man hauing once got possession when a man is fallen away from grace and his heart Hardened how fearefull how mournfull a case it is it may manifestly appeare in this for that such men they can haue no true ioy of temporall things in this world nor any true comfort of the sweete graces in the life to come First concerning spirituall blessings There is nothing more cheerefull vnto man then the knowledge of his minde nothing more excellent in him then the light of his vnderstanding This knowledge this light of nature this vnderstanding and iudgement is vtterly extinguished Suffocatur naturae lumen cùm ad huius abissi ingressum Calâ— accedimus the light of nature is choked wheÌ„ they once enter into this gulf of Hardning In man there is a threefold light The light of the body which is the Eye the light of the mind which is Reason and Faith the light of the soule Eph. 1 1â— 1 Cor. 4. â— by which we discerne things that are not seene In the obstinate their bodilie eye is full of adultery and cannot cease to sinne 2. Pet. 2. 14. 2. Pe. 2. â— The light of Reason which is the law of nature is extinguished Rom. 1. 28. Lastly Faith which is Rom. 1. 2 the light of the soule is wholy blinded for such cannot see to take hold of the mercies of God nor to apprehend his comfortable promises Ebre 4. 2. Now if the Eye which is the light Ebr. 4. 2. of the body if Reason which is the light of the minde if Faith which is the light of the soule be dimmed If all that light which should bee in vs bee darknesse Iustissima poena vt qui sciens Aug. de li 〈…〉 be arbit lib. 3. rectum non facit amittat scire quod rectum saith Saint Augustine it is a punishment that hee who knowing doth not well at length should loose the knowledge of wel dooing so is it with the Hardned as Iob. saith The light of the vngodly Iob. 18. â— shall bee darkened and the wicked shall become blind Zeph. 1. 1 because they haue sinned against the Lord. The iudgement of the minde beeing thus peruerted and Faith which in all stormes and temptations should guide the sterne being ouerthrowne there fellowes a generall shipwrack of conscience The word of God is said to bee sharper then a â—br 4. 12. two edged sword it pierceth the very sinewes marrow it diuideth the soule and spirit asunder how wonderfull it is in operation how mightie to conuince our thoughts howe powerfull to quicken the soule how comfortable to strengthen our faith I doubt not but most here to their endlesse comfort do effectually know This word this mighty word which for the piercing operation is resembled to fire able to soften yron this word it cannot mollifie the hardened But as the bright beames of Sunne doe harden clay and soften wax and as the sweete drops of raine do mollifie earth and harden sand so the heauenly and eternall word returneth not in vaine but by reason of different disposition in the subiect it illuminateth it melteth the rightous it obdurates and Hardens the wicked their Esay 6. 9. heartes being fat their eyes heauie and their eares shut they shall heare indeed but shall not vnderstand they shall see and not perceiue Where the word of God cannot preuaile there can be no repentance It is true The scripture saith at what time soeuer a sinner doth repent Eze. 1â— him of his sin froÌ„ the bottom of his hart God wil put all his wickednes out off his remembrance Therevpon many take their pleasure glut themselues in sin at last they thinke to make all good by repentance Indeed it is true if they can repent but they must obserue what S. August saith Qui promittit paenitenti veniam non promittit peccanti paeniteÌ„tiam God who promiseth vnto euery one Aug. that repeÌ„teth forgiuenes doth not promise vnto euery one that sinneth repentance RepeÌ„tance is the gift of god such as are hardened because in times past they despised the riches of his bounty grace his long suffering mercy that did cal them to repeÌ„tance when they wold they caÌ„not repent Ro. 2. 5. after hardnes the heart it caÌ„not repeÌ„t If there can be no repentance then lamentation teares are bootlesse Teares they are the bloud of the soule and the Wine of Angels most Bern. pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God Yet the hardened though they should wash theÌ„selues in their owne teares it will not preuaile Nihil prosuÌ„t lamenta si replicantur peccata tears are not accepted where sinnes are still and againe double Ebr. 12. 17. Esau found no place to repentance Ebr. 12. 1â— though he sought the blessing with teares The holy blessed Sacraments now presently to be administred are Pledges of Gods loue and Seals of our saluation By Baptisme he breaks the Rom. 4. 1â— heads of the Dragons in the Waters et per Baptismum coeli ianua aperitur And by baptisme euen the dore of heaueÌ„ is set open The sacrament of the Lords supper it is canalis gratiae et lauacruÌ„ animae 〈…〉 l. 74. 