better life is the soule spoiled of when sinne hath taken it captiue The Adultresse will hunt for the precious life She is ambitious and would vsurpe Gods due and claime the heart the soule Hee that doth loue her destroyeth his owne soule Which shee loues not for it selfe but for the destruction of it that all the blossomes of grace may dwindle and shrinke away as bloomes in a nipping Frost and all our comforts runne from vs as flatterers from a falling Greatnesse or as Vermine from an house on fire Nay euen both thy liues are endangered The wicked man goâ—â—h after her as a foole to the correction of the stâ—ckes till a 〈◊〉 strike through his liuer as a bird hasteth to the snare and knoweth not that it is for his life It is as ineuitably true of the spirituall Harlots mischiefe For the turning away of the simple shall slay them Saue my life and take my goods saith the prostrate and yeelding Traueller to the theefe But there is no mercy with this enemie the life must pay for it She is worse then that inuincible Nauy that threatned to cut the throates of all Men Women Infants but I would to God shee might goe hence againe without her errand as they did and haue as little cause to bragge of her conquests Thus haue wee discribed the Temptresse The Tempted followes who are here called the Dead There be three kindes of death corporall spirituall eternall Corporall when the body leaues this life Spirituall when the soule forsakes and is forsaken of grace Eternall when both shall be throwne into hell 1. is the seperation of the soule from the body 2. is the seperation of body and soule from grace 3. the seperation of them both from euerlasting happinesse Man hath two parts by which hee liues and two places wherein he might liue if hee obayed God Earth for a time Heauen for euer This Harlot Sin depriues either part of man in either place of true life and subiects him both to the first and second death Let vs therefore examine in these particulars first what this death is and secondly how Sathans guests the wicked may be said liable thereunto 1. Corporall death is the departure of the soule from the body whereby the body is left dead without action motion sense For the life of the body is the vnion of the soule with it For which essentiall dependance the soule is often called and taken for the life Peter said vnto him Lord why cannot I follow thee now I will lay downe my soule for thy sake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his soule meaning as it iâ— translated his life And He that findeth his soule shall loose it but hee that looseth his soule for my sake shall finde it Here the Soule is taken for the Life So that in this death there is the seperation of the soule and body the dissolution of the person the priuation of life the continuance of death for there is no possible regresse from the priuation to the habite except by the supernaturall and miraculous hand of God This is the first but not the worst death which sinnâ— procureth And though the speciall deaâ—nesse of the guests here be spirituall yet this which we call naturall may be implied may be applied for when God threatned death to Adams sinne in illo die mâ—riâ—ris in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die yet Adam liued nine hundred and thirtie yeares after There was notwithstanding no delay no delusion of Gods decree for in ipso die in that very day death tooke hold on him and so is the Hebrew phrase dying thou shalt dye fall into a languishing and incurable consumption that shall neuer leaue thee till it bring thee to thy graue So that hee instantly dyed not by present seperation of soule and body but by mortallitie mutabillitie miserie yea by sorrow and paine as the instruments and agents of Death Thus said that Father After a man beginneth to be in this body by reason of his sinne he is euen in death The wicked then are not onely called Dead because the conscience is dead but also in respect of Gods decree whose inviolable substitution of Death to Sinne cannot be euaded auoyded It is the Satute-law decreed in the great Parliament of Heauen Statutum omnibus seâ—el mori It is appoynted vnto men once to die Tâ—is is one speciall kindnesse that sinne doth vs one kisse of her lippes Shee giues her louers three mortall kisses The first kils the conscience the second the carkase the third body and soule for euer Death passed vpon all men for that all haue sinned So Paul schooles his Corinths For this cause many are weaâ—e and sicke among you and many sleepe And conclusiuely peccati stipendium mors The wages of sinne is Death This Death is to the wicked death indeed euen as it is in it owne full nature the curse of God the suburbes of Hell Neither is this vniust dealing with God that man should incurre the death of his body that had reiected the life of his soule nisi praecessisset in peccato mors animae numquam corporis mors in supplicio sequerâ—tur If sinne had not first wounded the body death could not haue killed the soule Hence saith Augustine Men shunne the death of the flesh rather then the death of the spirit that is the punishment rather then the cause of the punishment Indeed Death considered in Christ and ioyned with a good life is to Gods elect an aduantage nothing else but a bridge ouer this tempestuous sea to Paradice Gods mercy made it so saith S. Augustine Not by making death in it selfe good but an instrument of good to his This hee demonstrates by an instance As the Law is not euill when it increaseth the lust of sinners sâ— death is not good though it augmâ—nt the glory of suâ—ferers The wicked vse the law ill though the law be good The good die well though death be euill Hence saith Solomon The day of death is better then the day of ones birth For our death is not obitus sed abitus not a perishing but a parting Non amittitur anima praemittitur tantum The soule is not lost to the body but onely sent before it to ioy Si duriùs seponitur meliùs reponitur If the soule be painfully laid off it is ioyfully laid vp Though euery man that hath his Genesis must haue his Exodus and they that are borne must dye Yet saith Tertullian of the Saints Profectio est quam putas moâ—tem Our dying on earth is but the taking our iourney to Heauen Simeon departs and that in peace In pace in pacem Death cannot be euentually hurtfull to the good for it no sooner takes away the temporall life but Christ giues eternall in the roome of it Alas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corpora cadauera Our graues shall as
likewise Lazarus euill things but now hee is comforted and thou art tormented AVGVST de Ciuitate Dei Lib. 22. Cap. 3. Prima mors animam dolentem pellit de corpore Secunda mors animam nolentem tenet in corpore The soule by the first death is vnwillingly driuen from the body the soule by the second death is vnwillingly held in the body LONDON Printed by Thomas Snodham for Ralph Mab and are to be sold in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the Grey-hound 1614. TO THE VERY VVORTHY GENTLEMAN Mr. FRANCIS CRAVVLEY sauing Health SYR There are foure sorts of Bankets which I may thus distinguish Laetum letiferum bellum belluinum The first is a ioyfull Feast Such was the Breake-fast of the World in the Law or the Dinner in the Gospell or yet the future more fully the Lambes Supper of Glory this is a delicate Feast Yet not more then the next is deadly the blacke Banket which is prepared for the wicked in Hell Which consists of two Dishes sayth the Schoole Poena damni and poena sensus or as the Philosopher distinguisheth all miserie into copiam inopiam copia tribulationis inopia consolationis Or after some of three amissio coeli priuatio terrae positio inferni the missing of that they might haue had the priuation of that they had the position of that they haue and would not haue torment or according to others of foure Mercilesse miserie extremitie vniuersallity eternitie of anguish Our Sauiour abridgeth all into two or rather one for they are homogenea weeping and gnashing of teeth This is a bloody Banket where crosse to the festiuall prouerbe the more the merrier the multitude of guests shall adde to the horror of miseries so afflicting one another with their ecchoing and reciprocall grones that it shall be no ease socios habuisse doloris This is a lamentable but the third a laudeable Feast It is that the Christian maketh eyther to man which is a Feast of Charitie or to God which is a Feast of Grace Whereunto God hath promised to be a Guest and to suppe with him The last is a beastiall Bankeâ— wherein either man is the Symposiast and the Deuill the discumbent or Sathan the Feastmaker and man the Guest Sinne is the food in both The dyeâ— is not varied but the Host. Sathan feasts the wicked whiles they feed on his temptations to surfet The wicked feast Satan whiles their accustomed sinnes nourish his power in their hearts Sâ— Sâ— Hierome Daemonum cibus ebrietas luxuria fornicatio vniuersa vitia Our iniquities are the very dyet dainties of the Deuils With this last onely haue I medled endeuouring to declare it to disswade it according to the dichotomiz'd carriage of all our Sermons by explication by application Sin is the white or rather the blacke marke my arrow flies at I trust he that gaue ayme to my tongue will also direct leuell and keepe my Penne from swaruing But since reproofes are as Goads and Beasts will kicke when they are touched to the quicke and he that speaks in Thunder shall bee answered with Lightning by which consequence I may suspect stormes that haue menaced stormes therefore behold it runnes to you for shelter not to instruct your knowledge who can giue so exquisite counsell to others in the Law to your selfe in the Gospell being qualified as that perfect Rhetorician should be vir bonus dicendi peritus but that through your Name I might offer and adde this poore Mite into the treasurie of the Church ascribing the Patronage to your selfe the vse to the world the successe to God Accept then this poore testimonie of my gratitude who haue vowed my selfe Your VVorships in all faithfull seruice THOMAS ADAMS THE SHOT OR The vvofull price vvhich the wicked pay for the Feast of Vanitie The fourth Sermon PROVERB 9.18 But hee knoweth noâ— that the dead are there and that her guests aâ—e in the depth of Hell SAtans guests are vnhappily come from the end of a Feast to the beginning of a fray As the Sodomites eate and drunke till the fire was about their eares so these are iouiall and sing care away but it seemes by the sequell that the Deuill will not be pleased with a Song as the Host in the Fable with the singing guest Hee cries out as the Vsurer at his spawning houre Giue mee my money Arguments are held complements perswasions intreaties promises of speedie satisfaction will doe no good on him that hath no good in him hee is like the Cuckoe alwaies in one tune Giue mee my money The Debter may intreat this Creditour will not retreat he will to warre you know the Vsurers warre except he may haue his money So the great Vsurer the Deuill I hope Vsurers doe not scorne the comparison when the Feast is done lookes for a reckoning The Vsurer perhaps will take securitie so will the Deuill Securitie and deadnesse of heart will a great while please him But when Diues hath dined the Deuill takes away Death is his knife and Hell his voyder Hee takes away one Dish more then he set downe in stead of the reuersion the Feasters themselues nay the Feast-maker too for Diues is the founder and Sathan is the confounder the one prouides meate for the belly the other by Gods sufferance destroyes them both Sathan according to the tricks of some shifting Hostes bids many friends to a Feast and then beates them with the Spit Dainty cheere but a sawcie reckoning The Feast is vanitie the Shot vexation Thus they that worship their belly as God temple themselues in Hell and as their end is damnation so their damnation is without end Therefore shall they goe captiue with the first that goe captiue and the banket of them that stretched themselues shall be remoued I would willingly lead you through some Suburbs before I bring you to the maine Citie of Desolation and shew you the wretched conclusion of this Banket and confusion of these Guests All which arise from the conterminate scituation or if I may so speake from the respondent opposition of these two Sermons Wisedomes and Follies that is Gods and Sathans For this sad sequell is if not a relatiue yet a redditiue demonstration of their miserie for after the infection of sinne followes the infliction of punishment The turrets I would leade you by are built and consist of Farewels and Welcomes of some things deposed and some things imposed positiue and priuatiue circumstances valedictions and maledictions they take their leaues of temporall and affected ioyes and turne vpon eternall and cursed sorrowes I will limit these generall obseruations into foure All sinfull ioyes are dammed if not damned vp with a But. They are troubled with a But-plague like a Bee with a sting in the taile They haue a worme that crops them nay gnawes asunder their very root though they shoote vp more hastily and spread more spatiously then Ionas gourd There is great preparation
and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them But when they are once in they finde themselues deceaued for the dead are there c. Then put no trust in so weake comforts that will be vnto you as Egypt to Israel a Reed which when you leane vpon it will not onely faile you but the splinters shall run into your hand You shall be ashamed of your weake confidence The Burden of the beasts of the South Into the land of trouble c. I am no Prognosticator Yet if Cosmographie affirme that wee liue in a Southerne Climate and experience testifie that wee haue many beasts among vs methinkes these words lie as fit for vs as if they were purposely made How many in our land by losse of Conscience are become Atheists and by losse of Reason beasts who run so fast to this Egiptian feast of wickednesse that hee speakes easiest against them that speakes but of a Burden These hauing found Sathans temptations true for the daintinesse iudging by their owne lusts dare also take his word for the continuance But if the great Table of this Earth shall be ouerthrowne what shall become of the dainties that the hand of nature hath set on it To which purpose saith Ierome Oh si possemus in talem ascendere speculam de qua vniuersam terram sub nostris pedibus cerneremus iam tiâ—i ostenderem totius orbis ruinas c. If it could be granted vs to stand on some lofty Pinacle from which wee might behold the whole earth vnder our feete how easily perswasion would make these earthly pleasures seeme vile in thy opinion You saâ— your pleasures are for number manifold for truth manifest for dimension great grant all though all be false yet they are for time short for end sowre Breue est quod delectat aeternum quod cruciat It is short that pleaseth them euerlasting that plagueth them Pleasure is a channell and Death the sea whereinto it runs Mellifâ—uus ingressus fâ—llifluus regressus yeeld your ioyes sweet at the Porch so you grant them bitter at the Posterne Securus et Securis must meete Wickednesse and wretchednesse must be made acquainted The lewd mans dinner shall haue that rich mans Supper Thou foole this night thy soule shall be required of thee The Deuill then you see is a crafty and cheating hoast whose performance falls as short of his promise as time doth of eternitie Let then the Apostles caueat be the vse of this obseruation Let no man deceiue you with vaine words for because of these things commeth the wrath of God on the children of disobedience The punishments of the wickâ—d are most vsually in the like proper and proportionable to their offences 1. Solomon here opposeth the house of mourning to the house of feasting as in expresse termes Eccleâ— 7. for as it is fit in the body that surfet should be followed with death so these that greedily make themselues sicke with sinne become iustly dead in soule 2. They haue affected the workes of hell therefore it is iust that hell should affect them and that euerie one should be granted their â—wne place 3. As they would not know what they did till they had done it so they fitly know not the place whither they shall goe till they are in it Nescit hee knoweth not c. 4. For the high places which their ambition climbed to Ver. 14. They are cast downe like Lâ—cifer to the lowest place the depth of Hell As Simon Magus would flye with arrogance so he came dowâ—e with a vengeance and broke his necke See how fitly they are quâ—ted They eate the bread of wickednesse and drinke the wine of violence now they are scanted of both except they will eate the bread of gall and drinke their owne teares Thus Pharaoh drownes the Hebrew males in a Riuer Exod. 1. therefore is drowned himselfe with his army in a sea Exod. 14. He had laide insupportable burdens on Israell God returnes them with full weight number measure When Israell had cut off the thumbs and great toes of Adoni-bezek heare the maimed King confesse the equitie of this Iudgment Threescore and ten Kings hauing their thumbs and great toes cut off gathered their meate vnder my table as I haue done so God hath requited me As proud Baiazeth threatned to serue Tamberlaine being conquered to imprison him in a cage of iron and carry him about the world in triumph so the Scithian hauing tooke that bragging Turke put him to the punishment which hiâ—selfe had lesson'd carrying and carting him through Asia to be scorned of his owne people Thus Haman is hanged on his owne gallowes Perillus tries the tricke of his owne torment The Papists that would haue fired vs in a house were themselues fired out of a house Gunpowder spoyled some of their eyes Musket-shot killed others the Engines of their owne conspiracie and the rest were aduanced higher by the head then the Parliament-house that would haue lifted vs higher of purpose to giue vs the more mortall â—all God hath â—etaliated their workes into their owne bosomes They trauelled with iniquitie conceiued mischiefe and loe the birth is their owne sorrow They haue digged a pit for vs and that low vnto Hell and are falne into it themselues Nec enim lex aequior vlla est Quà m necis artifices artâ— perire sua No iuster Law can be deuis'd or made Then that sinnes agents fall by their owne trade The order of Hell proceedes with the same degrees though it giue a greater portion yet the same proportion of torment These wretched guests were too busie with the waters of sinne behold now they are in the depth of a pit where no water is Diues that wasted so many Tunnes of Wine cannot now procure water not a Pot of water not a handfull of water not a drop of water to coole his tongue Desiderauit guttam qui non dedit micam A iust recompence Hee would not giue a crumme he shall not haue a drop Bread hath no smaller fragment then a crumme water no lesse fraction then a drop As he denied the least comfort to Lazarus liuing so Lazarus shall not bring him the least comfort dead Thus the paine for sinne answeres the pleasure of sinne Where now are those delicate moisels deepe carowses loose laughters proud poâ—t midnight reuels wanton songs Why begins not his fellow-guest with a new health or the Musicke of some rauishing note or if all faile hath his foole-knauish Parasite no obscene iest that may giue him delight Alas Hell is too melancholly a place for mirth All the Musicke is round-ecchoing groanes all the water is muddie with stench all the food anguish Thus damnable sinnes shall haue semblable punishments and as Augustine of the tongue so wee may say of any member Si non reddet Deo faciendo quae debet reddâ—t ei patiendo quae debet If it will
