pardoned of his sinne and so profitable as in the which hee findeth that timely both mercy life wherof also it is that those persons are said to sinne vnto death The sinne vnto death which cannot repent and they are said to be borne of God exempted from sinne which truely and timelie repent To the which we haue not onely manie Tstimonies as in the Prophets Isaiah Ezekiel Ieremy others but also most notable examples as of Dauid Solomon Manasses Magdalen Peter Paul and manie such who haue not onely taught that at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent him of his sinne from the bottome of his heart the Lord doth pardon him but also haue sensiblie felt and proued the effect of the same In regard wherof the godly Fathers of the church haue both thought and spoken verie honourablie of this godlie vertue Among others the learned Chrysostome therof saith O Repentance which the Lord being mercifull doest remit sinnes openest the gate of Paradice healest the man contrite makest glad the sorrowfull recallest life from death restorest mans estate renuest honour giuest boldnes reformest the vertues fillest man with grace more aboundant And Cyprian Cyprian ó poeniteÌ„tia quid de te Noutrefe ramus hath a very excellent praise therof O worthie Repentance what excellent or strange matter should I report of thee All things bound vp thou loosest All things loosed thou shuttest vp All aduerse things thou mittigatest all contrite things thou healest all things confused thou brightenest all things desperate thou cheerest And this is in deed that new life which necessarilie followeth that newe birthe wherof our Lord disputeth with Nichodemus Ioh 3. the which as the same Chrysostome saide is more glittering then golde brighter then the Sunne The repentant sinne not against the holie Ghost that which neither sinne quaileth nor defection ouercommeth nor desperation daunteth Wee neuer â—ead or found that anie man hath or may fall into â—hat damnable sinne against the holie Ghost to whom the Lorde giueth true Repentance as wee â—ightlie define it for albeeit that sinne be not rightly defined finall impenitencie but is indeede that Obstinate peruicacie or stubbornnesse vntill death The sinne-against the holy Ghost Heb. 6 4. 10.26 by the which a man not by ignorance nor by infirmitie nor by feare nor by an occasion but by a certaine determinate malice of minde is turned away from the doctrine of the Gospell and so persisting doeth hate and persecute the knowne trueth of the same yet because the Lord hath debarred them this noble Grace which sinne against the holy Sptrit many haue so defined it knowing that if the Lord in mercie would grant them true Repentance they could therewith be remitted liue Therefore the Lord hath bene willing that his people should be drawne therto by many perswasions arguments as by Isaiah Wash you make you cleane Let the vngodly man forsake his Own waies and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations and turne againe vnto the Lord. And by his Sonne hee saith Come vnto mee allye which trauaile be heauie laden and I will refresh you These and manie such comfortable wordes hath the Lorde vsed to them on whom hee is willing to shewe mercie and vnto them onely Io. 1. 3. he giueth that peerelesse vertue and therwithall grace and power to be made his children in the new birth and to honour him as theiâ— best Father in a righteous and honest life And from heÌ„ce are rightly gathered these generall motiues causes 1â— Motiues to repentanceâ— perswading men to the estimatioâ— desire of this thing whereof the first is the consideration of our owne condition being great daylie transgressours of the lawe of our heauenlâ— Father wherof we should be sory and amend our liues The second is the remeÌ„brance of the Lords commandement which commandeth admonisheth vs to repentaÌ„ce The third is the goodnes long suffering of God who allureth and daylie and hourelie wayteth for our returne vnto him The fourth is the diuers kindes of Calamities of this life wherwith as with a rodde our heauenly Father humbleth vs and assayeth to draw vs vnto him whiles we be negligent Fifthlie the vncertaintie of our liues knowing that death is certain but the time therof vncertaine neither after death is there place left vs to repent therfore we should not delaye nor neglect to take the opportunitie therof Sixtly the sodaine comming of the iudge in the most terrible and latter iudgement against impenitent sinners Seuenthly the paine eternall of them which liue and die without repentance Eightlie the consideration of the sweet comforts commodities which follow them which timelie repent Ninthlie the examples of them which haue returned vnto the Lord as Adam Dauid the Niniuites others who timely obtained mercie and saluation from the Lord who is so willing to forgiue them that returne vnto him Tenthly and lastly the fearfull exaÌ„ples of the impenitent whoÌ„ the Lord hath shut out froÌ„ his louing mercies as Cayn Esau Saul Iudas Diues in hell who