ye in at the straight gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there bee which goe in thereat 14. Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth vnto life and few there be that finde it Consider the oppositions The broad way to destruction many walke the narrow way to life few finde The entrance is straight the passage troublous sharpe and full of difficulties vnpleasant and repugnant to the pleasurable broad way Gods word is the right rule from which men make an aberration And Christ is the true way but he that is in Christ is a new creature And to such as begin so to be so many temptations rebukes and tryals wait on that vertuous life as few endure Troubles with pietie is a Christians liuery here is little or no Alcion time We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdome of God Act. 14.22 Christ saith Luke 13.14 Striue to enter in at the straite gate for many I say vnto you will seeke to enter and shall not be able This command and the reason might excite vs to cut off all obstacles and haue godly strife rife to excell in vertue Alas our striuing and seeking is in the broad way hauing a forme of pietie denying the power thereof few leaues fewer fruit The fiue foolish sought and craued Mat. 25. but were excluded the faith that brings foorth good fruits is required Belialls may Iaunce themselues Iusticiaries whippe themselues without true touch of conscience as appeares by their present committing of incontinencie and bloudy massacry The prophane may follow iniquitie presume on Gods mercy and sinne in such séeking the best is neglected the worst is delighted Many are perfidious else they would beleeue Christs words and be zealous to amend Consider seuere sayings Mathew 20.16 2. Esd 8. The most High hath made this world for many but the world to come for few Saint Aug. affirmes it Si omnes liberarentur foret vt absconditum esset quod peccato debetur propter iustitiam Sin autem nemo liberaretur foret vt non appareret quod per gratiam donatur If all should bee deliuered that were hid which by Iustice is due for sinne but if no man should bée deliuered that should not appeare which is giuen through grace Wée are all by nature the children of wrath it is Gods mercy to saue any The Elect shall be saued they with a liuely faith are louers and liuers of righteousnes to that end such are deliuered being fewer then the faithles Luke 1.17 Christs death is sufficient for all but not effectuall to all the fault is in vs sinfull people Oh let vs pray and repent with auersion from sinne and conuersion to godlinesse for right beleeuing hath good liueing without which liuely faith we pertaine not to Christ for that
liuely faith apprehendeth him which makes vs iust in that respect wee are iustified not formally as it is inherent righteousnes in vs but relatiuely in respect of the obiect for we are vnrighteous Be a good Souldier therefore we must resist sin continually which is so sharpe a life as few vse Luke 8. Séede was sowen in 4. places but one fertill Impious people are plenty sanctified are dainty Arist Plurima pessima The most men are the worst Preciosa non sunt numerosa Good men are least in number When all the world was drowned in the deluge but 8. faithfull were preserued before many heard of it but few would be warned Gen. 19. When the Lord rayned vpon Sodom and vpon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from heauen thrée were segregated from thousands Exo. 12.37 And the children of Israel iournied from Ramases to Succoth about 600000. on foot that were men beside children God said Surely there shall not one of this euill generation see that good Land which I sware to giue vnto your Fathers Deut. 1.35 Caleb Ioshua and little ones were accepted the other were cōmanded to turne backe How many were excluded from the heauenly Canaan which this Land was a type of I leaue to the Lord. It is a fearefull example Psa 95.11 for he calles it his Rest It is mentioned Eze. 14.22 Among many God reserued but a small remnant for his Church Rom. 9.27 S. Paul doeth paralell the place of Esay 10.22 Esaias also cryeth concerning Israel though the number of the children of Israel bee as the sand of the Sea a remnant shall be saued These documents rather threatnings should deterre men from their owne detriment 2. Pet. 2.4 God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them downe to hell And spared not the old World And turning the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an ouerthrow making them an ensample vnto those that after should liue vngodly Yet conscience is scant sinne is excessiue Mat. 24.37 As the daies of Noah were so shall also the comming of the Sonne of man be Consider the