14 the coduit of grace the bath of the soule What can be more ioyful then by receiuing the signe of the crosse to fight vnder the banner of Chirsts loue to be knit into the misticall body of his saints what can be more ioyful then to receiue that pure princely blood the least drop wherof being able to redeeme a thousaÌ„d worlds I may rest assured it is a full perfect satisfactioÌ„ for all my sinnes so that if my body hath sinned his body hath made ameÌ„ds if my soule haue sinned his soule hath made recompence therefore both soule and body are his and so we firmly and fully setled in a Christian ioy for euer These holy and heauenly Sacraments are not effectuall in the obstinate Iudas notwithstanding he was a disciple of our Sauiour and that blessed hand which after for his sake was nayled on the Crosse did reach him the bread of life yet he was so hardened with secret sin a trayterous disposition that as soone as he receiued the sop the deuilentred into him tooke ful possessioÌ„ 〈…〉 h. 13. 27. of him so brought him to a most feareful end Prayer what maruailous things it hath brought to passe and indeede what greater comfort can there be to a distressed minde then to open our griefe to poure out our complaints and ease our wounded hearts by making our mone vnto God by faithful and humble prayer yet in those that are Hardenedned prayers of themselues are frutelesse Ioh. 9. 31. God heareth not the prayer of sinners that is of such as reteine a will to sinne Dauid saith He that enclineth his heart vnto wickednesse Psa 6â— God will not heare his prayers To hope in the prayer of
â—h P. 7. the meanes of the end must go together The ende which euery one of vs doth desire and ayme at it is eternall glory we must be sure then to lay hold vpon Calling and Iustifiyng as the meanes ordained to come vnto this end For this is a certaine and sure ground in diuinity and Religion Whom-soeuer God hath appointed to eternall life he hath also appointed that man to vse the meanes whereby he may come vnto the same To make this more plaine let it please you to vouch safe the hearing of an accident which fell out very fitly to this purpose One Ludouicus a learned man of Italy yet wanting the direction of Gods good spirit and so neuer considering aduisedly of the meanes of our Saluation he grew at last to this resolution Si saluabor saluabor It bootes not what I doe nor how I liue For if I bee saued I am saued Thus Ludouicus bewitched with this desperate opinion continued a long time till at length hee grew very dangerously sicke wherevpon he sent for a cunning and learned Phisition and earnestly requested his helpe The Phisition before-hand made acquainted with his former lewd assertion how in his health hee would vsually say If I bee saued I am saued he likewise directed his speech to the same purpose and said Sure it shall bee needlesse to vse any meanes for your recouery neither doe I purpose to minister vnto you for if the time of your death bee not come you haue no cause to feare you shall liue and do well inough without Phisicke and if the time of your death bee nowe come it is vnpossible to auoide it Ludouicus musing in his bed of the matter and considering aduisedly of the phisitions speech finding by reason that as meanes were to be vsed for the health of the body so God also had 〈…〉 ordained meanes for the saluation of the Soule vpon further conference with shame griefe he recanted his former opinion tooke phisicke and so was happily cured both of soule and body at one time By this doctrine of Gods loue so manifestly Calling vs we directly learne that if a man doe thirst after his saluation if a man would bee throughly 〈…〉 assured in his heart and conscience that God hath chosen him to eternall life hee must not rush presently into Predestination into Gods secret Counsell but he must enter into himselfe to trie and examine whether hee bee rightly Called for as the surest way to come vnto the sea is first to finde out 〈…〉 a riuer so concerning our saluation the plainest surest way to finde out the depth of Gods counsell is first to come vnto Calling vnto Iustifying which are as sweet and liuely springs flowing from the same We know and see dayly by experience wee are not able to discerne wee cannot pierce with the eye to see what matter the Sunne is of but we can plainely see and manifestly perceiue both beames and heat and light proceeding from the same So heere concerning the first point of Predestination alone wee cannot conceiue it wee are not able to pierce it for it is the way which the Eagles eye hath not seene but Calling and Iustifying which are as heate and light proceeding from the same those we may as comfortably perceiue as wee doe sensibly feele the heate and operation of the Sun Here then is the duty of a true Christian heere is the part of a religious and good man indeede not to venter his saluation vpon a bare speech presumption of Predestination but to vse all meanes possible which God hath ordained That he may truely be Called to heare the word of God and to ioy in hearing of it with loue and with a desire to profit that hee may bee Iustifyed when he hath heard to be feruent in prayer zealous of well doing and abundant in all good works of Charity that he may be Glorified in the life to come to consecrate both soule and body and all the whole course of his life vnto God that so growing vp from faith to faith from vertue to vertue from hearing to beleeuing from Calling to Iustifiing at length Gods spirit may satisfie our spirits that we are his our bodies his our soules his wee setled and sealed vp in a Christian ioy for euer Wherefore I beseech you all by the mercies of God and I intreate you as you hope to stand with comfort before God and his Angels at the last day euery man lay hold vppon his soule betimes do not esteeme the loue of any thing in this World more then the loue of God purchased in his sonne Christ Iesus Take heede and beware of this profane speech If I be saued I am saued vtter it not in word thinke it not in heart away with it 〈…〉 For God is not the cause of our condemnation it is our selues Woe vnto vs wretches we our selues are the workers of our owne destruction Wisedome 1. 