to blesse them Take heed then unto thy foot saith Salomon when thou goest into the House of GOD for God is holy and his house is holy and true and sincere Holinesse becommeth his house for ever If any man shall heere inquire what measure of truth and sincerity wee must attaine too before we can be partakers of so much holinesse as shall present us acceptable unto God this is a question wherein we may better give our selves satisfaction by our piety and prayer then by our discourse so great is the variety of severall ages and sexes of severall natures and graces of severall callings and educations that it is impossible with such wisedome and caution to frame universall rules but that either on the one side wee shall be too indulgent or on the other too severe and therefore all the answer I will give you shall be this When we read in the Gospell that Many are called but few are chosen many are called to cast out devils and prophesie in the name of CHRIST and by these acts shall confidently challenge acquaintance of him who for all this will not vouchsafe to acknowledge them when wee read of the five foolish Virgins that they had lamps in their hands and some oyle in their lamps yet for want of oyle in their vessels too for want of a full measure of that holinesse whereof they thought a little quantity would suffice Heaven gates are shut against them When wee reade in St. PAVL that a man may bee once enlightned and yet so seeing hee may see as that hee can never truely say with SIMEON Mine eyes have seene thy Salvation a man may tast of the Heavenly guift and yet never sit downe at the marriage supper of the Lambe Lastly when wee read in that great and fearefull day that CHRIST by his discriminating power having set the sheepe on his right hand shall set not only Wolves and Tygers but even the Goates also men of a more civill and hopefull demeanour at the last judge you what manner of men we ought to be in all holinesse of conversation before wee can ever sincerely take up the protestation of my Text O Lord truly I am thy servant I am thy servant And thus much for the second observation I come now unto a third You have seene first that wee must serve GOD secondly that wee must serve him sincerely that which now in the last place we are to observe is that we must serve him presently O Lord truely I am thy servant 'T is not enough to say Lord I have beene thy servant for if any man draw back sayth GOD my soule shall have no pleasure in him 'T is not enough to say Lord I will be thy servant for who knowes what alteration a day may may produce no time present onely this is the sure time and therefore Remember now thy Creator sayth SALOMON I will pay my vowes now saith DAVID Exhort one another dayly while it is called to day saith St. PAVL and To day if you will heart his voyce harden not your hearts For if CHRIST our Master be the same to us yesterday and to day and for ever why should not we his servants be the same and reserve all time for him not to morrow onely but to day For come and let us reason together why are we so unwilling to tender our present service unto God can wee say What profit is it to serve the Lord Doth IOB feare God for naught It was the confession of the Devill doth any man feare God for naught surely Godlinesse saith St. PAVL it is profitable for all things and Blessed is the man saith DAVID that feareth the Lord thou shalt eate the Labour of thy hands O well is thee and happy shalt thou be Can wee say what pleasure is it to serve the LORD The best wee can reade of Sinne is that it hath Pleasures for a season but the service of God hath Pleasures for evermore a little Oratorie might soone suffice to declaime upon all the joyes of the World but the tongue of Men and Angels is not able to set foorth the joyes of the Spirit in the service of our GOD For wee rejoyce sayth St. PETER even with Ioy unspeakable And surely had wee the power to recall times past and the choyce of what dayes what houres wee would be pleased to live againe would we desire a reiteration of those earthly sensuall delights which once to have injoyed hath beene too much Surely Impietie it selfe durst not yet bee so impious no rather what ever Righteousnesse and peace and joy in the HOLY GHOST what ever consolations in CHRIST comforts of Love or fellowship of the SPIRIT whereof our Conscience to this day hath preserv'd the sweet remembrance these are the acts which being most pleasing to our soules we would be best pleas'd to recall May we then cheerefully goe on in the imbracement of those courses for time present which were we able to call backe time past our owne consciences beare us witnesse wee would willingly make choice of When the Master of the Vineyard questioned those Labourers hee went to hire Why stand you all the day idle it was some excuse to make answer because no man hath hyred us But if wee shall suffer our Soules justly to be charg'd with the same question are we able so much as to pretend the same reply Let us Looke upon our indentures that solemne stipulation when in the waters of regeneration we were first consecrated unto GOD what promises what vowes have beene made in our behalfe or if wee dare plead the invalidity of such acts as have beene performed for us in our nonage then let us looke since we came to have the knowledge both of good and evill to have the discretion to order our owne wayes upon the word of God and the Spirit of God and if these earnests will convince us that againe and againe wee have beene hired what answer can wee make if still wee shall deserve to be questioned why stand you idle Surely alwayes those sinnes are must punishable which are most inexcusable For what if God let some men stand idle and call them not till the last houre What is this to us who have beene called at the first True indeed it is that GOD hath his owne liberty and calls men at what houre he please but it is true withall that at what houre soever he cals us we must come And if in things secular wee strive all who shall be first call'd to riches to honour to the severall contentments of the world shall wee be so basely humble as not to care though wee come last to be partakers of the Heavenly calling to bee called to the Saints Especially when as we know that God in the secret councell of his will as hee hath his set times how long hee will call so hee hath his times also when upon the stopping of our eares he calls backe his calls Ierusalem Ierusalem