comparison They eat and dranke so do wée superfluously they bought and sould so doe we deceitfully they loued the world so doe we egregiously here repugnant they planted we plucke vp to the preiudice of the next possessors Euery one for himselfe the Prouerbe is fearfull Manie are deluded and from Heauen excluded For God is not feared Christ bids vs watch for his sudden comming These motiues might mooue vs to contrition vigilant expectation and supplicate for mercie euery houre When Sodom and her sister were consumed and all the world drowned few faithful were found How few God shall find when hée comes with fierce Fire hée Omniscient knowes He shewes by his Word the world shall be worse Luke 18.8 When the Son of man cometh shall he find Faith on earth Alas what order of life will this world leade No true Faith no Saluation This excites to examine our selues not doing as most do For Atheisme Neuterisme Self-loue Idolatry and all other impietie cryes in the eares of the Lord that liuely Faith is little and that Christ shall finde very little The Diuells lease drawes to ende therefore he is gréedy to get Reu. 12. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the Sea for the Diuell is come downe vnto you hauing great wrath because hee knoweth he hath but a short time Mark 9. When Christ commanded him out of a Childe Vers 26. He cryed and rent him sore and came out of him So now his time is short and hée makes hauocke fiercely séeking whom he may deuoure Hee aymes at the vertuous so doe his Adherents He spares such as serue him he knowes they are his they helpe him to entice Gods children Hillarius Dulce Diabolo nos poccare It is sweete to the Diuell to see vs sinne Leo aut impetrat mortes aut impetit mores If he cannot kill a man he will corrupt him He is subtill to seduce This worlde growes vngodly the néerer the ende the more vngodly Saint Paule prophecied 2. Tim 3. This know also that in the last dayes perillous times shall come Hee expresseth a Catalogue whereby is apparant that men shall be committers of capitall sinnes Traytours heady high-minded louers of pleasures more then louers of God It appeares people will grow gracelesse God little regarded but dishonoured and lusts fulfilled so that such as run to riot shall liue most in quiet and that any thing that increaseth sinne wil be much gaine got by the Diuell and all quickly Bawdy Bookes will be perused the good lesse vsed A floud of wickednes will flowe The prophane shall be extolled Good people not estéemed For haters of that which most shall loue shal be hated and most men shall make pleasures their God That which men shall loue most they shall make their God But men shall loue pleasures most Ergo Men shall make pleasures their God It may be saide then of Selfe-loue Pride and Pleasure Haec tria pro Trino Numine mundus habet This is the Trinitie which the world doth worship Noah forewarned the olde World which was drowned Preachers do teach vs Lawes doth enforce vs yet our harts are vnreformed The righteous soule of Lot was vexed at peoples impietie which were destroyed and hee preserued 2. Peter 2.9 The Lorde knoweth how to deliuer the godly out of temptations and to reserue the vniust vnto the day of iudgement to be punished If Gods seuere threatnings nor louing admonitions the multitude destroyed the small number preserued make vs not to amende Yet thinke of Christs wordes whereby is shewed few are saued in respect of the damned A malefactor feareth no halter till he haue it and many feare no Hell till they féele it Therfore to such I expresse an Epitome of paines ¶ A short discourse of long Destruction THe Pangs of Hell are so vnspeakeable as no mortall tongue can expresse The Damned shall féele the seuere wrath of God lie vpon them for euer which is greater sharper then all Fier Swords Paines Plagues of this world They shall be enuironed filled terrified and tormented of dreadfull Diuels whom they haue serued Soule and bodie for euer shall suffer horror A liuing death pangs must be abided A dying life neuer ended An euerlasting burning intollerable yet in explicable Our fire may be extinguished but that is fier that neuer shal be quenched the destruction is euerlasting Mark 9. 2. Thess 1.9 Infinite pangs are prepared for the enemies of the infinite GOD. Had they euer liued here they had euer bene obstinate therefore euer punished Feare and tremble yee that derogate God of his glory and attribute it to creatures Yée prophane Prodigalls bolde to blaspheme him burne not in Brimstone Oh Atheist belieue in the Almightie O Neuter nourish no iniquitie Brutish Bawds sucking Sodomites Corne-hoorders sore-stallers poore-staruers pitilesse partialls which concurre to defraude