13. O seeke not Death in the error of the soule 〈…〉 13. and destroy not your selues with the workes of your owne hands Bis interimitur qui suis armis interimitur Euery man catch hold vpon this Chaine worke and make sure his saluation and striue to walke before 〈…〉 the Lord in trueth with a perfect heart On the one side let no man passe on in a secure and carelesse course of life nor on the other side curiously prie into the hidden counsell of the Lord but euery good Christan with an humble spirit with an honest minde with a cheerefull and good heart 〈…〉 seeke to apprehend those meanes which God hath appointed for his saluation Iustification The third Lincke of this Chaine is Iustification Whom he hath Called those he hath Iustified IT is a principle in reason Actio perfect a non recipitur nisi imperfectè primò An habit is not gotten at the first the work of our regeneration is not wrought on a sodaine But as the Psalmist saith The Codly grow from strength to strength and the wise Psal 8â— man sheweth how The light of the righteous shineth more and more to the perfect day So here the Apostle Pr. 56. â— foote by foote leadeth vs from one degree vnto another till at length we may come to make our election sure This Iustification it goeth a step farther then Calling For Calling is an enlightning the mind with spiritual knowledge Iustifying an establishing the heart with a grounded perswasioÌ„ Calling is the beginning of conuersion but Iustifying is a full clearing of the heart Calling is the first change of one that is regenerate but Iustifying is the full perswasion of the Soule when the spirit of grace resteth in vs and we setled and truely sanctified in an holy christian course of life So then when we haue not onely sorrowed for sinnes past which is the first step of our Calling but further when wee are renewed in spirit and so changed in our life
loue who is able to wrong them whom he hath chosen how can they be reiected whom hee doth Call how shall they be shut out whom hee doth Iustifie who dare accuse them Whom God will Glorifie how can they bee forsaken Seeing my soule is lincked to that Chaine which can neuer be vnloosed my soule grounded vpon that foundation which can neuer be shaken what shall make vs to dispaire nay what is it shal make vs to wauer or doubt of the singular loue of God which he beareth towards vs in his Sonne Christ Iesus What shall separate vs from the hope of immortalitie in the life to come shall the wearisomnesse of this troublesome life shall the discontentments of this transitorie World shall a litle sicknesse shaking this brittle house of clay No all the afflictions of this life which are but for a moment they are not to be accounted worthy that exceeding siâ— passing eternall weight of glorie For God hath chosen vs before the world he hath Called vs out of the World he hath Iustified vs in the World and hee will Glorifie vs in the World to come God hath Chosen vs not being hee hath Called vs being enemies hee hath Iustified vs being sinners and hee will Glorifie vs being mortall wretches Therefore we may cherefully sing with Dauid Misericordia Domini abaeterno in aeternum The mercie of the Lord is from euerlasting to euerlasting FroÌ„ euerlasting Predestination to euerlasting Glory the one hauing no ending the other hauing no beginning This blessed fruition of glorie and immortalitie that wee may feele the comfort of it in our hearts and consciences now in this life and hereafter enioy in the life to come the Lord grant euen for his blessed son Christ Iesus sake to whome with the Father and the holy Ghost three persons and one euerliuing God be ascribed all power glory praise and thankes-giuing for euer and euer Amen FINIS THE SECOND SERMON PREACHED BEFORE THE KING BY ANT HONIE MAXEY Batchelar in Diuinitie and Chaplaine to his Maiestie in ordinarie The Points handled heerein are these That there is an Hardening That God Hardeneth not How men become Hardened Most wofull to be Hardened The meanes to auoid it LONDON Printed by G. Eld. for Clement Knight dwelling in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the holy Lambe 1606. HARDENING Exod. 10. 