for the sinne of man yet like the Sheepe before the Shearer hee opened not his month and how then dwels the patience of CHRIST in us Lastly if wee put off the chiefe care of our Soule till the last houre our prayer our repentance and strict examination of our wayes and thinke in the meane while that a Lord Lord a formall devotion will suffice we know that CHRIST spent whole nights in prayer and in the anguish of his soule and that for the sense of our sinnes sweat even drops of blood and how then dwelleth the devotion of CHRIST in us Those are quaeres able to startle a good soule and surely would we let passe those deceivable examples which from the frailties of men too indulgently oft-times we propose unto our selves this man will doe thus and that man thus and strive more nearly to square our actions according to this infallible patterne in my Text a world of sinnes there are wherewith the World through custome is now almost uncontroullably full fraught which we should then be as farre from any desire to commit as now I feare we are from any intent to amend and having receiv'd at first though but a sparke of grace wee should in time so kindle and inflame it as that like IOHN Baptist it might prove a burning and a shining light by which light we might then easily discover our owne happinesse and say with IOB Now I know that my Redeemer liveth But some men perhaps will heere reply as the Patient once did to the Physitian prescribing him to keepe a good dyet if I had meant saith hee to keepe a good dyet I should never have need to come to you for Physicke pray tell me how I may keepe an ill dyet and not bee sicke so you will say perhaps wee al know already what good wee must doe and what grace we must have that we may be saved but pray tell us what evils we may doe and what grace wee may want and yet bee saved May we not sweare a little ryot a little and if our beloved sinne bee but little one may not our soule flye thither and yet live But first I pray tell mee what sinne is there which any man dareth cal little which without repentāce is great heavie and enough to weigh him down to Hell Indeed so great is the mercy of God as that we finde a pardon oft times given to great sinnes but where ever doe wee finde before-hand a dispensation given to the least God sometime upon the fore-sight of our repentance antedates his pardon Thy sinne is forgiven thee saith Nathan unto DAVID though it is thought the solemne repentance for this sinne was afterwards perform'd but shall we therefore upon the fore-intendment of our repentance antedate our sin Surely if you would give me a house full of gold I dare not tell you so For this quaere is as if a man should aske how high may I fall downe headlong before I breake nay necke or how often may I stabbe my self before I be wounded unto death Surely because a little wound oftimes proveth dangerous or at leastwise full of paine a wise man will not rashly cut his skin and if skin for skin and all that a man hath hee will give for his life how diligent and tender ought to bee every mans care for his owne soule Quae insania est Salvian ad Eccles Cathol lib. 2. ut non quanta potes omnino facias cum ignores penitus quid tibi competat ad salutem What madnesse is it for a man not to take the best care he can for his soule when as he knowes that after all the care which he can take even the Righteous shall scarce bee saved Let us not then presume to inquire how farre we may suffer sin to abound Be we never so carefull to suppresse it sinne will abound too farre but aske rather how farre must grace more abound to obteyne the forgivenesse of our sinne and when we see what high patternes of obedience are every where in holy Scripture propos'd unto our imitation the perfection of the Father the grace of the Sonne the fellowship of the Holy Ghost the Communion of Saints and Angels may these great examples dayly inlarge our indeavours and as long as wee can never hope to doe what wee ought let us never cease to doe what we may Now then to draw all to a conclusion We reade in this Chapter of a two fold fulnesse in CHRIST there is a fulnesse of truth and a fulnesse of grace fulnesse of truth wee have reveal'd in holy Scripture and from hence truth for truth wee are able to communicate each to others but fulnesse of grace this is Gods praerogative which he reserves onely to himselfe and grace for grace what man ever durst take upon him to bestow Fulnesse of truth is the religion of the soule furnisheth the eye the eare the tongue the head but fulnesse of grace this is the soule of our religion and drawes all unto the heart fulnesse of truth it is a diligent MARTHA and provideth many commendable things but fulnesse of grace this is the devout MARY and bringeth the maine necessary part this is the pearle which though wee should sell all that we have to buy will buy a thousand times more then wee can sell this is the oyle which cheereth the countenance the wine which makes glad the