sought for mercie but obtained it not By this we learne what is meant by Plowing and turning vp of the fallowed land for the soueraine Seede CHAP. XII The heart of man is likened vnto the Earth or Land both fallowed vnfallowed NOwe that wee may yet better vnderstand the Metaphor with profitable fruite let vs examine these two pointes First why Man or Mans heart is likened to the Earth or to the vnfallowed Land Man is likened to the Earth for 7. causes Next why the heart of the Godly man or repentaÌ„t sinner is likened to that Fallowed or tilled soyle As for the former wee find that man is called Earth and that his heart is comparable to the earth First because he was taken from the Earth into the which he shal againe returne Gen. 3. Secondlie by reason of his nature corrupt which is as the earth colde drie and therby barraine of all good thoughts godlie endeuours neither is the same easilie perswaded to goodnes but by the diuine grace therefore no lesse comparable to the Rocke or Stone as the prophet saith Amos. 6 1â— Shall the horses runne on Rockes thar is on a barraine or hard land to plough for the sowing of Pietie Thirdlie for that as the earth is ponderous and tendeth downeward so man is weighed downe by the tight of his sinne yea in his corrupt nature hee hath for his centre the depth of hell whitherto hee daylie tendeth were he not sustained by the finger and mercy of God in Christ Fourthly as the earth hath many and diuers shapes and changes according to the diuersitie of the times seasons and constitutions of the aire so is mans heart and Man himselfe most vnconstaÌ„t wauering and reeling too fro now of one constitution then of another after the manifolde changes and chances of this life Fifthlie as the
else-where inviteth the Lords people not onely to the former but also to the latter in both the which conioyned and enioyned to man consisteth Omnis summa Christiana Disciplinae Religionis the summe of all Christian discipline and Religion Now therfore we may first gather consider of the most pregnant testimonies then of the examples in practise thirdly the signification of the words so conioyned as which beeing knowen we may the better vnderstand obserue the true meaning of the Prophet and the Diuine will in this his exhortation Iustice and Mercie Isay 57.1 The Prophet Isaiah conioyneth the words thus The righteous man perisheth and no man regardeth it in his heart The men of Mercy are taken away Pro. 21.21 and no man considereth it Salomon hath this combination Who so loueth Righteousnesse and Mercie findeth Life Righteousnesse and Honour Daniel in his good Counsaile to Nebucadnezar Dan. 4.27 maketh this conjunction Breake off thy sinnes by Righteousnesse and thine iniquities by Mercie to the poore Micheas the Prophet in his Chaine lincketh them together thus Hee hath shewed thee ô man what is good and what the Lord requireth of thee Mich. 6. namely to doe Iustice and to loue Mercie The like hath Zacharie saying in the Name of the Lord They shal be my people Zach. 8.8 and â— wil be their God in Righteousnes and Mercie To â—e short Christ Iesus in the newe Testament Mat. 5. haâ—ing pronounced them happie that hunger and â—hirst after Righteousnes by by added Blessed â—e the Mercifull In this and many other places wee finde not onely the apte coniunction commendation of those two vertues so placed but â—lso the glorious rewarde of the same annexed â—hereto as that which orderly followeth the peerâ—esse plough of Pietie in the true vse And truely as wee haue found for the former 2 Examples of practise â—s Iustice and Mercie disioyned and set apart for â—ither of them besides the testimonies many noâ—able exaÌ„ples of practise so also haue wee for those â—oth conioyned as wherin the Saints of yore deâ—laring themselues as the children of the highest Righteous Mercifull Heb. 11. haue in their times bene wel reported of as the Apostle saith writing to the Hebrews left behind them not only a perpetuall memory of their Pietie but also the like instruâ—tion and example thereof to all others in posteriâ—ie who seeing and considering well of those verâ—ues holie perfection might be thereby occasioned to follow them therein to the high praise of God their owne soules health Gen 6. It is therefore â—eported of Noah that hee was not onely a righâ—eous man but also that he was perfect walked with God Abraham being a righteous man Gen. 18 declared himselfe mercifull in his kindnes to the Sodomites to Lot Gen. 18. to the Angels to Strangers and in a word in many such workes of Mercy Iob. 1 8. Epoc. 32 3â—.32 The like may be easily found and approued in the holy man Iob in Moses the seruant of God in Dauid the King in the noble Captaine Nehemias Neh. 1.4 and 58.10 11.16 in good Tobiah Tob 1. Luk. 1. Mat. 1. in the Priest Zachary and his wife In Symeon theâ— iust and godly man in Ioseph the husband of Mary and to passe by many others beyond all the Iustice of the Lord hath bene mixed with mercy in the admirable redemption of mankind in and