20. And the Lord Hardened Pharaohs heart and hee did not let the children of Israel go THE heart of Man is deceitfull and wicked aboue all Iere. 17. thnigs who can knowe it Although the Heart of man bee so little that it will scarce serue a Kite for a baite yet there are not more windings nor more turnings in a Maze or in a Laborinth then are in the heart of man The Heathen were so forward in acknowledging a Diuine power that rather than they would bee without a God they gaue diuine honour to any kinde of creature The Assyrians worshipped Idols the Persians Starres the Aegiptians Plants and all manner of beasts the Graecians their owne conceits and the Romanes made their Cittie a shoppe for all kinde of Gods So many were the windings and so infinite the turnings of the Heathen touching diuine worshippe that Varro obserued in the world three thousand Gods The dissolute and cunning Atheist hee hath a fetch by himselfe alone hee lets loose the reines and followes the streame of his sensuall affections because hee conceiues in his heart and cleane contrary to the Heathen saith there is no God at all There is a third kinde who though in 〈…〉 14. 1. showe they outwardly acknowledge God yet they againe haue an other winding secretly to themselues they plod on swallowing any sinne for why The Lord will neither do good nor euill â—h 1. 12. Because there is not present punishment for euery sinne Tush all is well no harme shall 〈◊〉 10. 12. happen vnto vs For God careth not for any thing Lastly in these our dayes there is a fourth sort who haue a more strange turning than all the former For many hauing a generall notioh of Gods omnipotencie hearing and reading sometimes of Gods Election and Reprobation whereof they vnderstand no ground nor conceiue aright they will presume to commit any sinne for say they All is in God no man can resist his power if hee hath chosen mee to life I am sure for one if otherwise as hee did with Pharaoh hee hath appointed mee a Vessell of his Wrath it is not possibly to be auoyded Such are the windings and these are the turnings in the hearts and secret thoughts of men either euery creature a God or else no God either a God that regarded not sinne or else a God that causeth vs to sinne These turnings Esa 2â— and deuises in the sight of the Lord are esteemed as clay before the Potter To conuince the Palpable errours of the three former I holde it not conuenient For to thinke there is any one heere present who doth acknowledge no God at all or such a God as regardeth not the actions of men I hold it wrong to this holy assemblie and I hope better things of this Christian audience But to meete with this latter sort who leauing all good meanes of their saluation do inwardly fall a way from God and yet in their willfull ignorance would shift off and shoue the cause of their condemnation vpon GOD. For such chiefely haue I vndertaken the exposition of this Scripture in opening whereof I will touch these fiue points First that there is 1 An hardening 2 That God Hardeneth not 3 How men become Hardened 4 Most wofull to bee Hardened 5 The meanes to auoidit There is an Hardening COncerning this first point there are in the Scriptures two Greeke verbes which are commonly vsed for this Hardening The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth properly signifie to drie vp wither vsed often in the 3. to the Hebrewes 8. 13-15 verses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Harden not your hearts The other verbe in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to obdurate or to make hard Eph. 4. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They became strangers from the life of God through the hardnesse of their hearts Hauing thus recourse vnto the Greeke tongue wee shall see that in the heart of man first there is a drying vp and a certaine withering For in naturall things and also in the soule as there is a watering which is good and comfortable so there is a drying vp and withering which is dangerous and hurtfull In the earth there is a watering for the hills are the teates and the springs the milke to moysten and to water the valleyes Psalme 104. verse 10. Hee sendeth the springs into the riuers which runne amongest the hilles In the earth 〈…〉 20. there is a drinesse for saith Ioel The people mourne for want of moisture the riuers of waters are dried vp and the trees of the field are withered In the body there is a
others that also is in vaine Ier. 7. 16. Because you haue done these things and I spake vnto you you would not heare therefore Ier. 7. 1◠11. 14 thou shalt not pray for this people nor lift vp cry nor entreat me for I wil not heare Though Noe Iob should intreat me though Moses and Samuel should pray vnto me yet will I not heare neither be intreated In the 15. of the Prou. 15. it is said a good conscience is a continuall feast Assuredly if a man haue all earthly blessings which his heart can desire if he wax neuer so warme and wealthie yet if hee be at war with himselfe if hee be stung with the guilt of his owne thoughts what comfort what ioy can he haue The spirit of a man may beare his sicknes or infirmitie Pro. 18. ◠but a wounded cōscience who is able to endure Contrariwise peace with God peace of conscience and quiet rest of soule it is the greatest cōfort that man can enioy vpon earth S. Augustine calles it The beautiful Temple of Salomon the garden of Paradice the golden bed of rest the ioye of the Angels the treasure of the great King the mercie seat of the Cherubins and the tabernacle of the holy Ghost This peace the Hardened can neuer bee partakers of Their grief is doubled with mourning 〈…〉 11. 