heart of man and with a good conscience keepeth a continuall feast This is comes in via pro vehiculo the most gentile and faithfull companion in the world which whē wealth when honor whē strength when wit when speech when sense when life it selfe shall faile will yet never leave us nor forsake us I beseech you then as wee cannot but all thankfully acknowledge that we have already receiv'd the religion of the soule truth for truth let us dayly implore from Heaven the soule of our Religion grace for grace grace upon grace even the grace of our Lord IESVS CHRIST that having given us an understanding head hee would bee pleas'd to create in us a new heart and renew a right spirit within us that when with the sighes and groanes of this spirit from the bottome of this heart we shall call and cry unto him Abba Father hee may graciously make answer from Heaven I will be unto thee a Father and thou shalt bee to me a Sonne Amen Serm. IV THE FOVRTH SERMON ECCLES 12.1 Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth WHen I read the saying of St. IOHN My little Children this is the last time the time saith St. PAVL even of the end of the world consider withal that it is now neare 1600 yeares ago since this caveat was first given surely me thinks wee that live at the end of this end at the last period of this last time have now great cause together with the end of the world evē daily to bethink our selves of our own end and
embrace us and restore us to our rest again For doth a Father pity his owne child and will not the Lord bee mercifull to them that feare him nay call no man Father upon earth for beyond all naturall affection we have a Father in Heaven and his love is like that of Ionathan and David even greater then the love of women WheÌ„ Abraham intercedeth for Sodom you see hee puts in many doubts and feares I have taken upon me to speake who am but dust and ashes and let not my Lord be angry and once more and once more let me speake and still hee feareth and still hee speaketh and still he obtaineth what he speaketh for neither doth God in mercy cease to grant his petitions till he in modesty giveth them over Thus sometime if the conscience of our sinnes and terrour of the throne of Iustice and those terrible names of Lord and jealous God shall make us to tremble and be exceedingly afraid as indeed in this confident age it is good that we should sometime bee frighted yet upon our true humiliation and contrition we may boldly appeale from the throne of Iustice to the throne of Grace and that gracious name of Father and then â—nough the flesh have been a Sodome yet if the spirit now become an Abraham dust and ashes as we are we may speake and once more and once more may we speake til we bring our sins from fifty shall I say nay from an innumerable number for who knowes how oft he offends to forty to twenty to tenne to nothing and blot them out of the booke of Gods remembrance Let me then say once againe Why art thou so disquieted O my soule and why art thou so troubled within me put thou thy trust in the Lord and bee doing good implore the adoption of a sonne and get thy soule seal'd unto the day of redemption and then with confidence maist thou appeare before the Tribunall of God where thou shalt finde the Iudge thy Father thine Advocate thy Brother But let us beware that we doe not please and content our selves with a titular alliance for it is not a Lord Lord nor my Father Salvian ad Eccles Cathol l. 3 my Father will suffice Assumptio religiosi nominis sponâ—â—o devotionis Our challenging of God to bee our Father chalengeth from us the duty of his Sonnes For as under the Law if they were obedient unto his will and with care and conscience did performe their service to their Lord he did shew himselfe a Father to his servants so under the Gospell if like gracelesse children wee shall neglect the will of our heavenly Father he will shew himselfe a Lord unto his Sonnes and as then not every one that cryed Lord so nor now every one that prayeth Father but he that doth the will whether of Lord or Father he and he alone shal be acceptable in his sight So then to draw all to a conclusion As wee are all already filii regni children of the Kingdome and called to be Saints so because wee know such children for their disobedience may in the end bee shut out of this Kingdome let us strive to be filii regnantes to reign as children in this Kingdome and make our calling sure CHRIST is now ascended up on high unto his Father and hath given guifts to us such as will inable us to follow him let us then bee carefull so to improve these guifts to adde to our Faith vertue to vertue knowledge temperance patience godlinesse and charity that as our graces rise so may our hope of glory rise withall and when age and death shall presse downe our bodies to the grave our soules may be lifted up to Heaven and take a comfortable farewell of our friends even in the very language of our Saviour Weepe not for mee but for your selves for I am now ascending to my Father and your Father to my God and your God Amen FINIS Errata FOr Iohanni read Iohanne pag 8. necessitude read vicissitude p. 11 so r. and p. 25 last r. left p. 46 that dele p. 47 1. dele p. 53 for dele p. 63 our r. one p. 72 strong r. strange p. 77. beneficii r. beneficiis p. 111 partunebat r parturiebat p. 122 filiis r. filium p. 143 succentunate r. succenturiate p. 150 Those r. these p 153 heavie and r. and heavie p. 177 Nor r. nor ibid. vvherever r. wheÌ„ever p 183 punisheth r. pincheth p 203 this r the p 208 an r on p 212 custodivi r custodiri p. 216 that thou r that so alwayes thou p 223 hold r hold p 225 have r but have p 227 We r. we p 32 dele 2. p 256 favorâ—â— r foenoris p 258 nor r nor