by the meanes and merite of his sonne Iesus in whom also these vertues as in the image of the father haue and doe euer shine and declare themselues to the glory of God and eternall benefit of his elected Saints 3 A double Iustice Thirdly finding these wordes with semblable examples thus conioyned and of such affinitie we may well perceiue how the Propheâ— aymeth to that double Iustice required of man that is not onely to that contained and commanded in the second but also in the first Tabie of the diuine law by the which men might obserue that word of Christ Pelican in Prou. 21. Gual in Hos 10. To make not onely the fruite good but first the Tree and then the fruite wherby the Tree is known and approued For except the Tree be first good there commeth thereof no good fruite Whereby we see this matter likened to a Tree with her fruit The Tree is our Iustice * The Tree of Iustice the fruite is our Mercy in the former is respected Iustification in the latter Sanctification And this necessarily followeth the former as the fruit the Tree if the Tree be good Wherof I may say that the former produceth Iustification the latter Opera Iustficati the works of the person iustified For the former which is the Tree whereof mercie springeth it is doubtles that Righteousnes of God Iustice is approued which being perfect blamelesse holy and sound in it selfe was yet neuer reprehended or reprooued by the wisedome of God nor iustlie condemned by the children of of meÌ„ but hath bin and is shal be by â—he â—a raÌ„t of holy Scripture worthelie iustified approued and commended by God and his Saints and not denyed but rather acknowledged and confessed euen by the verie Diuels and vngodlie persons though against their willes by the constrainte of the spirite of trueth to the glorie of God and the consolation of the godlie But Christ hath said Obiect that the holy Ghost comming into the worlde reproueth the worlde not onely of sinne but also of Righteousnes Iob. 16.8.9 because they beleeue not in him This indeede is true neither may the word of Christ be thought to contrarie â—he worde of the Prophet in this place for wee must vnderstand that our Lord distinguisheth of â—he word Righteousnes or Iustice and as a learned â—ather writeth Nisi esset institia falsa Iustitia Dei â—on diceretur vera were there not a false Iustice the â—ustice of God should not be called the true Iuâ—â—ice But the Iustice of God is called as it is indeede the true Iustice therfore there is some oâ—her Iustice which is the false Iustice and lyable to â—hat reprehension of the holy Ghost neither as the case now standeth is there any Righteousnes either naturall morall legall pharisaicall or politicall in man which may be iustly exeÌ„pted from the same No Iustice approued but that which is of God 1. Cor. 1.19 For the naturall Iustice was lost in Adams fall the morall wanting faith by mans concupiscence is sinfull the legall is abandoned by transgression the pharisaicall reprobated by hypocrisie and the politicall is by lewd foolishneâ— opposed to the Iustice wisedome of God The maine reason of this reprobation of mans iustice is the want of saith as Christ witnesseth because they beleeue not in mee without the which whatsoeuer is done Iob. 16 1â— is condemned for a sinne seeme the same neuer so goodlie to the eyes and iudgement
Greg. in Iob. li. 21. cc. 19. They are very fooles base persons whom thraldome of their minds hath alienated from the company of the eternall inheritance Moreouer these Oxen for their furniture in this businesse haue also as answerable to Pieties Plough their Yokes 1. The yoke of Impiety their Necke-bowes their Keyes and their Chaines or Ropes Their yoke is not that which the true christians beare with great courage comfort nor only that seruile yoke of the Law whereto the Iewes were constrained to bow their neckes but the heauy yoke of preuarication sin to the which they are in euery ranke prostituted constrained by the law of their members a cankred conscience wherein they haue a consuming worm euer gnawing their soules which are as the Neck-bowes 2. Necke-bowes of this yoke strengthened or holden in by the Keyes 3. The Keyes of Satans suggestion policie and finally they are tied together with fiue chaines or yron ropes 4. The Ropes which are the fiue chiefe senses as wel of soule as of bodie vnder natures corruption and their sinfull abuse as whereby neither seeing nor hearing nor tasting nor smelling nor feeling perfectly they put light for darknesse and darknes for light sweete for so wer and sower for sweete good for euill and euill for good therefore worthily reproued by the holy Prophet threatned with a terrible woe Isa 5. CHAP. XXXIIII 1. The Holder 2. The Leader 3. The Driuer of this impious Plough THis Plough hath also an Holder a Leader and a Driuer First the Holder thereof is the Diuell 1. The Holder is the Diuel which apostating from the glory of holy Angells opposeth himselfe and his actions to God to his Saints and to all goodnesse Hee is the