surely be Coffins to our bodies as our bodies haue beene Coffins to our soules The minde is but in bondage whiles the body holds it on earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Plato affirmes Of whom saith an Anthony that when hee saw one too indulgent to his flesh in high Diet he asked him What doe you meane to make your prison so strong Thus qui gloriatur in viribus corporis gloriatur in viribus carceris He that boasteth the strength of his body doth but bragge how strong the Prison is wherein he is â—ayled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The body is the disease the graue the destinie the necessitie and burden of the soule Hinc cupiunt metuuntque dolent gaudentque nec auras Respiciunt clausae tenebris et carcere caeco Feares ioyes griefes and desires mans life do share It wants no ills that in a Prison are It was a good obseruation that fell from that Stoicke Homo calamitatis fabula infaelicitatis tabula Man is a Storie of woe and a map of miserie So Mantuan Nam quid longa dies nobis nisi longa dolorum Colluvies Longi patientià carceris aetas It appeares then that Death is to the good a procurer of good Mors intermittit vitam non eripit Venit iterum qui nos in lucem râ—ponat dies Their Death is but like the taking in sunder of a Clocke vvhich is pulled a pieces by the makers hand that it may bee scowred and repolished and made goe more perfectly But Death to the wicked is the second step to that infernall Vault that shall breede either an innouation of their ioyes or an addition to their sorrowes Diues for his momentanie pleasures hath insufferable paines Iudas goes from the Gallowes to the Pit Esau from his dissolution in earth to his desolation in Hell The dead are there Though the dead in soule be meant literally yet it fetcheth in the body also For as originall sinne is the originall cause of Death so actuall sinnes hasten it Men speede out a Commission of Iniquities against their owne liues So the enuious man rots his owne bones The Glutton strangles the Drunkard drownes himselfe The male-content dryes vp his blood in fretting The couetous whiles he Italionates his conscience and would Romanize his estate starues himselfe in plaine English and would hang himselfe when the Market falls but that hee is loath to be at the charges of a Halter Thus it is a Feast of Death both for the present sense and future certaintie of it The dead are there 2. Spirituall death is called the death of the soule which consisteth not in the losse of her vnderstanding and will these she can neuer loose no not in Hell but of the truth and grace of God wanting both the light of faith to direct her and the strength of Loue to incite her to goodnesse For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace The soule is the life of the body God of the soule The spirit gone vtterly from vs wee are dead And so especially are the guests of Satan dead You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sinnes And the Widdow that liueth in pleaâ—ure is dead whiles she liueth This diuorcement and seperation made betwixt God and the soule by sinne is mors animae the death of the soule But your Iniquities haue seperated betweene you and your God But we liue by faith and that in the Sonne of God His spirit quickens vs as the soule doth a lumpe of flesh when God infuseth it Now because these termes of spirituall death are communicated both to the elect and reprobates it is not amisse to conceiue that there is a double kinde of spirituall death 1. In regard of the Subiect that dieth 2. In regard of the Obiect whereunto it dieth Spirituall death in the faithfull is three-fold 1. They are dead to Sinne. How shall wee that are dead to sinne liue any longer therein A dead nature cannot worke He that is dead to sinne cannot as hee is dead sinne Wee sinne indeede not because wee are dead to sinne but because not dead enough Would to God you were yet more dead that you might yet more liue This is called Mortification What are mortified Lustes The wicked haue mortification too but it is of grace Matth. 8. They are both ioyntly expressed Let the dead burie the dead Which Saint Aâ—gustine expounds Let the spiritually dead bury those that are corporally dead The faithfull are dead to sinne the faithlesse are dead in sinne It is true life to bee thus dead Mortificatio concupiscentiae viâ—ificatio animae so farre is the spirit quickened as the flesh is mortified So true is this Paradoxe that a Christian so farre liues as he is dead so farâ—e he is a Conquerour as he is conquered Vincendo se vincitur à se. By ouercomming himselfe he is ouercome of himselfe Whiles hee ouer-rules his lustes his soule rules him When the outward cold rageth with greatest violence the inward heat is more and more effectuall When Death hath killed and stilled concupiscence the heart begins to liue This warre makes our peace This life and death is wrought in vs by Christ who at one blow slew our sinnes and saued our soules Vna eademque manus vulnus opemque tulit One and the same hand gaue the wound and the cure Vulneratur concupiscentia sanatur conscientia The deadly blow to the concupiscence hath reuiued the conscience For Christ takes away as well dominandi vim as damnandi vim the dominion of sinne as the damnation of sinne He died that sinne might not raigne in our mortall body he came to destroy not onely the Deuill but the workes of the Deuill Hence if you would with the spectacles of the Scriptures reade your owne estates to God Reckon your selues to be dead indeede vnto sinne but aliue vnto God through Iesus Christ our Lord. This triall consists not in being free from lusts but in brideling them not in scaping tentation but in vanquishing it It is enough that in all these things wee are more then Conquerours through him that loued vs. 2. They are dead to the Law For I through the Law am dead to the Law that I might liue vnto God Wherein hee opposeth the Law against the Law the new against the olde the Lawe of Christ against that of Moses This accuseth the accusing condemneth the condemning Law The Papists vnderstand this of the ceremoniall Law but Paul plainely expresseth that the Law morall which would haue beene to vs a Law morâ—all is put vnder wee are dead vnto it As Christ at once came ouer death and ouercame death et super it eâ— superat So we in him are exempted from the condemning power and killing letter of the Law and by being dead vnto it are aliue ouer it
banket haue this death in present the precedent and subsequent are both future the one naturally incurred by sinne the other iustly inflicted for vnrepented sinne For all shall dye the corporall death Hee that feareth an oath as well as hee that sweareth the â—eligious as the profane But this last which is Eternall death shall onely cease on them that haue before hand with a spirituall death slaine themselues This therefore is called the second death Blessed and holy is hee that hath part in the first resurrection which is the spirituall life by grace On such the second death hath no power Hee that is by Christ raised from the first death shall by Christ also scape the second But hee that is dead spiritually after hee hath died corporally shall also dye eternally This is that euerlasting seperation of body and soule from God and consequently from all comfort Feare him saith our Sauiour that is able to destroy both body and soule in Hell And many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to euerlasting life and some to shame and euerlasting contempt This is that death that God delights not in His goodnesse hath no pleasure in it though his iustice must inflict it Man by sinne hath offended God an infinite Maiestie and therefore deserues an infinite miserie Now because he is a nature finite hee cannot suffer a punishment infinite in greatnesse simul et semel together and at once hee must therefore endure it successiuè sine fine successiuely without end The punishment must be proportioned to the sinne because not in present greatnesse therefore in eternall continuance Christ for his elect suffered in short time sufficient punishment for their sinnes for it is all one for one that is eternall to dye and for one to dye eternally But he for whom Christ suffered not in that short time must suffer for himselfe beyond all times euen for euer This is the last Death a liuing death or a dying life what shall I tearme it If it be life how doth it kill If death how doth it liue There is neither life nor death but hath some good in it In life there is some ease in death an end But in this death neither ease nor end Prima â—ors animam dâ—lentem pellet de câ—rpore secunda mors animam nolentem tenet in corpore The first death driues the soule vnwillingly from the body the second death holdes the soule vnwillingly in the body In those dayes shall men seeke death and shall not finde it and shall desire to dye and death shall flye from them Their worme shall not dye Thus saith the Scripture morientur mortem they shall dye the death Yet their death hath much too much life in it For there is a perfection giuen to the body and soule after this life as in heauen to the stronger participation of comfort so in hel to the more sensible receiuing of torment The eye shall see more perspicuously and the eare heare more quickly and the sense feele more sharply though all the obiects of these be sorrow and anguish Vermis conscientiam corrodet ignis carnem comburet quia et corde et corpore deliquerunt The worme shall gnaw the conscience the fire burne the flesh because both fleâ—h and conscience haue offended This is the fearfull death which these guests incurre this is the Shoâ— at the Diuells Banket God in his Iustice suffers him to reward his guests as hee is rewarded himselfe and since they loued his worke to giue them the stipend due to his seruice These are the tempted guests dead The vlgar Latine translation I know not vpon what ground hath interpreted here for mortui Gigantes thus hee knoweth not that the Gyants are there Monstrous men that would dart thunder at God himselfe and raise vp mountaines of impietie against Heauen As if they were onely great men that feasted at Sathans Banket whose riches were able to minister matter to their pleasures And surely such are in these dayes of whose sinnes when we haue cast an inventory account we might thus with the Poet sum vp themselues Viâ— dicam quid sis magnus es Ardelio Thou hast great lands great power great sinnes and than Dâ—st aske me what thou art th' art a great man The Gyants in the Scripture were men of a huge stature of a fierce nature The Poets fained their Gyants to be begotten and bred of the Sunne and the Earth and to offer violence to the Gods some of them hauing an hundred hands as Briareiu was called centimanus meaning they were of great command as Helen wrot to Paris of her husband Menelaus An nescis longas regibus esse manus This word Gyants if the originall did afford it must be referred either to the guests signifiing that monstrous men resorted to the Harlots table that it was Gigantoum conviuium a tyrannous feast or else and that rather to the tormentors which are laid in ambush to surprise all the commers in and carry them as a pray to Hell But because the best translations giue no such word and it is farre fetched I let it fall as I tooke it vp The third person here inserted is the Attempted the new guest whom she striues to bring in to the rest He is discribed by his ignorance Nescit Hee knoweth not what company is in the house that the dead are there It is the Deuils pollicie when hee would ransacke and robbe the hoâ—se of our conscience like a theefe to put out the candle of our knowledge That wee might neither discerne his purposes nor decline his mischeefes Hee hath had his instruments in all ages to darken the light of knowledge Domitian turnes Philosophie into banishment Iulian shuts vp the Schoole-doores The barbarous souldiours vnder Clement the seauenth burned that excellent Vatican library Their reasons concurred with Iulians prohibition to the Christans 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 least they kill vs with our owne weapons For it is said euen of Gentile learning Hic est Goliae gladius quo ipse Goliah ingulandus est Hic Herculis claua qua rabidi inter Ethnicos canes percutiendi sunt This is that Goliahs sword whereby the Philistine himselfe is wounded This is that Hercules clubbe to smite the madde dogs amongst the heathen Habadallus Mahomets scholler that Syrian Tyrant forbad all Christian children in his dominions to goe to schoole that by ignorance hee might draw them to superstition For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To be destitute of learning is to dance in the darke These were all Sathans instruments yet they come short of the Pope whose pollicie to aduance his Hierarchie is to oppresse mens consciences with ignorance teaching that the fulnesse of zeale doth arise from the emptinesse of knowledge euen as fast as fire flasheth out of a fish-pond There are degrees in sin so in ignorance It is a sin to be ignorant of that we
and the intelligencer betweene the vestall and the Nunne betweene the proud Prodigall and his vnconscionable Creditor Indeede the greatest sinner shall haue the greatest punishment And hee that hath beene a principall guest to the Deuill on earth shall and that on earth were a strange priuiledge hold his place in Hell Reward her euen as she rewarded you and double vnto her double according to her workes in the cup which shee hath filled fill to her double How much shee hath glorified her selfe and liued deliciously so much torment and sorrow giue her Diues that fedde so hartily on this bread of Iniquitie and drunke so deepe draughts of the waters of sinne reserues his superioritie in torment that hee had in pleasure Behold hee craues with more floods of scalding teares then euer Esau shed for the blessing but one drop of water to coole his tongue and could not be allowed it But what if all the riuers in the South all the waters in the Ocean had beene granted him his tongue would still haue withered and smarted with heate himselfe still crying in the language of Hell a non sufficit It is not enough Or what if his tongue had beene eased yet his heart liuer lungs bowells armes legges should still haue fryed Thus hee that eate and dranke with superfluitie the purest flower of the Wheate the reddest blood of the Grape his body kept as well from diseasâ—â— as soft linnen and fine rayment could preserue it here findes a fearfull alteration From the table of surfet to the table of torment from feeding on Iunkets to gnaw his owne flesh from bowles of wine to the want of cold water from the soft foldes of fine silkes to the winding lashes of furies from chaines of gold for ornament to chaines of yron for torment from a bed of downe to a bed of flames from laughing among his companions to howling with Deuils from hauing the poore begging at his gates to begge himselfe and that as that Rich-man for one drop of water Who can expresse the horrour and miserie of this guest Non mihi si centum linguae sint oraque centum Ferrea vox omnes scelerum comprendere formas Omnia poenarum percurrere nomina possim No hart of man can thinke no tongue can tell The direfull paines ordain'd and felt in hell Now sorrowes meete at the Guests hart as at a feast all the furies of hell leape on the Table of his Conscience Thought calls to Feare Feare to Horrour Horrour to Dispaire Dispaire to Torment Torment to Extremitie all to Eternitie Come and helpe to afflict this wretch All the parts of his body and soule leaue their naturall and woonted vses and spend their times in wretchednesse and confusion Hee runnes through a thousand deaths and cannot dye Heauie irons are locked on him all his lights and delights are put out at once Hee hath no soule capable of comfort And though his eyes distill like fountaines yet God is now inexorable His Mittimus is without Bayle and the Prison can neuer be broken God will not heare now that might not he heard before That you may conceiue things more spirituall and remote by passions neerer to sense Suppose that a man being gloriously roabed deliciously feasted Prince-like serued attended honoured and set on the proudest height of pleasure that euer mortallitie boasted should in one vnsuspected moment be tumbled downe to a bottome more full of true miseries then his promontory was of false delights and there be ringed about with all the gory Mutherers blacke Atheists sacrilegious Church-robbers and incestuous Rauishers that haue euer disgorged their poyson on earth to re-assume it in Hell Nay adde further to this supposition that this depth he is throwne into was no better then a vast Charnell-house hung round with lamps burning blew and dimme set in hollow corners whose glimmering serues to discouer the hideous torments all the ground in stead of greene rushes strewed with funâ—rall rosemary and dead mens bones some corpses standing vpright in their knotted winding-sheetes others rotted in their Coffins which yawne wide to vent their stench there the bare ribs of a Father that begat him heere the hollow skull of a Mother that bare him How direfull and amazing are these things to sense Or if Imagination can giue being to a more fearefull place that or rather worse then that is Hell If a poore man sodainely starting out of a golden slumber should see his house flaming about him his louing Wife and loued Infants breaâ—hing their spirits to heauen through the mercilesse fire himselfe inringed with it calling for despaired succour the miserable Churle his next neighbour not vouchsafeing â—o answere when the putting forth of an arme might â—aue him such shall be their miseries in Hell and nor an Angell nor a Saint shall refresh them with any comfort These are all but shadowes nay not shadowes of the infernall depth here expressed You heare it feare it fly it scape it Feare it by Repentance flye it by your Faith and you shall scape it by Gods mercie This is their Poâ—na sensus positiue punishmenâ— There is also Poena damni to be considered their priuatiue punishment They haue lost a place on earth whose ioy wâ—s temporall they haue missed a place in Heauen whose ioy is eternall Now they finde that a dinner of greene hearbes with Gods loue is better then a stalled Oxe and his hatred withall A feast of sallets or Daniels pulse is more cherisâ—ing with mercie then Belshazzars Banket without it Now they finde Solomonâ— Seâ—mon true that though the bread of deceit â—e sweâ—t to a man yet the time is come that the mouth is filled with grauell No no â—he blessing of God onely maketh fat and hee addeth no sorrow vnto it Waters the wicked desired and Bread they lusted after behold after their secure sleepe and dreamed ioyes on earth with what hungry soules doe they awake in Hell But what are the Bread and the Waters they might haue enioyed with the Sainâ—s in Heauen Such as shall neuer be dryed vp Ieâ— thy presence is the fulnesse of ioy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for euermore Happy is the vndefiled soule who is innocent from the great offence all whose sinnes are washed as white as Snow in that blood which alone is able to purge the conscience from dead workes He that walketh righteously c. he shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munitions of rockes Bread shall be giuen him his Waters shall be sure His ioyes are certaine and stable no alteration no alternation shall empaire them The wicked for the slight breakfast of this world loose the Lambs supper of glory Where these foure things concurre that make a perfect feast Dies lectus locus electus coetus bene collectus apparatus non neglectus A good time eternitie A good place Heauen A good companie the Saints Good cheere