10. and remembring things past and it is plainely said There is no peace vnto the wicked Hope is the treasurie of all spirituall and heauenly 〈…〉 48. 22. blessings in all wants and miseries it is the safe and sure anchor of the Soule For by hope wee are saued but the hope of the vngodly is like the dust blowne away with the wind They forecast vnto 〈…〉 s 17. 10. themselues cruel things and their thoughts are like the flights of a bloudie and vanquisht field where al hope and comfort lyeth slaine Now when the soule thus affected is not at peace with God but giuen ouer to sin remaines in the state of Condemnation all temporall blessings which are comforts to Gods children they doe increase our condemnation Riches weeknow are the good blessings of God but to such as haue no sinne in their conscience otherwise as Iob saith in his 15 Chap. 27. If his face be so couered with fat and that hee hath such collups in his flancks that in aboundance and prosperitie he forgets God Dat legitimum sed non sanctum vsum he giueth a lawfull and outward but not a sanctified vse Sleepe is sweet vnto euery man but a mind secretly woūded with sin is afflicted with feareful 〈…〉 is 12. 13 dreames and visions in the night The wicked that haue liued a dissolute life they are tormented with their owne imaginations as Iob saith The terrours of God do fight against them Mirth and Cheerefulnes the wise man saith they are the reioycing of the heart and prolonging of the life Iob 14. 22. The sinner while his flesh is vpon him he shall be sorrowfull while the soule is in him he shall not cease to mourne Prouerbes 14. 13. Euen in laughing the heart is sorrowfull and the end of that mans mirth is heauinesse Now if the estate of the Hardened be such that the light of the minde and soule be wholly darkned if the word of God cannot peirce thē if hauing made shipwrack of conscience their heart it cannot repent and so neither Sacraments nor teares be auaileable If their own Praiers cannot be heard others are forbid to pray for them if their sleepe be feareful theirlaughing inwardly mournfull their riches cursings their hope vtterly forlorne they can neuer enioy any peace of conscience or quiet rest of soule iudge you whether it had not bin better such a man had not beene borne or being borne had presently bin flung into the bottome of the sea drowned in euerlasting forgetfulnes For alas when God is become our enimy who is able to enter into cōbat to match with the wrath of the Lord of hostes whē a mans ownhart doth condēne him who is able to put to silence the voice of desperation Oh happy is he that sinneth least next he that returneth soonest but most dreadfull is the estate of him who like Pharao is giuen ouer vnto Hardening For he that is once come to this passe that as Ieroboam he hath sold himselfe to cōmit sin his minde reprobate his conseience seared and 〈…〉 1. 28. his soule frozen in the dregges of sin then though 〈…〉 im 4. 2 he weepe lament with Esau though he would 〈…〉 h. 1. 12 restore that which hee hath wrongfully gotten with Iudas though he do gird himselfe in sackcloth walke softly as Ahab though he do pul the men of God to comfort him and pray for him as Saul did though hee do mourne like a Doue and chatter like a crane with the Pellicā though he do send forth shril and fearefull cries into the ayre yet al this wil not helpe wo alas there is no recouery Ier 13. 23. Can the black-More 〈…〉 13. 23. change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may they doe good who haue accustomed themselues to doe euilt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that 〈…〉 st eth 7 ◠7. hardeneth his heart can neuer be cured Habituati 〈…〉 s 12. 10 in malo sunt impaenituri their thoughts can neuer 〈…〉 l. 17. 14 be altered their stony hearts cānot become fleshy they 〈…〉 b. 10. 26 haue denied the power of saluatiō they haue despited 〈…〉 b. 12. 17 the spirit of grace and though they seeke the blessing with tears they can find no place to repētance This is a lamentable estate this is a feareful iudgmēt for man to be left vnto himselfe giuen vp to Sathan to be forsaken of God for euer frō this estate the Lord for his endlesse mercy deliuer vs. The Remedie TO eschue this gulfe and to auoide the danger of this Hardening either we must cut off and stay the course of sin in the act or else we must resist it in the beginning and stay it in our thoughts It is an excellent saying of S. Ierom Ibi maxime oportet obseruare peccatum vbi nasci solet both in sin also in curing the diseases of the body it is the chiefest point to obserue finde out where the malady first tooke beginning It is plaine sin first buddeth in the thought and therupon S. Ierome calls it primo genita Diaboli the Diuels darling or first begotten Sathan dare not attēpt any vnto murther treasō or any such grieuous sin vnlesse he send an euil thought before to trie whether he shall be welcome The Philistins will not venture till Dalilah hath wrought the feat as she with Sampson neuer left fawning and creeping into his bosome til by cōsenting vnto her he lost both his strength his eyes became a mil-horse for the Philistins so il thoughts allure