principall Tiller of this field Io. 8.44 in the which he sets forth those his Oxen not onely for the sowing of iniquity to their destruction but for the terror feare trouble of others both in the Church and in the commonwealth in such sort as hee tumbled forth rhe heard of Swine into the waterrs Mark 5.13 whereon not only the swine perished but all the Country stoode in dread what thereof would ensue if the Lord Iesus had remained there among them The Leader of the Oxen is Antichrist 1. The Leader is Antichrist Aug. de ciuit dei c. 19. l. 20. that is not onely the kingdome of the false Doctors Teachers in the succession of the Roman Bishops that Sea which obscure the bright beames of the Gospell persecute Christ in his members and maintaine a worldly kingdome in the pride and ambition of their minds but he which is gone forth of the Church and contrarieth Iesus Christ in studie doctrine life as I haue more plainely taught in my Preparation to Contentation Chap â— 4.5 The Driuer of this Plough is the Spirit of Error 3. The Driuer is the Spirit of Error in the false Prophets which yoketh on these deceiued soules to follow their deceiuer sometimes by flatteries sometimes by sophistries sometimes by policies sometimes by tyrannies sometimes by herisies and by a thousand hypocrisies guilfull vanities in and by all the which hee euer crosseth contrarieth the holy Ghost by whom the oxen of Pietie are iustly mooued to draw on the Soole And herein the diuell seeking to deceiue men he first sounds their natures and knowing to what sin they are most profane Isul le 3. de summe bono Pet. Rauen in meerk 2. applies his tentations thereunto For he is the author of euill the originall of iniquity the enemie of things the corruptor of the world the aduersary of man he laies snares causeth falls digges pits prepares ruines prickes on the bodies pierceth the soules suggesteth the cogitations prouokes angers giues powers to hatreds addes vices to loue planteth errors nourisheth discordes disturbeth peace dissipates affections violateth humane things tempteth diuine thinges strikes at the beginning of good things captiues the rudiment of vertue hasteneth to extinguish that which is holy euen at the beginning knowing that hee shall be all vnable to subuert that which is once well grounded To and with whom conioyne those others who after Gregorie Greg. in Iob. 35. li. 26. ca. â— we may call Calumniatores being such indeed as do not onely rob dispoile men of their externall substance but by their erroneous doctrines euill manners and examples of a reprobate life contend and endeuour to dissipate their internall vertues and therefore are more to bee feared and abandoned then those theeues and robbers for they assay to inuade our externall good these spoile vs within they for the desire of our riches temporall these cease not to rage in the hatred of our vertues spirituall they enuie the things we enioy these enuie our life they study to take away our externall goods which please them these to destroy the internall treasures which displeaseth them therefore by how much the life of good manners differs from the substance of this world by so much the more greeuous are those wicked which either by diuellish suggestion an euill doctrine or vngodly life assaults or good manners then they which violently oppressing inuade on our goods For by such the quiet spirits led into tentation are subiected to damnable perdition CHAP. XXXV The Harrow or Drag and the Horses of Impietie with the fruits and ends thereof MOreouer to this Plough and Land of Impietie there is fitted by the Diuell a certaine Harrow or Dragge with two ill fauoured Iades to draw the same 1. The Harrow of Impietie The Harrow is that Adulation and flatterie of that false Prophet which may rather be called a Rolier or Smoother such as vsed the Prophets of Israel who when they should haue reproued the people for their abhominations Isa 2â— 1 5â— 11 Iere. 6.14 8.11 and terrified them with iudgments healed their wounds with faire wordes and dawbed their sinnes with vntempered morter Furthermore whereas in Pieties Harrow were found many sharpe pinnes oâ— tynes of bitter affliction to teare abroade the hard cloddes of mans peruerse and stubborne nature In this Roll or Dragge are fixed those tynes which are of a contrary nature and operation as namely the sinfull Solaces and fancies of fooles by the which as with precious balmes mans head is broken as Dauid saith To this purpose the maleuolent Temptor proposeth to the eyes of men the glory pleasure wealth and pompe of the worlde to bee desired to the eares the songs of fooles Pro. 1. Cor. 15. resembled to the cracking of thornes vnder the pot in the fire and such wordes which as Saint Paul saith corrupt good manners To the taste Luk 16. meates and liquors of deliciousnes wherewith men are glutted to their paine To the sent of smelling oderiferous gummes hearbs and sweete perfumes To the feeling soft apparrell easie beds quiet sleepes long rest idlenesse and wished