diuided to our hands by the rule of three A tripartite Metaphore that willingly spreads it selfe into an Allegorie 1. Gods word is the Balme 2. The Prophets are the Physitians 3. The People are the Patients who are very sicke Balme without a Physitian a Physitian without Balme a Patient without both is in fausta separatio an vnhappy disiunction If a man be ill there is neede of Physicke when he hath Physicke he needes a Physitian to apply it So that here is miserie in being sicke mercie in the Physicke Not to disioyne or disioynt the Prophets order let vs obserue that the words are spoken 1. In the person of God 2. In the forme of a question 3. By a conclusiue inference Onely two things I would first generally obserue to you as necessarie inductions to the subsequent Doctrines Both which may naturally be inferred not tyrannously enforced from the words That which first obiects it selfe to our consideration is the Wisedome of God in working on mens affections which leades vs here from naturall wants subiect to sense to supernaturall inuisible and more secret defects from miseries to mysteries That as if any man admired Solomons House they would be rauished in desire to see Gods House which transcended the former so much as the former transcended their expectation So heere wee might be led from mans worke to Gods worke from things materiall to things mysticall and by the happinesse of cure to our sicke bodies be induced to seeke and get recouerie of our dying soules The second is the fit collation and respondent relation of Diuinitie and Physicke the one vndertaking to preserue and restore the health of the body the other performing much more to the soule 1. God leades vs by sensible to the sight of insensible wants by calamities that vexe our liuing bodies to perils that endanger our dying Consciences That wee might inferre vpon his premisses what would be an eternall losse by the sight of a temporall crosse that is so hardly brooked If a famine of bread be so heauie how vnsupportable is the dearth of the Word saith the Prophet Man may liue without bread not without the word If a wearie Traueller be so vnable to beare a burden on his shoulders how ponderous is sinne in the Conscience which Zacharie calls a talent of Lead If blindnesse be such a miserie what is â—gnorance lf the night be so vncomfortable what doth the darknesse of Superstition afford If bodily Disease so afflict our sense how intollerable will a spirituall sicknesse proue Thus all earthly and inferiour Obiects to a Christian soule are like Marginall hands directing his reading to a better and heauenly reference I intend to vrge this poynt the more as it is more necessarie both for the profit of it being well obserued and for the generall neglect of it because they are few in these dayes that reduce Christianitie to Meditation but fewer that produce Meditation to practise and obedience Diseases destined toward Death as their end that can by Nature neither be violently endured nor violently repelled perplexe the flesh with much paine but if Diseases which be Deaths capitall Chirurgions his preceding Heraulds to proclaime his neerenesse his Ledgers that vsurpe his place till himselfe comes be so vexing and full of anguish what is Death it selfe which kils the Diseases that killed vs For the perfection of sicknesse is Death But alas if the sicknesse and Death of the body be such what are Sinne the sicknesse and Impenitencie the death of the soule What is the dimmed eye to the darkned vnderstanding the infected members to the poysoned affections the torment of the reynes to the stitches girds and gripes of an aking Consciencâ— what is the Childes caput dolet my head akes to Ierusalems cor dolet my heart akes The soule to leaue the body with her offices of life is not so grieuous as Gods spirit to relinquish the soule with the comforts of grace In a word it is farre lesse miserable to giue vp the ghost then to giue vp the holy Ghost The soule that enters the body without any sensible pleasure departs not from it without extreame paine Hee that is animans animas the soule of our soules forsakes not our spirits but our paine is more though our sense be lesse As in the Warres the cut of a sword crossing the Fibres carries more smart vvith it though lesse mortallitie then the fatall charge of a Death-thundring Cannon The soule hath two places an Inferiour which it ruleth the body a Superiour wherein it resteth God! Mans greatest sorrow is when hee dyes vpwardly that GOD forsakes his God-forsaking soule His greatest sense when he diâ—s downewards and sicknesse disperseth and dispatcheth his vitall powers Let then the inferiour suffering vvaken vs to see the Superiour that doth vveaken vs. Thus God drawes our eyes from one obiect to another nay by one to another by that which wee loue on earth to that which wee should loue in Heauen by the prouidence for our bodies to the prouision for our soules So our Sauiour hauing discoursed of carefulnesse for terrene wants drawes his speech to the perswasion of celestiall benefits giuing the coherence with a But. But first seeke ye the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse and all these inferiour things shall be added vnto you Vt ad excellenâ—iam diuinarum rerum per corporalia homines attollat That at once hee might lesson vs to holy duties and lessen our care for earthly things Thus quios homini sublime dedit cor subliâ—ius eleuare voluit Hee that gaue man a countenance lifted high meant to erect his thoughts to a higher contemplation For many haue such groueling and earth-creeping affections that if their bodies curuitie was answerable to their soules incederent quadrâ—pides they would become foure-footed beasts It is a course preposterous to Gods creation disproportionable to mans fabricke that he should fixe his eyes and thoughts and desires on the base earth made for his feete to stand on and turne his feete against Heauen in contempt lifting vp his heele against God Hee whose ill-ballancing Iudgement thinkes Heauen light and Earth onely weightie and worthie doth as it were walke on his head with his heeles vpward I haue heard Trauellers speake of monstrous and praeternaturall men but neuer any so contranaturall as these Christ knew in the dayes of his flesh what easie apprehension worldly things would finde in vs what hard impression heauenly would finde on vs therefore so often by plaine comparisons taught secret Doctrines by Histories Misteries How to the life doth he explaine the mercie of God to the miserie of man in the lost Sheepe in the lost Groat in the lost Sonne How sweetly doth hee describe the different hearers of Gods Oracles in the Parable of the Seede which howsoeuer it seemed a Riddle to the selfe-blinding Iewes yet was a familiar demonstration to the beleeuing Saints So the Prophets found
as a Hammer to breake the stone in the heart The stone in the reines is dangerous in the bladder painefull but none so deadly as the stone in the heart This Balme supples the stonie heart and turnes it into a heart of flesh 3. They commend their Balme for a speciall ease to the anger of a venomous biting But our Balme is more excellent in aculeum Draconis imò mortis against the sting of that great red Dragon nay of Death it selfe Oh Death where is thy sting Three Serpents giue vs vâ—nomous wounds Sinne first stings vs the Deuill next and Death last This Balme of Christ fetcheth out all their poysons 4. Others say of this Balme that it is the best solution to the obstructions of the Liuer I haue heard the Liuer in the body compared with zeale in the soule The Liuer according to Phisitians is the third principall member wherein rest the animall spirits In the soule two graces precede Zeale Faith and Repentance I say not this in thesi but in hypothesi not simply but in respect and that rather of order then of time For a man is begotten of immortall seed by the Spirit at once Now as the Liuer calefies the stomach like fire vnder the Pot and thence succours digestion so doth zeale heate a mans workes with an holy feruour which are without that a cold sacrifice to God A soule without zeale doth as hardly liue as a body without a Liuer Haly calles the Liuer the Well of Moisture wee may say of zeale it is the very Cisterne whence all other graces as liuing there doe issue forth into our liues The Liuer is called Hepar and Iecur because it draweth iuyce to it selfe turneth it into blood by vaines serueth the body as the water-house doth a Citie by pipes Nay it ministreth a surging heate to the braine to the eyes to the wits saitâ— Isidore The Pagan Nigromancers sacrificed onely Liuers on the alâ—ar of their God Phaebus before his oraculous answeres were giuen In the soule other graces as Faith Hope Charitie Repentance did first rather breede zeale but zeale being once inkindled doth minister nutrimentall heate to all these and is indeede the best sacrifice that wee can offer to God Without zeale all are like the oblation of Caine. Now if any obstructions of sinne seeme to oppresse this Zeale in vs this Balme of Gods word is the onely soueraigne remedy to cleanse it For the zeale is dangerous as the Liuer either by too much heate or too much cold to be distempered To ouerheate the Liuer of zeale many haue found the cause of a perillous surfetin the Conscience whiles like the two Disciples nothing could content them but fire from heauen against sinners If euer Bishop was in the time of Poperie away with the office now If euer Masse was said in Church pull it downe Though some depopulatours haue now done it in extreame coldnesse nay frozen dregges of hart making them either no Churches or polluted ones whiles those which were once Temples for Gods shepherds are now coates for their owne Yet they in vnmeasurable heate wished what these with vnreasonable cold Liuers affected Such miserable theeues haue crucified the Church one by a new religion in will the other by a no religion in deed They would not onely take away the abuse but the thing it selfe not onely the Ceremonie but the substance As the Painter did by the picture of King Henry the eight whom hee had drawne fairely with a Bible in his hand and set it to open view against Queene Mary's comming in triumph through the Citie for which being reproued by a great man that â—aw it and charged to wipe out the booke he to make sure worke wiped out the Bible and the hand too and so in mending the fault hee maymed the picture This is the effect of praeter-naturall heate to make of a remedie a disease Thus whiles they dreame that Babilon stands vpon Ceremonies they offer to race the foundations of Ierusalem it selfe Well this Balme of Gods word if their sicke soules would apply it might coole this vngentle heate of their liuers For it serues not onely to inkindle heate of zâ—ale in the ouer-cold heart but to refrigerate the preposterous feruour in the fiery-hote This is the sauing Balme that scoures away the obstructions in the Liuer and preuents the dropsie For the dropsie is nothing else saith the Philosopher but the errour of the digestiâ—e vertue in the hollownesse of the Liuer Some haue such hollownes in their zeale whiles they prâ—tend holinesse of zeale as was in the yron hornes of that false prophet Zedekiah that for want of applying this Balme they are sicke of the dropsie of hipocrisie Innumerable are the vses of Balme if wee giue credit to Phisitians vel potum vel inunctum It strengthens the nerues it excites and cherisheth the natiue heate in any part it succoureth the paraliticke and delayeth the fury of convulsions c. And last of all is the most soueragine help either to greene wounds or to inueterate vlcers These all these and more then euer was vntruely fained or truely performed by the Balsame to the body is spiritually fulfilled in this happy heauenly and true intrinsique Balme Gods word It heales the sores of the conscience which either originall or actuall sinne haue made in it It keepes the greene wound which sorrow for sinne cuts in the hart from ranckling the soule to death This is that Balsame tree that hath fructum vberrimum vsum saluberrimum plenteous fruit profitable vse and is in a word both a preseruatiue against and a restoratiue from all dangers to a beleeuing Christian. It is not onely Phisicke but health it selfe and hath more vertue sauing vertue validitie of sauing vertue then the tongues of men and Angels can euer sufficiently describe You haue heere the similitudes Heare one or two discrepancies of this naturall and supernatural Balmes For as no Metaphore should of necessitie runne like a Coach on foure wheeles when to goe like a man on two sound legges is sufficient so eartâ—ly things compared with heauenly must looke to fall more short then Linus of Hercules the shrub of the Cedar or the lowest Mole-banke of the highest Pyramides 1. This earthly Balme cannot preserue the body of it selfe but by the accession of the spirituall Balme Euen Angels food so called not because they made it but because they ministred it cannot nourish without Gods word of blessing For euery creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be receiued with thanksgiuing for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer If the mercie of God be not on our sustenance we may dye with meate in our mouthes like the Israelites If his prouidentiall goodnesse with-hold the vertue were our garments as costly as the Ephod of Aaron there is no benefit in them When many are sicke they trust to the Phisitians as Asa
without his suâ—ficient sorrow actiue and passiue mischiefes if the morning wine should not enflame them They that are daily guests at the Deuils table know the fashions of his Court they must be drunke at the entrance It is one of his lawes and a Physicke-bill of hell that they must not wash till they haue drunke These Waters are to be applied inwardly first and once taken downe they are fitted to swallow any morsell of damnation that shall afterwards be presented them Water was the first drinke in the world and Water must be the first drinke at the Deuils Banket There is more in it yet The Deuill shewes a tricke of his wit in this title Water is a good creature and many coelestiall things are shadowed by it 1. It is the element wherein wee were baptised 2. And dignified to figure the grace of the holy Spirit Yet this very â—ame must be giuen to Sinne. Indeede I know the same things are often accepted in diuers senses by the langâ—â—ge of Heauen Leauen is est-soones taken for hypocriâ—ie as in the Pharises for Atheiâ—me as in the Sâ—dduces for Profâ—nenesse as in the Hâ—rodians And generally for Sinne by Paul 1 Cor. 5. Yâ—t by Christ for grace Luke 13. God is compared to a Lyon Amos. 3. And Christ is called the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah Apocal. 5. And the Deuill is called a Lyon A roaring Lyon c. 1. Pet. 5. Christ was figured by a Serpent Ioh. 3. And to a Serpent is Satan compared 2 Cor. 11. Stones are taken in the worst sense Matth. 3. God is able of these stones to raise c. Stones in the best sense 1. Pet. 2. Liuing stones and Christ himselfe the headstone of the corner Psal. 118. Be like children saith Paul and not like children be children in simplicitie not in knowleâ—ge Graces are called Waters so here vices but the attribute makes the difference Those are liuing Waters these are the Waters of death The Deuill in this playes the Machiauell but I spare to follow this circumstance here because I shall meete it againe in the next branch Bread of secrecies Sinnes may in some sense be likened to waters yea euen to waters in the Cup for to waters in the Sea they are most like The one drownes not more bodies then the other soules They know the danger of the Sea that proâ—ecute their businesse in great waters they might know the hazards of Siâ—ne that saile in the Deuils Barge of luxurie I may say of them both with the Poet. Digitis à morte râ—moti quatuor aut septem si sit latissimataeda They are within foure or seauen Inches of death how many soules are thus shipwrackt how many weepe out a De profundis that would not sing the songs of Syon in the Land of the liuing they forgot Ierusalem in their mirth and therefore sit downe and howle by the waters of 〈◊〉 but these here are Festiuall not Marinall wateâ—s 1. Water is an enemie to digestion so is Sinne clogging the memorie the soules stomach with such cruditâ—es of vice that no sober instructions can bee digested in it especially Waters hurt digestion in these cold Countries naturally cold in regard of the Climate but spiritually more cold in deuotion Frosen vp in the dregs of Iniquitie Surely many of our Auditours drinke too deepe of these Waters before they come to Iacobs Well our Waters of heauenly doctrine will not downe with them The Waters of sinne so put your mouths out of tast that you cannot rellish the Waters of Life they are Marah to your palates It seemes you haue beene at the Deuils Banket and therefore thirst not after righteousnesse The Cup of the old Temptation hath filled you you scorne the Cup of the New Testament If you had not drunke too hard of these Waters you would aske Christ for his liuing Water but Achan hath drunke cursed Gold when hee should come before Ioâ—uah Gehâ—â—i hath drunke Bribes when hee should come to Elisha No maruell if you sucke no Iuyce from the Waters of God when you are so full and drunken with the Waters of Sathan 2. Water duls the braine and renders the spirits obtuse and heauie It is an enemie to literature saith Horace merrily Who in a Rithme rehearses That wâ—ter drinkers neuer make good Vearses Wee haue no skill in the himnes of the spirit no alacritie to praise God no wisedome to pray to him why wee haue drunke of these stollen waters The chilling and killing colde of our Indeuotion the morose and raw humours of our vncharitablenesse the foggy dull stupid heauinesse of our inuincible ignorance shew that wee haue beene too busie with these Waters nothing will passe with vs but rare and nouell matters Ieiunus rarò stomachus vulgaria temnit and in these we study to admire the garbe not to admit the profit 3. Wee finde Grace compared to Fire and gracelesnesse to water the Spirit came downe on the Apostles in the likenesse of firie tongues at the day of Pentecost and Iohn Baptist testifies of CHRIST that hee should Baptise with the Holy Ghost and with Fire The spirit of sinne falls on the heart like a cold deaw It is implied Reuel 3.15 that zeale is hote wickednesse colde neutrallitie luke-warme Fire is hot and drie Water is cold and moyst praedominantly and in regard of their habituall qualities so zeale is 1. hote no incendiary no praeter-naturall but a supernaturall heate equally mixed with Loue and Anger such was Elias zeale for the Lord of Hostes he could not be cold in this life that went vp in Fire to Heauen 2. Drie not like Ephraim a Cake baked on the one side but crude and raw on the other no the heate of zeale hath dried vp the moisture of prophanenesse But wickednesse is 1. colde a gelid nature a numnesse in the Conscience that as when the Ayre is hotest the Springs are coldest so when the Sunne of Grace warmes the whole Church is yet shaking of an Ague nay and will not creepe like Simon Peter to the fire 2. Moist not succus sanguinis plenum full of iuyce and sappe but sinne runnes like a colde rheume ouer the Conscience This metaphor followes Saint Paul Quench not the Spirit wherein hee fully iustifies this circumstance forbidding the water of impietie to quench the fire of Grace Here then see the impossibilitie of vniting the two contrary natures in one conscience as of reconciling Fire and Water into the same place time and subiect If sinne keepe court in the Conscience and sit in the Throne of the Heart Grace dares not peepe in at the gates or if it doth with colde entertainement I haue heard report of a generation of men that carry Fire in the one hand and Water in the other whose conuersation mingles Humentia siccis Wet and Drie together like the Syriphian Frogs in Pliny whose challenge
was mihi terra lacusque I haue Land and Sea for my walke but alas if the water be true water of sinne beleeue it the Fire is but a false fire the blaze of hypocrisie but the Hermite turned his guest out of dores for this tricke that hee could warme his colde hands with the same breath wherewith hee cooled his hot pottage 4. Water is a baser Element and I may say more elementary more mixt and as it were Sophisticate with transfusion Fire is in the highest Region the purest Element and next to Heauen this is the seate of grace non inferiora secuta scorning the lower things Sinne is like water of a ponderous crasse grosse stinking and sinking nature They that haue drunke the Cup of slumber had need to be bidden Awake and stand vp for they are sluggish and laid Grace though in the Orbe of Sinne yet hath her conuersation in Heauen and cor repositum vbi proemium depositum her heart laid vp where her loue and treasure is her motto is non est mortale quod opto She hath a holy aspiration and seeketh to be as neere to God as the clogge of flesâ— will let her Sinne is like water though raging with the surges and swellings and onely bounded in with Gods non vltra here I will stay thy proud waues yet deorsum ruit whiles these waters swimme in the heart the heart sinkes downe like a stone as Nabals 5 Phisitians say that water is a binder you may apply it that men in these dayes are terrible water-drinkers for the times are very restrictiue you may as well wring Hercules Clubbe out of his fist as a penny from auarices Purse Mens hearts are costiue to part with any thing in pios vsus their hands clutch't dores shut purses not open nay the most laxatiue prodigals that are lauish and letting-flie to their lusts are yet heart-bound to the poore It is a generall disease procured be these waters to be troubled with the griping at the heart Such were the Kine of Bashan soluble to their owne lusts bring let vs drinke bound vp and strait-laced to the poore not refreshing but oppressing not helping but crâ—shing the needy they greeue not for Ioseph nay they greeue Ioseph These Kine are dead but their Calues are in England abundantly multiplied These are not the dayes of peace that turne Swordes into Sickles but the dayes of pride wherein the Iron is knocked off from the plough and by a new kinde of Alchymistrie conuerted into plate The Farmers painefulnesse runnes into the Mercers Shop and the toyling Oxe is a sacrifice and prey to the cunning Foxe all the racked rents in the Country will not discharge the Bookes in the Citie Great men are vnmercifull to their Tenants that they may be ouer-mercifull to their Tendents that stretch them as fast as they retch the others The sweat of the labourers browes is made an ointment to supple the ioynts of Pride Thus two malignant Planets raigne at once and in one heart costiue couetousnesse and loose lauishnesse like the Serpent Amphisboena with a head at each end of the body who whiles they striue which should be the Master-head afflict the whole carkase whiles Couetise and Pride wrastle the Estate catcheth the fall They eate Men aliue in the Countrey and are themselues eaten aliue in the Citie what they get in the Hundreth they loose in the Sheere Sic proedae patet esca sui they make themselues plumpe for the prey â—or there are that play thâ— robbe-theefe with them Vnius compendium alterius dispendium if there be a winner there must be a looser Serpens Serpentem deuorando fit Draco Many Landlords are Serpents to deuoure the poore but what are they that deuoure those Serpents Dragons You see what monsters then vsurious Citizens are Thus whiles the Gentleman and the Citizen shuffle the Cardes together they deale the poore Commons but a very ill game These are the similitudes I could also fit you with some discrepancies 1. Waters mundifie and clense these soile â—nd infect the Conscience growes more speckled by them till men become not onely spotted but spots as Lucan sayd of the wounded body totum est pro vulnere corpâ—â— the whole body was as one wound 2. Adde that waters quench the thirst and coole the heate of the body but these waters rather fire the heart and inflame the affections puffe the Splene which swolne all the other parts pine and languish into a Consumption the heart is so blowne with lustes that all the graces of the soule dwindle like blasted Impes these are aquae soporiferae waters of slumber that cast the soule into a dead sleepe whiles the Deuill cauterizeth and seares vp the Conscience 3. Wee say of water it is a good Seruant though an ill Master but wee cannot apply it to Sinne it is not good at all indeed lesse ill when it serues then when it raignes if this false Gibeonite will needs dwell with thee set him to the basest Offices So Israel kept in some Canaanites lest the wilde Beasts should come in vpon them our infirmities and mastred sins haue their vse thus to humble vs with the sense of our weakenes lest the furious beasts of pride and securitie breake into our freeholds But sinne of it selfe is good neither Egge nor Bird neither in Root nor Branch neither Hot nor Cold neither in the Fountaine nor in the Vessell The pluralitie of these waters prolongs and determines my speech their nature is not more pernicious then their number numerous indesinita locutio infinita turba an vndefined word an vnconfined number If there were but one cup alone it would cloy and satiate and procure loathing as euen Manna did to Israell therefore Satan doth diuersifie his drinkes to keepe the wicked mans appetite fresh and sharpe If he be weary of one sinne behold another stands at his elbow hath Diues din'd hee may walke vp to his study and tell his Money his Bags his Idols or call for the Key of his Wardrobe to feede his proud eye with his Silkes for Diuitiae deliciae Riches and Pleasures serue one anothers turne If Nabal be weary of counting his Flockes or laying vp their Fleeces he may goe and make himselfe drunke with his sheep-shearers Hence it is that ex malis moribus oriuntur plurim leges to meet with the multiplicitie of sinnes there is required a multitude of lawes as when Phisitians grow rich it is an euident signe of an infected Common-wealth Sinne stood not single in Gods view when hee threatens so fearefull a punishment as the whole Booke againe can not match it Therefore the Land shall mourne and euery one that dwelleth therein shall languish with the beasts of the Field with the Fowles of Heauen yea the Fishes of the Sea also shall be taken away an vniuersall vastation but as 1. priuately there was no Truth yet if
such as say there is no God yet frequent that call Religion a fable or at least testifie no lesse of it in their liues for Quorum est commune Symbolum facillimus est transitus How many make that their Gospell which they can spell into their purses and embrace no other Creed then their Lord and Masters humour that turne articles of pietie to particles of Pollicie and sophisticate olde singlenesse into new singularitie If a Seminaries argument shall be more gold-weightie then the best Sermon of ours they are for Rome the next tide any Religion that can enrich their Coffers shall haue their applauses What differ these from Atheists or that Pope who hearing Cardinall Bembus speake of the Gospell burst forth into this blasphemie Quantum nobâ—s ac nostro coetui profuerit ea de Christo fabula â—atis est omnibus seculis notae How gainefull the fiction or tale of Christ hath beene to vs and our Crew the whole World may know and witnesse All Religion is with them a Fable or at best fallible They would fit Religion to their owne humors as Procustes dealt with his Ghests for all that came he had but one bed if they were shorter then his bed â—ee racked them out to make them long enough if longer hee would cut them shorter till they were fit These are cruell theeues that would rob God of himselfe 2 The second Viall is Heresie a dangerous water because it soone tickles the braine and makes the minde drunke This Sinne robbes God of his Truth There are many of these Theeues though contrary among themselues whose opinions are as crosse one to another as Sampsons Foxes but their tailes meet to scatter the Fire of dissention in the Church no Lawyers wrangle more in publike nor more louingly feast one another in priuate with the gaines of their dissimulation How bitterly the Brownists on the right hand the Papists on the left raile at each other how friendly agree they like Herod and Pilate to afflict Christ how in effect doe they sing both in one tune to build vp Dâ—â—otion with Ignorance to wrangle with the Prince for his Supremacie In elder times you had Cerinthus and Arrius robbing Christ of his Diuinitie Moniche and Marcion of his Humanitie the Nestorians of the Vnitie of both natures in one Person They are dead oh bury them bury them let their Heresies rot Alas how are the spirits of them all by a kind of transanimation come into the Romists Christ is there robbed of his Truth of his garments of his peace of his life as well as at Ierusalem and that without shew of being his enemies Spoliastis amici You are my friends yet rob me Bones rob Christ of his adoration stones of his Prayers the Pope of his power Remission of sinnes validitie of merits ease of paines the Pope must giue who would giue the world that he had them for himselfe Too much shall be giuen to the name of Iesus more then he would haue that a wicked man shall by it cast out Deuils to whom if the Deuils reply not as they did once to the audacious Sonnes of Sceua Iesus we know and Paul we know but who are ye yet God answeres them Quiâ— haec c. Who hath required this at your hands Too little to the nature of Iesus Mans merits shall share with him in iustification Penance in satisfaction Angels and Saints in Intercession These are subtill Theeues that haue their bodies for a Communion their consciences for a Masse their voices for the Prince their hearts for the Pope their soules for the Deuill 3. The third Viall of this Course is Sacriledge a water like some winding Meander that runnes through our corne fields and washeth away the Tenth Gods part This Sinne robs God of his goods Will a man rob God yet ye haue robbed mee but ye say wherein haue we robbed thee in Tithes and offrings Oh! that none among vs durst drinke of these Stollen waters but alas what law can be giuen to rob Altars If Blindasinus be a man of gifts so iustified by the sensible Presenter what should crosse his admission Is not a Quare impedit his speciall friend yes and yet not more then a Prohibition is often a good Ministers foe Hence now there is little difference betwixt seruing at the Altar and steruing at the Altar Ministers haue multos laudatores paucos datores Many praisers few raisers many benedictors few benefactors Plead not that they are not stollen because conueyed by the Ministers consent for the right is originally in God Spoliastis me You haue robbed me me saith the Lord. The Incumbent consenting is not robbed God is They zealously require a learned Ministrie when themselues imbezzell the rewards of learning they complaine of an ignorant not of a beggerly Clergie They are content wee should stand in the Pulpit so long as they may sit in a Tith-shocke and seeme wonderfully affected with the oraculous voice of their Minister but the creaking noise of a Tith-Cart into their owne Barne is better Musicke Oh the fearefull cry of this Sinne in the eares of God against this Land he hath sprinkled some drops of his angry Viall for it Droughts blastings witherings are but his Distringis he destroyes all because we will not pay some Si domino decimam non dederis ad decimam reuerteris He doth iustly take away the nine when we denie him the Tenth Indeede I confesse that many an Eliashib compacts with Tobiah to steale holy things a Cnosticke Patron a Paphian Priest so the one haue ease let the other take benefite Tobiah must haue the Tith-corne the glebe land and perhaps the very house for a Dairy and his Cosen Eliâ—shâ—b shall haue the tith Geese and the Egges at Easter Shall not the Lord visite for such wiâ—kednesse as this shall not my soule be auenged on such a nation Whiles the rewards of knowledge are diuerted to profane vses God and his heauen is robbed of thousand thousand soules Oh pray we quid enim nisi vota supersunt Pray wee with that most reuerend Bishop That God would rather conuert if not confound those that rob him of his goods the Church of her right the people of vnderstanding But if no contestation of God nor protestation of men can stint their swallowing these stolne waters let some good Nehemiah be reuiued to re-inforce from their felonious hands that holy Rent which God hath from euery Tenant of his reserued let the zeale of some Phinees turne away Gods wrath from our Israell Decimate quibus debetis et diuites fietis Pay your tithes to whom you should pay them and you shall be enriched Bring ye all your Tithes into the Store-house that there may be meate in mine house and proue me now here-with saith the Lord of Hostes if I will not open you the windores of Heauen and powre you out a blessing that there shall
not be roome enough to receiue it Reade and ponder Heliodorus deede and doome and quake at it You cannot steale waters from the liuing God but they will poison you 4. The fourth Viall is Faction a Water of Trouble to the drinker this robs God of his order and peace the Waters of Schisme are stollen waters yet such as many a Separatist loues to drinke of they thinke not that they rob God whiles they steale peace from the Church Christi tunica must be vnica Christs Coate was without seame his truth must be without Rent wee must be all at one least at all none Let vs not pleade so hard for paritie in the Church till wee bring Anarchie into the Common-wealth let our dispositions be like Abrahams I pray thee let there be no strife betweene mee and thee for we are Brethren Let not Gods eutaxie Order by our friuolous scruples be brought to ataxie Confusion Let Calum's rule ouer-rule our turbulent and refractarie spirits Omnia indifferentia in Ecclesiae libertate posita sunt All indifferent things are put to the disposition and ordering of the Church Oh you whom Christ hath made Fishers of soules fish no longer in troubled waters Let vs not wrangle any more about colours as the Constantinopolitans did once in the dayes of Iustinian about blew and greene till they were all neither blew nor greene but red the streetes swimming in bloud and the Emperour himselfe endangered So the Factions of the Bâ—anchi and Neri about the two colours of blacke and white cost the Dukedome of Florence deere euen the beautie and peace of the Countrey What haue wee all beene deceiued hath God beene a stranger to vs all this while Haâ—e I beene so long time with you and haue you not knowne mee saith Christ to Philip hath the Truth beene hid in corners that we must grope for it in a Sectaries budget or are not such men rather sicke of Donatisme that euery Nouelist with a whirlegig in his braine must broach new opinions and those made Canons nay Sanctions as sure as if a generall Councell had confirmed them Wretched men that shake off the true comely habite of Religion to bespeake them a new-fashioned suite of profession at an Humourists Shop Oh that their sore eyes could before they left vs haue seene what sacrilegious breaches they haue made into Gods free-hold robbing his Church of her peace and waking the Spouse of Christ with their turbulent noises Factions are stollen waters 5. The last viall of this first Course is Profanenesse a compounded Water whereout no sinne is excluded there was no poison the Deuill could thinke on left out when he tempered this water It robbes God of his glory Wee are borne to honour God it is his due and that hee will haue either ate or dete by thee or vpon thee Irreligion robbes him of this honour Solummodo hoc â—habet c. onely he hath this to helpe himselfe that hee can make it shine in thy â—ust confusion So Menahem destroyed Tipsah because they would not open vnto him but these will open to Christ knocking if hee will be content Stramineas habitare casas c. Basely to dwell in the diuided part Oâ— the fowle sluttish and polluted hart If CHRIST will dwell with Belâ—all and share part of the Conscience with wickednesse let him come and welcome but hee scornes to be an Inmate and let Sathan be Lord of the house he that acâ—epted a stable for his presence-chamber in his humilitie doth iustly disdaine such abode now in his glory though the walls be but Clay if the furniture be good Humilitie and Repentance and the cheere answerable Faith and Charitie hee will enter in and Feast But as his Wombe was wherein borne and his Tombe wherein buried so must his Temple be now glorified Hee was conceaued in a wombe where none else was conceaued receaued into a Tombe where none else was interred so hee will temple himselfe in a heart where no affected sinne shall be his equall The profane among the Heathen were thrust from their sacrificiall solemnities Innocui veniant procul hinc procul impius esto Casta placent superis pura cum mente venite Pure innocent and spotles sprites Are welcome to these holy rites To the profane and sensuall state Be euer shut the Temple gate But now our profane saue that labour they thrust from themselues all pious rites they sing not with the Church a Tenebo te Domine I will holde thee fast oh Lord but with Simeon a Nunc dimittis though with another spirit they are glad to be gone CHRIST is as welcome to them as Câ—sars Taxers to the Iewes or the Beadle to the Brothel-house so the Gergesites tell him to his face Sir to be plaine with you you are no guest for vs our secure liues and your seuere Lawes will neuer cotten Men liue without considering themselues vnde vbi quomodo quo Whence they are where they are how they do whither they go that all these mathematicall lines haue Earth for their Center Whence are wee from Earth Where are wee on Earth How liue wee vnworthy of Earth or any blessing vpon it Wither goe wee to Earth Terram terra tegat Earth to Earth Wee are composed of foure Elements and they striue in vs for Masterie but the lowest gets the better and there is no rest till Earth haue the predominance These men liue as if there was neither Earth to deuoure their bodies nor gulfe lower then Earth to swallow their soules This is profanenesse The world is ranke manured with sinne Atheisme growes vp as a Tree Errour and Ignorance are the Leaues Profanenesse and Rebellion the Fruit and the end is the Axe and the Fire Their best is verball Deuotion actuall Abomination Diuâ—dunt opera a fide vtrumque perimitur They seperate workes from faith they diuide the childe and kill it Workes are dead without Faith and Faith is not aliue without Workes They take away that visible distinction betwixt Christians and Infidels whiles they liue not as honest men Oh that I could cut this point short and yet keepe my discourse but somewhat euen with the subiect but the world drinkes too greedily of these profane waters which rob God of his glory Most men are no longer Tenants to the Deuill and retailours of his Wares but proprietaries peruerted and peruerse persons they striue to be as deepe sharers as himselfe Machiauell will no longer worke Iourney-worke with the Deuill hee will now cut out the garment of damnation himselfe The Vices of these men are so monstrous that they no lesse benumme in all good men the tendernesse of affection then in themselues the sense of all humanitie Vox faucibus haeret It is a shame to vtter an amazement to heare yet they blush not to commit such execrable impieties Impudence is onely in fashion and there is no forehead held so gracefull as that
blood of his Saints when the blood of his enemies shall not be impunely shed There is not a drop of blood thus spilt vpon the earth but swels like an Ocean and nothing can drie it vp till it be reuenged The most excellent of Gods creatures on earth the beautie the extract the abstract or abridgement of the world the glory of the workeman the confluence of all honour that mortallitie can afford and what is aboue all the rest the Image of the almightie God with paine borne with expence nurtured must fall in a moment and by whom one sonne of Adam by another the prouerbe is exiled homo homini Deus man is a God to man nay it is rare saith the Philosopher to finde a man to man for want of vsing reason how many are beasts and for not vsing it well how many Deuils Heare the Law ye lawlesse broode of Cain that slay a man in your anger Blood for blood You thinke to scape with a Pardon but there is no pardon of Earth can ease the bleeding conscience Let none kill Cain that so euery day kils himselfe As in that great plague on Egipt all the waters in their Riuers Streames Ponds Pooles Vessels were changed into blood so shall it be in the conscience of the Murderer his eyes shall behold no other colour but red as if the ayre were of a sanguine dye his visions in the night shall bee all blood his dreames sprinkling blood on his face all his thoughts shall flow with blood If any Dauid scapes the wounds of mans sword to his body or Gods to his soule let him thanke the blood of the crucified IESVS whose wounds must intercede for his and procure a pardon This is that Blood which doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speake better things and stint the ceaselesse cry of the blood of Abell but all this to none but those that bleed in soule for those sinnes Purge the Land of this blood ye Magistrates For the Land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of them that shed it They that in spilling blood such pleasure haue Let them not goe but bleeding to their graue Purge it then lest God in reuenge make his arrowes drâ—nke with blood Feare not to finde them ye Iurors lest whiles you sauâ— a Murtherer you expose obiect hazard your owne throates to his Sword Heare this also ye Phisitians thinke it is the life of Man is questioned the Epigram comes here to my minde Furtum non facies Iuristae scribitur haec lex Haec non Occides pertinet ad Medicum Thou shalt not steale the Lawyers square to right them Thou shalt not kill is the Physitians Item Sell not insufficient drugs nor pitch so high a price on your Ignorance Let it not be true of you that pessimus morbus est Medicus the worst disease is the Phisitian That Emperour found it true by a mortall experience that Turba medicorum interfecit Regem Physitians killed him Blood is pretious let it be preserued 3. Adulterie knowes her place a filthy water yet in speciall account at this Feast It may well be called a stollen water for it robs man of that comfort which the sacred hand of heauen hath knit to him vnrauels the bottome of that ioy which God hath wound vp for him subornes a spurious seede to inherite his Lands dampes his liuelihood sets palenesse on his cheeke and impastures griefe in his heart It is that speciall instance of wickednesse whereby Solomon here expresseth all the rest The whorish woman calls the pleasures of a forbidden bed stollen waters Woe is to him that is robbed I meane the bitter woe of a temporall discontent which is an inseparable consequent of Christian affection wronged but more woe to the Robber who besides the corporall strokes of Heauens angry hand in this life shall feele the fearefull addition of an eternall woe in hell Whore-mongers and adulterers God will iudge If a present punishment be suspended the future shall neuer be dispended with Our firmament hangs too full of these falling Starres corrupt Meteors wandring Planets that onely glimmer in the night when the Sunne of vigilancie is set This cursed weede begins to grow almost as ranke in England as in Italy onely no Authoritie giues toleration to it they are heere Aquae surreptitiae waters of stealth but there Inuitant adaperta viros malè limina spurcos The open dores inuite their entrance whiles the law doth not onely winke but warrant There is no hope to keepe out Venus when Drunkennesse her Gentleman-Vsher and Dice her olde company-keeper are let in Many Nightingales haue sung sad lamentations woe and ruine against these rapes and whoredomes but the vncleane Sparrowes cherping the voice of Lust on the house-tops are suffered to haue nests in the roofe when the good Nightingale is driuen to the Woods There are not wanting by report and those no beggars that iustifie this and cleare it from sinne by arguments strong wits and those sublimed the wittier the wickeder I will giue them a double answere which no distinction shall euade God hath charged Thou shalt not commit Adulterie Hazard thy selfe to dispute against and eneruate Gods Prohibition and try if the second confute thee not the blacke poison of thy owne conscience which is set on fire by Lust heere and though it haue the fire of Hell added to it shall neuer be wasted The Deuill was modest when he came to Eue with praecepitne Deus c Hath God charged you not to eate c now bluntly Non praecepit Deus God hath not concluded Adulterie a sinne Inaudita oracula fundit Impudence in the highest degree to giue God the lye and except against the absolutenesse of his precept I intended breuitie in the broaching these stollen waters the matter forceth mee to prolixitie against my will Lust hath many friends in these dayes many Promoters whereby shee insinuates her selfe to the world Among all those in print doe most mischiefe Libri Sybaritici as the same sinne-guilty Martiall calls them Bookes of Epicurisme and Sensuality Ouids amatories haue bright and trite couers when the booke of God lyes in a dustie corner The Deuill playes with vs as Hippomenes with Atalanta seeing vs earnest in our race to Heauen throwes vs heere and there a golden Ball an idle Pamphlet If Cleanthes open his Shop hee shall haue Customers Many a Traueller there sets downe his staffe though hee pulls off his eyes with Ouids dole Cur aliquid vidi cur nâ—xia lumina feci Why haue I so couetously beheld these vanities Paucis de Philosophià gustâ—ndum was the olde charge let few drinke at the fountaine of Philosophy but we are drunk with that all Philosophy condemned The Stationer dares hardly venture such cost on a good Sermon as for an Idle Play it will not sell so well wicked dayes the whiles Oh that they
were all condemned to an Ephesian fire that we might say as Alcibiades of that Athenian heape of burning scrowles Nunquam vidi ignem clariorem We neuer saw a clearer fire 4. Theeuerie needes no more then the name to proue it a Water of Stealth This robbes man of his goods those temporall things whereof God hath made him a proprietarie A sinne which Vsurers and Money-mongers doe bitterly raile at They that are of no religion yet plead religion hard against Theeues They can lay the law to them that haue no conscience themselues They rob a Countrey yet thinke themselues honest men and would hang a poore pettie robber for fortie pence Let him answere them in the Satyre O maior tandem parcas in sane minori As no theft can scape condemnation so yet diâ—ferent degrees shall be punished with diâ—ferent torments Extortion vsury fraud iniustice are not lesse thefts because lesse manifest Antiochus could make a black horse which he had stollen seeme white and a white blacke so these Theeues haue trickes to make euill good and good euill especially tacente lege so long as the law holds her peace But as the other escape not the Gallowes so one day Dabit Deus his quâ—que funem God will giue these also condigne punishment They say that the dung of the Blacke-bird falling on the Oake turnes into slime of that slime is made Birdlime of that Birdlime is the Birde her-selfe snared So these graund Theeues twine a cord of three strings Iniurie Vsurie Fraud Couetousnesse twists them into a rope the Deuil makes the noose aâ—d of this cord they are strangled A threefold Cable is not easily broken Whiles they steale from others the interest they rob themselues of the principall their soules They please the world with their baites ready money but there is a hooke vnder the baite Munera magna quidem misit sed misit in hamo Sic piscatorem piscis amare potest I haue reade of an Athenian such another Fisher that he had in an apparition a net giuen him to catch whole Cities in but for all that hee died a beggar These Theeues haue such nets to catch whole Townes Commons Churches Steeples and all but in the end the net breakes and the Fisher topples into the deepe whence he neuer comes out againe for these Swine so roote into the earth till they eate themselues into hell I do not spare with conniuence the Iunior Theeues because I bring their Fathers to the barre first He that shall with a violent or subtill hand Lyon-like or Foxe-like take away that which God hath made mine endangers at once his body to the worlds his soule to heauens sword of Iustice and shall passe from a temporall Barre to the Tribunall Iudgement of Christ. Let not misconstruction heare me there are more of these dye honest men then of Vsuâ—ers for one Vsurers repentance I will produce you tenne executed Theeues Onely here it is the great Theâ—ues agree one with another Claw me and I will claw thee Winke at mine and I will not see thy faults They tune like Bells and want but hanging For these Theeues I might indeede be silent and spare my breath to the conuersion of more hopefull sinners but we must free our consciences from the guiltinesse of not reprouing least they curse vs on their Death-beds as that Vsurer made his will wherein hee bequeathed his soule to the Deuill for extorting his Wife for inducing his Deacon for induring or not reprouing Though euery Vsurer makes account to walke to hell yet since both hell and heauen be equally set to his choyse why should he chuse the worst way let not his Minister for silence beare him company Well the Thiefe knowes his doome a double banishment out of the Territories of earth out of the confines of heauen therefore let him that hath stollen steale no more Repentance shall bee sure of mercie And let not the great Thiefe thinke to scape as hee is a Gallimaufrey of all sinnes so he shall haue a Rendeuous of all punishments His house is the Deuils Tauerne the guests haue sweet wine but a sharpe reckoning The Deuils Fence-schoole as the stabbings woundings hackings rackings which torture the Common-wealth are there experimentally taught The Deuils Brothell-house where the Vsurer is the Bawde and his money 's the Harlots onely they differ from Harlots in their pregnancie and teeming for they lay like Pigeons euery moneth marry because the Deuill is Land-lord his rent eates out all their gaines 5. Slaunder is a water in great request euery guest of the Deuill is continually sipping of this Viall It robs man of his good name which is aboue all riches There be some thinke to scape this censure though they speake euils of others yet true euils but Cham is cursed for declaring his Fathers nakednesse though true These are like vultures ad male olentia feruntur They passe ouer Mâ—â—dowes and flowers to fall vpon carions like Flyes they leape ouer all a mans good parts and vertues to light vpon his sores If Noah had not been once drunke Cham had lost his sport There are many of these Ziphims that to currie fauour with Saul betray Dauid but in my opinion Doegs truth was worse then Rahabs lye A mans good name is deere Plerique famam qui non conscientiam verentur Manie stand vpon their credite that neglect their conscience Vilium est hominum alios viles facere et qui suo merito placere non possunt placere velle aliorum comparatione It is the part of vile men to vilefie others and to climbe vp to immerited praise by the staires of anothers disgrace This is no new dish at some Nouelists table to make a mans discredite as sawce to their meate they will tosse you the maligned's reputation with the rackets of reproach from one to another and neuer bandie it away till they haue supped If they want matter Iealousie is fewell enough it is crime enough for a Formalist so they terme him that hee is but suspected guilty But the Matrone of the Cloyster would neuer haue sought the Nunne in the Vault if shee had not beene there her selfe It was Publius Claudius his best pollicie least Cicero should accuse him iustly of Sacriledge to step in first and tell the Senate that Tullie profaned all religion in his house Thus he that hath most corrupt lungs soonest complaines of the vnsauourie breath of others The Calumniatour is a wretched Thiefe and robs man of the best thing he hath if it be a true Maxime that the efficacie of the Agent is in the apt disposition of the Patient whiles thou depriuest man of his credit thou takest from him all power to doe good The slanderer wounds three at one blow Vno ictu vno nictu 1. The receiuer in poisoning his heart with an vncharitable conceite 2. The reputation of the slandered for a mans name is like
were of the sons of Sceua Iesus wee know but who are yee God wee know calming floods quieting the windes but who art thou beat on him more furiously then loe saith Canutus what a goodly God I am and behold my commaund conuincing his flatterers Oh that some strong West-winde would ridde our Land of these Locusts The last sort of Vials serued in at this Course are Stollen waters which immediately robbe our selues The Deuill findes vs cheare at our owne cost and with cates stollen from our owne possessions hee makes vs a bounteous feast Truth is euery Cup of sinne wee drinke of is a water that at least indirectly robs our selues neither can wee feede on Atheisme Heresie Sacriledge Murder Adulterie but we rifle our soules of grace our Consciences of peace for the Deuils Banket neuer makes a man the fatter for his feeding the guests the more they eate the more leane and meager they looke their strength goes away with their repast as if they fed on nothing but Sauce and all their sweet delicates in taste were but fretting in digestion like Vinegar Oliues or Pulse neither doth batten cheerish because it wants a blessing vnto it Onely it gets them a stomach the more hartily they feed on sinne the greater appetite they haue to it Though custome of sinne hath brought them past feeling and they haue long since made a deed of gift of themselues into the hands of licentiousnesse yet behold in them still an eager prosecution of sinne euen with greedinesse Though mischiefe was the last thing they did when they went to bed nay the onely action of their bed yet they rise earely so soone as the morning is light to practise it They may be sicke of sins incurable surfet yet feele themselues hungry still that the Cup of their wickednesse may be filled to the brim and so receiue a portion and proportion of torment accordingly Thus as the gyrouagi equi molam trahentes multùm ambulant parùm promouent the Mil-turning-horse coniured into his Circle moues much but remoues little or as the Poet of Ixion Voluitur Ixion qui se sequiturque fugitque So the more these guests eat the more vnsatisfied they rise vp Ye shall eat and not be satisfied ye shall drinke not be â—illed as he that dreameth of good cheare but awakes with an hungry soule All the delights of sinne put not the least drop of good blood into the vaines nor blesse the heart with the smallest addition of content They browse like Beastes on these sweet boughes but they looke thinne after it as if they had deuoured their owne bowels 1. The first Viall of this nature is Pride a stollen water indeed but deriued from thine owne Fountaine It may strike God offend thy Brother but it doth immediately robbe thy selfe The decoration of the body is the deuoration of the substance the backe weares the siluer that would doe better in the Purse Armenta vertuntur in ornamenta the grounds are vnstocked to make the backe glister Adam and Eue had Coates of Beasts skinnes but now many beastes flesh skinnes and all will scarce furnish a prodigall younger sonne of Adam with a sute And as many sell their tame beasts in the Countrie to enrich their wilde beasts in the Citie so you haue others that to reuell at a Christmas will rauell out their Patrimonies Pride and good husbandrie are neither Kith nor Kin but Iaball and Iuball are brethren Iaball that dwelt in Tents and tended the Heards had Iuball to his brother who was the father of Musicke to shew that Iaball and Iuball frugalitie and Musicke good Husbandry and Content are brothers and dwell together But Pride and Opulencie may kisse in the Morning as a married couple but will be diuorced before Sun-set They whose Fathers could sit and tell their Michael-masse-hundreths haue brought December on their estates by wearing May on their backes all the yeere This is the plague and clogge of the Fashion that it is neuer vnhamperd of Debets Pride begins with Habeo ends with Debeo and sometimes makes good euery sillable gradatim Debeo I owe more then I am worth Beo I blesse my creditors or rather blesse my selfe from my Creditors Eo I betake me to my heeles Thus England was honoured with them whiles they were Gallants Germany or Rome must take them and keepe them being beggars Oh that men would breake their fasts with frugalitie that they might neuer suppe vvith want What folly is it to begin with Plaudite Who doth not marke my brauerie and end with Plangite Good Passenger a Penny Oh that they could from the high promontorie of their rich estates foresee how neere Pride and Riot dwell to the Spittle-house not that but God alloweth both garments for necessitie and ornaments for comlinesse according to thy degree but such must not weare Silkes that are not able to buy Cloath Many women are propter venusâ—atem inuenustae saith Chrysostome so fine that they are the worse againe Fashions farre fetcht and deere bought fill the eye with content but emptie the purse Christs reproofe to the Iewes may fitly be turned on vs Why doe ye kill the Prophets and build vp their Tombes Why doe yee kill your soules with sinnes and garnish your bodies with braueries the Maid is finer then the Mistresse which Saint Ierome saith would make a man laugh a Christian weepe to see Hagar is tricked vp and Sara put into rags the soule goes euery day in her worky-day clothes vnhighted with graces whiles the body keepes perpetual holy day in gainesse The house of Saul is set vp the Flesh is graced the house of Dauid is persecuted and kept downe the Spirit is neglected I know that Pride is neuer without her owne paine though shee will not feele it be her garments what they will yet she will neuer be too hot nor too colde There is no time to pray read heare meditate all goes away in trimming There is so much rigging about the Ship that as Ouid wittily pars minima est ipsa puella sui A woman for the most part is the least part of her selfe Faemina culta nimis faemina casta minus too gawdie brauerie argues too slender chastitie The garment of saluation is slighted and the long white robe of glory scorned the Lord Iesus Christ a garment not the vvorse but the better for vvearing is throwne by and the ridiculous chaine of Pride is put on but ornamentum est quod ornat ornat quod honestiorem facit That alone doth beautifie vvhich doth beatifie or make the soule happie no ornament doth so grace vs as that vvee are gratious Thus the substance is emptied for a shew and many robbe themselues of all they haue to put a good suite on their backes 2. The next Cup of these stollen waters is Epicurisme a water which whiles we sup of vve sucke our selues A
the Inditement a rebellion against our Soueraignes Crowne and Dignitie Ambitious theefes in the Court Simoniacall theeues in the Church hollow-hearted theeues in the Citie oppressing and men-eating theeues in the Country all must be summoned their debts summed their doome sentenced The impartiall conscience from the booke of their liues shall giue in cleere euidence There is no retaining of Counsell no bribing for a partiall censure no tricke of demure no putting off and suspending the sentence no euading the doome The cursed generation of thefts are now easily borne and borne out Subtiltie can giue them the helpe of a conueyance and money purchase a conniuence But then alasse what shall become of them and of many soules for them what shall become all the Traitours gory Murtherers impudent Atheists secret Church-robbers speckled Adulterers rusty Sluggards nasty drunkards and all the defiled wretches that haue sucked damnation from the breasts of blacke Iniquitie An impenetrable Iudge an impleadable Inditement an intolerable anguish shal ceaze vpon them Mountaines of Sand were lighter and millions of yeeres shorter then their torments Oh thinke thinke of this ye Sonnes of rapine that with greedinesse deuoure these stollen waters You can not robbe God of his glory man of his comforts your selues of your happinesse but God Man your owne Soules shall cry against you What thunder can now beat into you a feare of that which then no power shall ease you of why striue wee not Niniueh-like to make the message of our ouerthrow the ouerthrow of the message and so worke that according to Sampsons Riddle the Destroyer may saue vs Wherefore are wee warned but that wee might be armed and made acquainted with Hell in the speculation but that wee may preuent the horrour of it in passion Let me tell you yee theeues that sit at Sathans boord there is a theefe shall steale on you steale all from you The day of the Lord will come as a Theefe in the Night in the which the heauens shall passe away with a great noyse c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Theefe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to take away priuily or by stealth or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of hiding or couering Fur a furuo quia in obscuro venit A theefe as well for stealing on vs as for stealing from vs. He comes in the darke when no body sees treads on wooll that no body heares watcheth an houre that no body knowes This Theefe shall steale on you perhaps Banketting at this Feast of Vanitie as the Flood came on the old World vvhiles they ate and dranke and were merrie Watch therefore for you know not what houre your Lord doth come So Chrysostome on that place from our Sauiours comparison of the good man of the house non laederetur ille furto si sciret venturum vos scitis paratiores esse debetis The theefe should not hurt him if he knew of his comming you know he wil come prepare for his welcome We are all housholders our bodies are our houses our soules our goods our senses are the Doores and Windores the Lockes are Faith and Prayer The day of our doome will come as a theefe let our Repentance watch let it neuer sleepe lest we perish Si praescirent homines quando morituri sint deligentiam super cam rem ostenderent If men foreknew the time of their death they would shew carefulnesse in their preparation how much more being ignorant But alas Ignorance couenants with death and securitie puts far away the euill day and causeth the seat of violence to come neere When the Prophets of our Israell threaten Iudgements you flatter your selues with the remotenesse The vision that he seeth is for many dayes to come and he prophecyeth of the times that are farre off As if it concerned you not what ruine laid waste the Land so peace might be in your dayes But there is no peace sayth my God to the wicked our Rose-buds are not vvithered our daunces are not done sleepe Conscience lye still Repentance Thus with the sentence of death instant and in a prison of bondage to Satan present saith S. Augustine Maximo gaudio debacchamur wee are drunken we are franticke with pleasures There may be other there can be no greater madnesse Loe the successe of these stollen waters You heare their nature time hath preuented their sweetnesse God of his mercie that hath giuen vs his Word to enforme our Iudgement vouchsafe by his Spirit to reforme our consciences that wee may conforme our liues to his holy precepts For this let vs pray c. What here is good to God ascribed be What is infirme belongs of right to me FINIS THE Breaking vp of the Deuils Banket OR The Conclusion BY THOMAS ADAMS Preacher of Gods Word at Willington in Bedford-shire ROM 6.21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof you are now ashamed For the end of those things is death TERTVL lib. ad Martyres Pax nostra bellum contra Satanam To be at warre with the Deuill is to be at peace with our owne Conscience LONDON Printed by Thomas Snodham for Ralph Mab and are to be sold in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the Grey-hound 1614. TO THE RIGHT VERTVOVS AND VVORthy Sisters the Lady Anne Gostwyke and Mris DIANA BOVVLES sauing Health THat I haue clothed this SERMON in the Liuery of your Patronages I might giue many reasons to satisfie others But this one to mee is in stead of all that you affect the Gospell Not with the suddaine flashes of some ouerhote dispositions but with mature Discretion and sound Obedience I could not therefore suffer any thought of mine owne vnworthinesse to disswade mee from presenting this poore labour to your hands who haue so fauourably accepted my weaker seruices I owe you both a treble debt of Loue of Seruice of Thankefulnesse The former the more I pay the more still I owe. The second I will be ready to pay to the vttermost of my power though short both of your deserts and my owne desires Of the last I will striue to giue full paiment and in that if it be possible to come out of your debts Of all these in this small Volumne I haue giuen you the earnest As you would therefore doe with an ill debtor take it till more comes It shall be the more currant if you will set thereon the seales of your acceptance It is the latter end of a Feast yet it may perhaps afford you some Christian delicate to content your well affected spirits It shall let you see the last seruice of Sinnes Banket the harsh and vnpleasant closure of vanitie the madnesse of this doating Age the formall dislike and reall loue of many to this World the euill works of some criticall others hypocriticall dispositions the ending conclusion and beginning confusion of the Deuils Guests The more perfectly you shall hate sinne the more constantly you shall hold your erst
to their nature Whiles Nature findes ascribed to her selfe freedome of will validitie of merites the Latitude of an ignorant and cursorie faith she runnes mad of conceit That Indulgences for all sinnes may be deriued from that open Exchequour that if a man wants not money he needes not loose heauen that the bare Act of the Sacrament conferres grace without faith and the meere transient signe of the Crosse who euer makes it can keepe off the Deuill Oh Religion sweet to Nature Nay to speake neerer to our district instance Lust not onely affectuall but actuall is dispensed with Priests are licensed their Concubines though inhibited Wiues Adulterie is reckoned among their pettie sinnes I haue read it quoted out of Pope Innocentius the third of their Priests Mane filium virginis offerunt in choro Nocte filium veneris agitant in thoro The Priests doe not engrosse all the Market of venerie to themselues yet they doe prettily well for their allowance One Benefice with one Wife is vnlawfull but two Benefices and three Whores are tollerable But the Stewes like the common Bath is afforded to the Laitie and if their States will maintaine it a priuate supply besides Vrbs est iam tota Lupanar The vvhole Citie is become a meere Stewes As the Prophet Esay said once of Ierusalem so wee may say of Rome The holy Citie is become an Harlot Full of Harlots they vvill not sticke to yeeld and so full of Adulterers Nay the Citie it selfe is an Harlot and hath left her first loue Shee committes Idolatrie vvhich is the vilest Adulterie vvith Stockes and Stones Thus Nature drinkes pleasant waters but they are stollen Lust encroacheth vpon the Law and Concupiscencies gaine is Gods losse Some of them saith Bishop Iewell haue written in defence of filthinesse VVhat blacke Vice shall vvant some Patronage But causa patrocinio non bona peior erit Powerfull arguments no doubt yet powerfull enough to ouercome the yeelding spirit Strong affection giues credite to weake reasons A small temptation serues to his peruersion that tempts himselfe and vvould bee glad of a cloake to hide his leprosie though he steale it How can it then be denied that sinnes are sweet whiles Lust doth take tast censure them The Deuils Banket is not yet done there is more cheare a comming The Water-seruice is ended now begin Cates of another nature or if you will of another forme but the nature is all one Norma et forma manet The same Methode of Seruice the same manner of Iunkets It may bee distinguished as the former Into a prescription de quo Bread Into a description de quanto Bread of Secrecies Into an ascription de quali Bread of pleâ—sure Bread hath a large extent in the Scriptures Vult sufficientiam vitae et praesentis et futurae Vnder it is contained a sufficiencie of food and nourishment 1. For the body 2. For the soule Therefore some would deriue the Latine word Panem from the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so make it a generall and comprehensiue word to signifie omne quod nobis necessarium all things needfull whither to corporall or animall sustenance 1. Corporall the fourth petition in that absolute Prayer lessoned to vs by our Master implies so much Giue vs this day our daily Bread Where saith S. Augustine Omnem necessariam corporis exhibitionem petimus We begge all necessarie sustentation to our temporall life So in sudore vultus vesceris pane tuo All thy repast shall bee deriued from thy trauell Set Bread before them saith Elisha to the King of Israell And he made great prouision for them Iobs kindred did eate Bread that is feasted with him Hee that ate of my Bread saith Dauid or did feed on the delicacies of my Pallace 2. For the soule I am the liuing Bread that came downe from heauen if any man eate of this Bread hee shall liue for euer It is not straitned of this sense Matth. 15. It is not meete to take the childrens Bread and to throw it to dogges Christ and all his benefites are shadowed forth by Bread The losse of the Word is called by the Prophet a Famine or losse of Bread Bread then implies multitudinem salutum magnitudinem solaminum plenitudinem omnium bonorum Much health great comforts fulnesse of all requisite good things And what Will Satan bragge that hee can giue all these and that his Bread intensiue is so virtuall in it owne nature and extensiue that it shall afford so much strength of comfort validitie of nutriment and neuer faile the collation of health to his guests This is in him an hyperbolicall and almost an hyperdiabolicall impudence to make the bread of sinne equall with the Bread of life and to ascribe vnto it potentiam virtutis and virtutem dulcedinis that it is Bread and sweet bread nourishing and well-tasted As Ceres must bee taken and worshipped for the Goddesse of Corne and Bacchus for the God of Wine when they were at the vtmost but the first Inuenters of grinding the one and pressing the other for God is the God of both fields and Vineyards So the Deuill would seeme owner of Bread and Water when God onely is Lord of Sea and Land that made and blesseth the Corne and the Riuers His Power containeth all and his Prouidence continueth all that is good vnto vs. Obserue how the Deuill is Gods Ape and striues to match and paralell him both in his words and wonders Hee followes him but not passibus aequis with vnequall steps If Christ haue his waters of life at the Lambes wedding Feast the Deuill will haue his waters too at Lusts Banket If the highest giue his thunder hailestones and coales of sire as to Elias sacrifice the red Dragon doth the like He maketh fire to come downe from heauen in the sight of men If Moses turne his rod to a Serpent the Sorcerers doe the like but yet they fall short for Moses rod deuoured all theirs Must Abraham sacrifice his Sonne to the God of Heauen Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter to the Prince of Darknesse A Ramme redeeemes Ishaac a Hinde Iphigenia For Iehouah's Temple at Ierusalem there is great Diana's at Ephesus It is said of the Sonne of God that he shall giue sight to the blinde and heale the sicknesses of the people The Sonne of Iupiter Aesculapius shall haue the like report Ouid and Hesiod haue their Chaos in imitation of sacred Moses Noahs deluge shall be quitted with Deucalions For our Noah they haue a Ianus for our Sampson a Hercules for our Babel-builders they that lay Pelion vpon Ossa Giants If Lots Wife be turned to a Pillar loe Niohe is metamorphosed to a stone Let God historifie his Ionas Herodotus will say more of Arion Of which S. Augustine well We may suspect the Greeke tale of the one meanes the Hebrew truth
of this Banket properation to it participation of it all is carried with ioy and Iouisance there is a correctiue But a veruntamen spoyles all in the vp-shot A little Colliquintida that embitters the Broath A perillous a pernicious rocke that splits the Ship in the Hauen When all the prophecies of ill successe haue beene held as Cassandra's riddles when all the contrarie windes of afflictions all the threatned stormes of Gods wrath could not disharten the Sinners voyage to these Netherlands here is a But that shipwrackes all the very mouth of a bottomlesse pit not shallower then Hell it selfe It is obseruable that Salomons prouerbiall sayes are so many select Aphorismes contayning for the most part a paire of crosse and thwart sentences handled rather by collation then relation whose coniunction is disiunctiue The Prouerbs are not ioyned with an Et but an At with a But rather then with an And. Stollen waters are sweete c. But hee knoweth not c. It stands in the midst like a Rudder or Oare to turne the Boat another way Reioyce oh yong man c. But know that for all these things God wil bring thee to Iudgement c. All runnes smooth and enclines to the byace of our owne affections till it lights vpon this rub The Babell of Iniquitie is built vp apace till confusion steps in with a But. It is like the suddaine clap of a Serieant on a Gallants shoulder He is following his lusts full sent and full crie the arrest strikes him with a But and all 's at a losse As in a faire Summers morning when the Larke hath called vp the Sunne and the Sâ—â—ne the Husbandman when the earth had opened her Shop of perfumes and a pleasant winde fannes coolenesse through the heated ayre when euery creature is reioyced at the heart On a sodaine the furious windes burst from their prisons the thunder rends the clouds and makes way for the lightning and the spowtes of heauen streame downe showres a hideous tempest sooner dampes all the former delight then a mans tongue can well expresse it With no lesse content doe these guests of sinne passe their life they eate to eate and drinke to drinke often to sleepe alwaies to surfet they caroll daunce spend their present ioyes and promise themselues infallible supply On a sodaine this But comes like an vnlooked for storme and turnes all into mourning and such mourning as Rahell had for her Children that will not be comforted because their ioyes are not A wicked man runnes headlong in the night of his vnwaked securitie after his wonted sports and because hee keepes his old path which neuer interrupted him with any obstacle hee nothing doubts but to speed as hee had wont but his enemie hath digged a pit in his way and in he topples euen to the depth of Hell Thus wicked ioyes haue wretched sorrowes and as man hath his Sic so God hath his Sed. If we will haue our will in sinne it is fit he should haue his will in punishing To this sense Solomon frequently in his Prouerbs They will pursue wickednesse But they shall bee plagued I haue forbidden vsurie adulterie swearing malice as vncleane meates you will feede on them But you shall bee punished There is a reckoning behinde a But they neuer shot at but they shot besides the But the whiles God hath prepared them as the miserable markes that shall receiue the arrowes of his vengeance till they are drunke with blood They shall suffer that in passion which Iob spake in apprehension The arrowes of the Almightie shall be within them the poyson whereof shall drinke vp their spirits and the terrours of God shall set themselues in aray against them So Moses sung in the person of God against the wicked I will make mine arrowes drunke with blood and my sword shall eate flesh c. They forget that when God shall rebuke them in his wrath and chasten them in his hot displeasure his arrowes shall sticke fast in them and his hand shall presse them sore This is their sad Epilogue or rather the breaking off their Scaene in the midst The Banket of stollen waters and secret bread is pleasant But the dead are there and the guests be in the depth of Hell The Deuill doth but cozen the wicked with his cates as before in the promise of Delicacie so here of perpetuitie Hee sets the countenance of continuance on them which indeede are more fallible in their certaintie then flourishable in their brauerie Their banketting-house is very slipperie and the feast it selfe a meere dreame Let the Guest preserue but reason and he shall easily make the collection that if for the present Gaâ—dia plus aloes quam sua mellis habent To the compound of his ioyes there goe more bitter then sweet simples what will then the end be euen such a one as at once consumit delicias consummat miserias makes an end of their short pleasures and begins their lasting paines This my Text salutes them as the Mason was wont to salute the Emperour at his Coronation with a lappe-full of stones Elige ab his saxis ex quo Augustissime Caesar Ipse tibi tumulum me fabricare velis Chuse great Emperour out of this whole heape what stone thou best likest for thine owne Sepulcher You that crowne your dayes with Rose-buds and flatter your hearts with a kingdome ouer pleasures thinke of a low graue for your bodies and a lower roome for your soules It is the subtiltie of our common enemie to conceale this woe from vs so long that wee might see it and feele it at once For if we could but foresee it we would feare it if we truely feared it we would make meanes not to feele it Our most fortified delights are like the childs castle done downe with a fillop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a shadow the very dreame of a shadow a rotten post slightly painted a paper-tower which the least puffe ouerturnes Cuncta trahit secum vertitque volubile tempus Time whirles about the world and makes all inferiour things to trauell and spend themselues together with him Sinfull and earthly delight is well called amiabile fragile flebile a thing soone loued sooner ended but long very long lamented a rotten nut faire but hollow Though Philosophy saith there is no vacuitie in rerum natura yet Diuinitie saith there is nothing but vacuitie in naturae rebuâ— Nature as it is not onely corrupt of it selfe but made more fowle in the euill mans vse hath nothing in it but vanitie and vanitie is nothing a meere emptinesse a vacuitie Hence if Aristotle commends the nature of things the better Philosopher Solomon discommends the things of nature especially in their base and bad vsage Onely the Deuils Feast-house hath a faire bush at the dore yet if the wine were good what needs the Iuie and therefore his people turne in thither
Indeede the Law still abides as Christ when hee rose from the graue the graue remained still Peâ—er freed from the Prison the Palsey from his Bed the young man from his Coffin the Prison Bed Coffin remaine still the persons are deliuered So the Law abides to mortifie our lustes still more and more but our conscience is freed from the bondage of it Wee are dead vnto it 3. They are dead to the world This Death is double Actiue and Passiue 1. Actiue The world is dead vnto vs. The vanitie of carnall ioyes the varietie of vanities are as bitter to vs as pleasant to the Cosmopolite or worldling And since wee must giue our voyces either to God or Mammon when God asketh as Iehu Who is on my side who We stand out for our God Angustum est stratum pectoris humani et vtrumque operire non potest Mans heart is too narrow a bed to lodge both God and the world in at once Qui vtrumque ambit in vtroque deficiet The Hound that followes two Hares will catch neither Nemo potest duobus Dominis neque dominijs inseruire No man can serve two Masters with true seruice especially when they command contrary things Thus is the world dead to vs For since the world is not so precious as the soule wee leaue the world to keepe our soule since both cannot well be affected at once Therefore we account all things drosse and losse for the excellent knowledge of Christ. 2. Passiue Wee are dead to the world As wee esteeme it drosse it esteemes vs filth Wee are made as the filth of the world and as the off-scowring of all things vnto this day As wee in a holy contempt tread it vnder in our workes and vilefie it in our words so it lookes vpon vs betwixt scorne and anger and offers to set his foote on our neckes But vicimus wee haue conquered Whosoeuer is borne of God ouercommeth the world and this is the victorie that ouercommeth the world euen our faith Let vs reioyce therefore in our Lord Iesus Christ by whom the world is crucified to vs and wee to the world These are good deaths blessed soules that are thus dead Their death is Mortification and like the Phoenix they are no sooner dead but they are new borne Their old mans Autumne is their new mans Spring-tide There are none thus dead at this Feast The dead here haue seared consciences poisoned affections warped withered rottâ—n soules Twice dead faith Saint Iude and some without hope of growing plucked vp by the rootes Though the Pythegorean error the transanimation or the departure of the soule from man to man was brought to the Basilideon heresie Nay which was more grosse though the Poets fained that the soules of men departed into beasts Orpheus into the Swanne Aiax into the Lyon Agamemnon into the Eagle Polititians into Bees and Ants the luxurious into Hogges tyrants into Wolues which were positions for Machiauell and Articles of Lucians faith Yet they might rather and that more fauourably to their owne credites speaking according to mens liues haue affirmed that the spirits of beasts might rather seeme to haue entred men if at leasâ— the beasts doe not preserue their nature better then men They liue whiles they liue men are dead euen liuing Impiè viuere est diu mori A wicked life is a continuall death And we may say of an old wicked man not that hee hath liued but that hee hath beene long Deus vita à qua qui distinguitur perit God is the true life without whom we cannot liue The heart of a wicked man thus becommeth dead The Deuill workes by suggesting man by consenting God by forsaking He forsakes thus 1. By suffering a hard heart to grow harder 2. By giuing successe to ill purposes which hee could haue disappointed 3. By not imparting the assistance of his spirit Thus he leaues them in darknesse that would not chuse the light and finding their hearts vndisposed to beleeue deliuers them vp to Infidelitie His not willing to soften is enough to harden his not willing to enlighten is to darken Dei claudare est clausis non aperire God is then said to shut vp when he doth not open to them that are shut vp God is able to soften the hard heart open the blinde eye pierce the deafe eare when hee doth it is mercie when not it is Iustice. Onely our falling is from our selues Oh Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in mee is thy helpe For God is euer formost in loue but last in hate He loued vs before we loued him but wee hate him before hee hates vs. Multi ne laberentur detenti nulli vt laberentur impulsi God preserues many from falling but hee thrusteth none downe By his strength we stand by our owne weakenesse we fall As in the sicknesse of the body so of the soule there are criticall dayes secret to our selues but well knowne to God whereby hee sees our recouerie vnlikely and therefore turnes vs ouer to the danger of our sicknesse That now too late Ierusalem knowes what was offred her in the day of her visitation God blindes the soule blinded before by Satan and hardens againe Pharaohs selfe-hardned heart Et quia non faciunt bona quae cognoscunt non cognoscent mala quae faciunt Because they would not doe the good they knew they shall doe the euill they knew not Thus is the soules death degreed vp Sinne gathers strength by custome and creepes like some contagious disease in the body from ioynt to ioynt and because not timely spied and medicined it threatens vniuersall hazard to the whole It swels like the Sea Vnda leuis maiora volumina sluctus ad coelum An Egge a Cockatrice a Serpent a fierie flying Serpent Custome indeede kills the soule The Curse that the Cretians vsed against their enemies was not fire on their houses nor rottennesse on their beasts nor a sword at their hearts but that which would in time trebble to them all these mischiefes that they might be delighted with an euill custome Temptation assaults the heart consent wounds it it lyes sicke of action it dies by delight in sinne it is buried by custome The Bell hath tolled for it Gods word hath mourned the Church hath prayed for it but quid valeant signa precesiâ—e What good can signes prayers doe when we voluntarily yeeld our heart to him that violently kils it Thus God leaues the heart and Satan ceaseth on it whose gripes are not gentler then Death Thus the habite of sinne takes away the sense of sinne and the conscience that was at first raw and bleeding as newly wounded is now seared vp with an hote iron The conscience of a wicked man first speakes to him as Peter tâ— Christ Master looke to thy selfe But he stops her mouth with a violent hand Yet shee would faine speake with him like the
importunate Widdow to doe her iustice Hee cannot well be rid of her therefore he sets her a day of hearing and when it is come faileth her Shee cries yet lowder for audience and when all his corrupt and bribed affections cannot charme her silence he drownes her complaints at a Tauerne or laughes her out of countenance at a Theater But if the pulse beates not the body is most dangerously sicke if the conscience pricke not there is a dying soule It is a lawlesse Schoole where there is an awlesse Monitor The Citie is easily surprised where the watch cannot ring the alarmes No maruell if numnesse be in the heart when there is drunkennesse in the conscience These are the dead guests Dead to all goodnesse Deafe eares lame feete blinde eyes maimed hands when there is any imployment for them in Gods seruice Eyes full of lust void of compassion Eares deafe to the word open to vanitie Feete swift to shed blood slow to the Temple Hands open to extortion shut to charitie To all religion the heart is a piece of dead flesh No loue no feare no care no paine can penetrate their senselesse and remorselesse hearts I know that according to the speech of the Philosopher Nemo fit repente miser This is no sodaine euill they were borne sick they haue made themselues dead Custome hath inveterated the vlcer rankled the conscience and now sinne flowtes the Physitians cure knowing the soule dead Through many wounds they come to this death At first they sinne and care not now they sinne and know not The often taken Potion neuer works Euen the Physicke of reproofe turnes now to their hardning Oh that our times vvere not full of this deadnesse How many neuer take the maske of Religion but to serue their owne turnes And when pietie becomes their aduantage yet they at once counterfet and contemne it If a wished successe answere the intention of their minds and contention of their hands God is not worthie of the praise either theâ—r fortune or their wit hath the glory of the deede and thankes for it But if they be crossed God shall be blasphemed vnder the name of destinie and hee shall be blamed for their ill to whom they will not be beholding for their good God is not thought of but in extremitie not spoken of but in blasphemie Oh dead hearts whose funerall we may lament whose reviuing wee may almost not hope But what will this deadnesse neuer be a little wakâ—ned True it is that God must miraculously raise vp the soule thus dead and put the life of his grace into it or it is dâ—sperate The conscience I confesse will not euer lye quiet in these dead guests but as they haue iayled vp that for a while in the darknesse of Securitie so when God looseth it it will rage as fast against them and dogge them to their graues For as there is a Heauen on earth so a Hell on earth The dead to sinne are heauen'd in this world the dead in sinne are hell'd here by the tormenting anguish of an vnappeaseable conscience As Bishop Latimer in a Sermon told these guests of a Feast in Hell which wil afford them little mirth where weeping is serued in for the first course gnashing of teeth for the second So after their Feast on Earth which was no better then Numa's where the Table swomme with delicate dishes but they were swimming dishes spectandâ— non gustandae dapes Let them prepare for another Banket where groanes shall be their bread and teares their drinke sighes and sorrowes all their Iunkets which the Erynnis of conscience and the Megaera of desperation shall serue in and no euerlastingnesse of time shall take away But these spiritually dead guests doe not euermore scape so long sometimes God giues them in this life a draught of that viall of his wrath which they shall after sup off to the bottome The wicked man that had no feare now shall haue too much feare Hee that begun with the wanton Comedie of presumption and profanenesse ends with the Tragedie of horrour and despaire Before he was so a-sleepe that nothing could waken him now hee is so waking that nothing can bring him a-sleepe Neither disport abroad nor quiet at home can possesse him hee cannot possesse himselfe Sinne is not so smooth at setting forth as turbulent at the iourneyes end The wicked haue their day wherein they runne from pleasure to pleasure as Iobs children from banket to banket their ioyes haue changes of varietie little intermission no cessation neither come they faster then their lusts call for them So God hath his day And woe vnto you that desire the day of the Lord to what end is it for you the day of the Lord is darknesse and not light As if a man did flee from a Lyon and a Beare met him or went into the house and leaned his hand on the Wall and a Serpent bit him Such is the vnrest of a conscience brought to fret for his sinnes So August Fugit ab agro in ciuitatem à publico ad domum à domo in cubiculum He runnes from the field into the Citie from the Citie to his house and in his house to the priuatest Chamber but he cannot flie his enemie that cannot flie himselfe At first the Deuils guest pursues pleasure so eagerly that hee would breake downe the barres that shut it from him and quarrell with venture of his blood for his delights nay for the conditions of his owne sorrow and damnation Now pleasure is offered him no it will not downe Musicke stands at his Windore it makes him as mad with discontent as it did once with ioy No â—est can stirre his laughter no companie can waken his vnreasonable and vnseasonable melancholy Now hee that was madder then Nâ—ro in his delights fearâ— compasseth him on euerie side Hee starts at his owne shaddow and would change firmenesse with an Aspen leafe He thinkes like the Burgundians euery Thistle a Launce euery Tree a man euery man a Deuill They feare where no feare was saith the Psalmist They thinke they see what they doe not see This is the wicked mans alteration time is he will not be warned time comes hee will not be comforted Then he is satisfied with lusts that thought satisfaction impossible Riches wearie him now to keepe them more then they wearied him once to get them and that was enough So I haue read the oppressers will Lego omnia bona mea domino Regi corpus sepulturae animam diabolo I bequeath all my goods to the King my body to the graue my soule to the Deuill He that did wrong to all would now seeme to doe right to some in giuing his coyne to the Prince whom he had deceiued his soule to the Deuill whom hee had seâ—ued Wherein as he had formerly iniured man now he inâ—ures both God and himselfe too 3. I haue dwelt the longer on this spirituall deadnesse because the guests at this
soule her true forme and playes the make-bate betwixt God and thee betwixt thee and thy selfe So long as securitie hath kept thee sleeping in thy delighted impieties this quarrell is not commenced The mortallest enemies are not alwayes in pitched fields one against another This truce holds some till their death-beds neither doe they euer complaine till their complaints can doe them no good For then at once the sicke carkase after many tossings and turnings to finde the easiest side moanes his vnabated anguish and the sicker conscience after triall of many shifts too late feeleth and confesseth her vnappeased torment So Cain Iudas Nero in vaine seeke for forraine helps when their executioner is within them The wicked man cannot want furies so long as he hath himselfe Indeede the soule may flye from the body not sinne from the soule An impatient Iudas may leape out of the priuate hell in himselfe into the common pit below as the boyling fishes out of the Caldron into the flame But the gaine hath beene the addition of a new hell without them not the losse of the old hell within them The worme of Conscience doth not then cease her office of gnawing when the fâ—ends begin their office of torturing Both ioyne their forces to make the dissolutely wicked desolately wretched If this man be not in the depth of Hell deepely miserable there is none Loe now the Shot at the Deuils Banket A reckoning must be payd and this is double 1. the earnest in this life 2. the full payment in the life to come The earnest is whiles Hell is cast into the wicked the full satisfaction is when the wicked shall be cast into Hell Whosoeuer was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the Lake of fire I will take leaue to amplifie both these a little further 1. The earnest is the horrour of an euill conscience which sparkles with the beginnings of future torments I know that some feele not this in the pride of their vanities or at least will not seeme to feele it Some whorish for-heads can out-face their sinnes and laugh them out of countenance Wide gorges that can swallow periuries bloodynesse adulteries vsuries extortions without trouble But it may be the heart doth not laugh with the looke He dares be an hypocrite that durst be a villaine If hee would speake truth of himsâ—lfe he would testifie that his thoughts will not affoord him sleepe nor his sleepe affoord him rest but whiles his senses are bound his sinne is loose No command of reason can quiet the tempest in his heart No sonne of Sceua no helpe of the world can cast out this Deuill The blood of the body often being stopped in the issue at the nostrils bursts out at the mouth or finds way into the stomach The conscience thus wounded will bleed to death if the blood of Iesus Christ doe not stanch it Thinke of this ye that forget God and are onely indulgent to your selues the time shall come you shall remember God neither to your thankes nor ease and would forget your selues Happy were it for you if you hauing lost your God could also loose your selues But you cannot hide your selues from your selues Conscience will neither be blinded in seeking nor bribed in speaking You shall say vnto it as that wicked Ahab to Elias hast thou found me oh thou mine enemie yet alas all this is but the earnest A hell I may call it and a deepe hell and as I â—ay say a little smoake reâ—king out of that fiery pit whereby the afâ—licted may giue a guesse at Hell as Pythagoras guessed at the stature of Hercules by the length of his foote But else per nulla figura gehâ—nnae nothing can truely resemble Hell 2. The earnest is infinitly short of the totall summe And his Lord was wroth and deliuered him to the tormenters till hee should pay all that was due vnto him The guest must indure a death not dying liue a life not liuing no torment ends without the beginning of a worse The sight afflicted with darknesse and vgly Deuills the hearing with shrikes and horrible cries the smelling with noysome stenches the tast with rauenous hunger and bitter gall the feeling with intollerable yet vnquenchable fire Thousands poynting at not one among thousands pitying the distressed wreâ—ch I know this Earth is a dungeon in regard of Heauen yet a Heauen in respect of Hell wee haue miserie enough here it is mercie to what is there Thinke of a gloomy hideous and deepe Lake full of pestilent dampes and rotten vapours as thicke as cloudes of pitch more palpable then the fogs of Egipt that the eye of the Sunne is too dull to peirce them and his heate too weake to dissolue them Adde hereunto a fire flashing in the reprobates face which shall yeeld no more light then with a glimpse to shew him the torments of others and others the torments of himselfe yet withall of so violent a burning that should it glow on mountaines of steele it would melt them like mountaines of Snow This is the guests reckoning a sore a sowre payment for a short and scarce sweet Banket All his senses haue been pleased now they are all plagued In stead of perfumes fragrant odors a sulphurous stench shall strike vp into his nosthrils In stead of his lasciuious Dalila's that fadomed him in the armes of lust behold Adders Toades Serpents crawling on his bosome In stead of the Dorian musicke charming his eares Man-drakes and Night-rauens still shriking to them the reuerberating grones of euer and neuer dying companions tolling their funerall not finall knels and yels round about him In stead of wanton kisses snakes euer sucking at his breath and galling his flesh with their neuer blunted stings Thinke of this feast you riotous feasters in sinne There is a place called Hell whither after the generall and last assises the condemned shall be sent through a blacke way death is but a shadow to it with many a sigh and sobbe and grones to those cursed fiends that must be their tormentors as they haue beene their tempters Behold now a new feast a fatall a finall one To suppe in the vault of darknesse with the princes and subiects of horror at the table of vengance in the chaire of desperation Where the difference on earth betwixt Master and Seruant drudge and commander shall be quite abolished Except some Atheisticall Machiauell or trayterous Seminary or some bloody delegate of the Inquisition be admitted the vpper-end of the table But otherwise there is no regard of age beauty riches valour learning birth The vsurer hath not a cushion more then his broker There is not the bredth of a bench betweene Herod and his Parasites The Pope himselfe hath no easier a bed then the poorest Masse-priest Corinthian Lais speeds no better then her chambermaid The Cardinall hath not the vpper hand of his Pander There is no prioritie betweene the plotter
capable of the Church-goods though not pliable to the Churches good Thus hauing prouided for the estate of his Inheritance of his Aduancement of his Carkasse he comes last to thinke of his Conscience I would to God this were not too frequently the worlds fashion Whereas heretofore Primogeniti eo iure Sacerdotes the first-borne had the right of Priesthood now the younger Sonne if he fit for nothing else lights vpon that priuiledge That as a reuerend Diuine saith Younger Brothers are made Priests and Priests are made younger Brothers Yet alas for all diseases Nature prouideth Art prepareth Medicines He is fed in this Country whom that refuseth An estate lost by Shipwracke on Sea may be recouered by good-speede on Land And in ill health for euery sore of the bodie there is a salue for euery maladie a remedie but for the Conscience Nature hath no cure as Lust no care Hei mihi quod nullis anima est medicabilis herbis There is no hearbe to heale the wounds of the soule though you take the whole world for the Garden All these professions are necessarie that mens Ignorance might not preiudice them either in wealth health or grace God hath made men fit with qualities and famous in their faculties to preserue all these sound in vs. The Lawyer for thy wealth the Physitian for thy health the Diuine for thy soule Physitians cure the body Ministers the Conscience The Church of Israell is now exceeding sicke and therefore the more dangerously because she knowes it not No Physicke is affected therefore no health effected She lyes in a Lethargie and therefore speechlesse She is so past sense of her weakenesse that God himselfe is faine to ring her Passing-bell Aarons bells cannot ring lowd enough to waken her God toles from Heauen a sad knell of complaint for her It is I â—hinke a custome not vnworthie of approbation when a languishing Christian drawes neere his end to tole a heauie Bell for him Set aside the preiudice of Superstition and the ridiculous conceits of some olde Wiues whose wits are more decrepit then their bodies and I see not why reasons may not be giuen to proue it though not a necessarie yet an allowed Ceremonie 1. It puts into the sicke man a sense of mortallitie and though many other obiects should do no lesse yet this seasonably performes it If any particular flatterer or other carnall friends should vse to him the susurration that Peter did once to Christ Master fauour thy selfe this shall not be vnto thee though sicknesse lyes on your bed Death shall not enter your Chamber the euill day is farre off feare nothing you shall liue many yeeres or as the Deuill to our Grandmother you shall not dye Or if the May of his yeeres shall perswade himselfe to the remotenesse of his Autumne or if the loue of earthly pleasure shall denie him voluntarie leasure to thinke of Death As Epâ—minondas Generall of the Thebans vnderstanding a Captaine of his Armie to be dead exceedingly wondred how in a Campe any should haue so much leasure as to be sicke In a word whatsoeuer may flatter him with hope of life the Bell like an impartiall friend without either the too broad eyes of pittie or too narrow of partiallitie sounds in his owne eares his owne weakenesse and seemes to tell him that in the opinion of the world hee is no man of the world Thus with a kinde of Diuinitie it giues him ghostly counsell to remit the care of his Carkasse and to admit the cure of his Conscience It toles all in it shall tole thee in to thy graue 2. It excites the hearers to pray for the sicke and when can Prayers be more acceptable more comfortable The faithfull deuotions of so many Christian-neighbours sent vp as Incense to Heauen for thee are very auaileable to pacifie an offended Iustice. This is S. Iames his Physicke for the sicke nay this is the Lords comfort to the sicke The prayer of faith shall saue the sicke and the Lord shall raise him vp and if hee haue committed sinnes they shall be forgiuen him Now though we be all seruants of one familie of God yet because of particular families on earth and those so remoued that one member cannot condole anothers griefe that it feeles not non dolet cor quod non nouit The Bell like a speedie Messenger runnes from house to house from eare to eare on thy soules errand and begges the assistance of their Prayers Thy heart is thus incited to pray for thy selfe others excited to pray for thee Hee is a Pharisee that desires not the Prayers of the Church he is a Publican that will not beseech Gods mercie for the afflicted Thy time and turne will come to stand in neede of the same succour if a more sodaine blast of Iudgement doe not blow out thy Candle Make thy sicke Brothers case thine now that the Congregatioâ— may make thine theirs hereafter Be in this exigent euen a friend to thine enemie least thou become like Babell to be serued of others as thou hast serued others or at least at best in falling Nero's case that cried I haue neither friend nor enemie 3. As the Bell hath often rung thee into the Temple on earth so now it rings thee vnto the Church in Heauen from the militant to the triumphant place from thy pilgrimage to thy home from thy peregrination to the standing Court of God To omit manie other significant helps enough to iustifie it a laudable ceremonie it doth as it were mourne for thy sinnes and hath compassion on thy passion Though in it selfe a dumbe nature yet as God hath made it a creature the Church an instrument and Art giuen it a tongue it speakes to thee to speake to God for thy selfe it speakes to others that they would not be wanting Israell is sicke no Bell stirres no Balme is thought of no Prophet consulted not God himselfe sollicited Hence behold a complaint from Heauen a knell from aboue the Clouds for though the words sound through the Prophets lips who toles like a Passing-Bell for Israell yet they come from the mouth of the Lord of Hoasts The Prophet Ezekiell vseth like words and addes with them the Lord of Hoasts saith it There is no doubt of his spirituall inspiration all the question is of his personall appropriation It is certaine that the Prophet Ieremie speakes here many things in his owne person and some in the person of God Now by comparing it with other like speeches in the Prophets these words sound as from a mercifull and compassionate Maker Why is not the health of my People recouered Mei populi saith God who indeede might alone speake possessiuely Mine for hee had chosen and culled them out of the whole world to be his people Why are not My people recouered There is Balme and there are Physitians as in Esay What could I haue done more for my Vineyard The words are
if earth be at once neerer to your standing and vnderstanding and like dissembling Louers that to auoyd suspition diuert their eyes from that cheeke whereon they haue fixed their hearts so you loooke one way and loue another Heauen hauing your countenance Earth your confidence then for Earth read this instruction in all things the destruction of all things For if the raâ—ified and azure body of this lower Heauen shall bee folded vp like a Scrole of Parchment then much more this drossie feculent and sedimentall Earth shall be burnt Vret cum terris vret cum gurgite ponti Communis mundo superest rogus c. The Heauens shall passe away with a â—oyse and the Elements shall melt with feruent heate the Earth also and the workes that are therein shall be burnt vp At least quoad â—iguram though not quoad naturam The forme shall be changed though not the nature abollished Euerie creature on earth may teach vs the fallibillitie of it It is an Hieroglyphicke of vanitie and mutabillitie There is nothing on it that is of it that is not rather vitiall then vitall In all the corrupted parts of this decrepit and doting world mens best lesson of morallitie is a lesson of mortalitie As it was once said Foelix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas so now better Foelix qui poterit rerum cognoscere casus It is good to know the casuall beginnings of things it is better to know their casuall ends It is good to be a naturall Philosopher but better to bee a supernaturall a Christian Philosopher That whiles we intentiuely obserue the creature we may attentiuely serue the Creator That which is said of pregnant wits is more true of Christian hearts that they can make vse of any thing As Trauellers in forraine Countries make euery slight obiect a lesson so let vs thriue in grace by euery presented worke of Nature As the eye must see and the foote walke and the hand worke so the heart must consider What Gods doings which are maruellous in our vnderstandings eyes God looked vpon his owne workes saw they were good and delighted in them sure it is his pleasure also that wee should looke vpon them to admire his wisedome power prouidence mercie appearing both in their nature and their disposition The least of Gods works is worthie the obseruation of the greatest Angell Now what Trewants are we that hauing so many Tutours reading to vs learne nothing of them The Heathen were condemned for not learning the inuisible things of God from his visible workes For shall wee still plod on the great volume of Gods works and neuer learne to spell one word of vse of instruction of comfort to our selues Can wee behold nothing through the Spectacles of contemplation Or shall we be euer reading the great Booke of Nature and neuer translate it to the Booke of Grace The Saints did thus So haue I read that worthy Esay sitting among other Diuines and hearing a sweet consort of Musicke as if his soule had beene borne vp to Heauen tooke occasion to thinke and speake thus What Musicke may we thinke there is in Heauen A friend of mine viewing attentiuely the great pompe and state of the Court on a solemne day spake not without some admiration What shall we thinke of the glory in the Court of God Happy obiect and well obserued that betters the soule in grace But I haue beene prolixe in this point let the breuitie of the next succour it 2. Phisicke and Diuinitie are Professions of a neere affinitie both intending the cure and recouerie one of our bodies the other and better of our soules Not that I would haue them conioyned in one person as one spake merrily of him that was both a Phisitian and a Minister that whom he tooke money to kill by his Physicke he had also money againe to burie by his Priesthood Neither if God hath powred both these gifts into one man doe I censure their Vnion or perswade their separation Onely let the Hound that runnes after two Hares at once take heede least hee catch neither Ad duo qui tendit non vnum nec duo prendit And let him that is called into Gods Vineyard hoc agere attend on his office And beware least to keepe his Parish on sound legges he let them walke with sickly consciences Whiles Galâ—â— Auicen take the wall of Paul Peter I doe not here taxe but rather praise the works of mercie in those Ministers that giue all possible comâ—orts to the distressed bodies of their brethren Let the professions be heterogenâ—a different in their kindes onely respondentia semblable in their proceedings The Lord created the Physitian so hath he ordained the Minister The Lord hath put into him the knowledge of Nature into this the knowledge of grace All knowledge is deriued from the Fountaine of Gods wisedome The Lord hath created Medicines out of the earth The Lord hath inspired his holy word from heauen The good Physitian acts the part of the Diuine They shall pray vnto the Lord that he would prosper that which they giue for ease remedy to prolong life The good Minister after a sort is a Physitian Onely it is enough for the Sonne of God to giue both naturall and spirituall Physicke But as Plato spake of Philosophie that it couets the imitation of God within the limits of possibillitie and sobrietie so wee may say of Physicke it is conterminate to Diuinitie so farre as a Handmaid may follow her Mistresse The Institutions of both preserue the constitutions of men The one would preuent the obstructions of our bodies the other the destructions of our soules Both purge our feculent corruptions both would restore vs to our primarie and originall health though by reason of our impotencie and indisposition neither is able Both oppose themselues against our death either our corporall or spirituall perishing When the spirit of God moued on the waters and from that indigested confused mixture did by a kinde of Alchimicall extraction seperation sublimation coniunction put all things into a sweet consort and harmonious beautie hee did act a Phisitians part God is in many places a Phisitian Exod. 15. I am the Lord that healeth thee Deut. 32. I kill I make aliue I wound and I heale Ier. 17. Heale me O Lord and I shall be healed saue me and I shall be saued Sometimes he is as a Surgion to binde vp the sores of the broken-hearted and to stanch the bleeding wounds of the Conscience Nay Dauid intreats him to put his bones in course againe So Christ hath sent his Ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad coagmentationem as Beza reades it to put in ioynt the luxate members of the Church that are compacted by ioynts And in the period or full stoppe of time God will minister to the world the phisicke of Fire to purge the sicke body of it as heâ—
their owne vse shall at last with as inuincible forwardnesse bespeake themselues euery curse in the sacred volume Thus easie and ordinarie is it for men to be others Phisitians rather then their owne Statesmen in forraine Common-wealths not looking into their owne dores sometimes putting on Aarons Robes and teaching him to teach and often scalding their lips in their Neighbours Pottage They can weede other Gardens whiles their owne is ouer-runne with Nettles Like that too obsequious Romane Souldiour that digged a fountaine for Caesar and perished himselfe in a voluntary thirst But Charitie begins at home and hee that loues not his owne soule I vvill hardly trust him with mine The Vsurer blames his Sonâ—es pride sees not his owne extortion And whiles the hypocrite is helping the dissolute out of the mire he stickes in deeper himselfe The Pharises are on the Disciples Iacket for eating with vnwashen hands whiles themselues are not blame-worthy that eate with vnwashen hearts No maruell if when we fixe both our eyes on others wants wee lacke a third to see our owne If two blinde men rush one vpon another in the vvay either complaines of others blindnesse neither of his owne Thus like mannerly guests when a good morsell is carued to vs wee lay it liberally on anothers trencher and fast our selues How much better were it for vs to feed on our owne portion Goe backe goe backe thou foolish sinner turne in to thine owne house and stray not with Dina till thou be rauished Consider your wayes in your hearts If thou findest not worke enough to doe at home in cleansing thy owne heart come forth then and helpe thy Neighbours Whosoeuer you are sit not like lookers on at Gods Mart but hauing good vvares profferd you and that so cheape grace peace and remission of sinnes for nothing take it and blesse his name that giues it Receiue with no lesse thankfulnesse the Phisicke of admonition he sends you apply it carefully if it doe not worke on your soules effectually there is nothing left that may doe you good The word of God is powerfull as his owne Maiestie and shall neuer returne backe to himselfe againe without speeding the Commission it went for Apply it then to your soules in faith and repentance least God apply it in feare and vengeance Lord open our hearts with the key of Grace that thy holy word may enter in to raigne in vs in this world and to saue vs in the world to come Amen FINIS THE Sinners passing-Bell OR Phisicke from Heauen THE Second Sermon Published by THOMAS ADAMS Preacher of Gods Word at Willington in Bedford-shire HOSEA 13.9 Oh Israell thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in mee is thy helpe AVGVST Serm. de Temp. 145. Quid de te tu ipse tam male meruisti vt inter bona tua nolis aliquod esse malum nisi teipsum How didst thou oh wicked man deserue so ill of thy selfe that among all thy goods thou wouldst haue nothing bad but thy selfe LONDON Printed by Thomas Snodham for Ralph Mab and are to be sold in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Grayhound 1614. TO THE VERIE WORTHY GENTLEman Mr. Iohn Alleyne sauing health SIR I haue endeuoured in this short Sermon to prescribe to these sicke times some spirituall Phisicke The ground I haue receiued from the direction of God the methode I submit to the correction of man In this I might erre in the other I could not The maine and materiall obiects I haue leuelled at are 1. to beget in vs a sense of the sinnes we haue done of the miseries whereby we are vndone 2. To rebuke our forgetfulnesse of Gods long-since ordained remedie the true intrinsique Balme of his Gospell In the sauing vse whereof wee are like some Countries blessed with the medicinall benefits of Nature yet through nescience or negligence defectiue to our selues in the application Inward diseases are as frequent as outward those by disquiet of minde as these by disdiet of body It was a rare age that had no spirituall plague ranging and raging in it Ours hath manifold and manifest vile and viâ—ible ones the VVorld growing at once olde and decayed in nature lustie and actiue in producing sinnes VVickednesse is an aged Harlot yet as pregnant and teeming as euer It cannot be denied but that our Iniquities are so palpable that it is as easie to proue them as to reproue them Were our bodies but halfe so diseased and yet this yeere hath not fauoured them as our soules are a strange and vnheard of mortallitie would ensue Man is naturally very indulgent to himselfe but misplaceth his bountie Hee giues the body so much libertie that it becomes licentious but his soule is so prisoned vp in the bonds of corrupt affections that she cries of him as that troubled Princesse of her strict keeper from such a Iaylour good Lord deliuer me The Flesh is made a Gentleman the Minde a Beggar Sicke wee are yet consult not the Oracles of Heauen for our welfare nor sollicite the helpe of our great Phisitian Christ. He is our Sauiour and bare our sicknesses saith the Prophet yea tooke on him our infirmities Infirmitates speciei non indiuidui Infirmities commune to the nature of mankinde not particularly incident to euery singular person Those hee tooke on himselfe that he might know the better to succour vs in our weaknesse As the Queene sung of her selfe in the Poet. Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco It is most perfectly true of our Iesus that hee learned by his owne sorrowes to pitie ours though all his sufferance was for our sakes But how should hee helpe vs if wee make not our moane to him How should we be restored when Gods sauing Phisicke is vnsought vnbought vnapplied To conuince our neglect and perswade our better vse of the Gospell tends this weake labour To your protection it willingly flies and would rest it selfe vnder your shadow The God of Peace giue you the peace of God which passeth all vnderstanding and afford you many ioyes in this life to the end and in the next his ioy without end Yours in the seruices of loue THO. ADAMS THE Sinners Passing-Bell OR Phisicke from Heauen The sixt Sermon IEREM 8.22 Is there no Balme at Gilead Is there no Phisitian there why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recouered THe Allegorie is Tripartite and propounds to our considerations 1. What is the Balme 2. Who are the Phisitians 3. Who are the sicke The Balme is the Word The Phisitians are the Ministers The Sicke are the Sinners For the first The Balsame-Tree is a little shrubbe neuer growing past the height of two Cubites and spreading like a Vine The Tree is of an Ash-colour the boughs small and tender the leaues are like to Rew. Isidore thus distinguisheth it The Tree is called Basamum the Roote orilo-Balsamum the Branches Xylo-Balsamum the Seede carpo-Balsamum the Iuyce opo-Balâ—amum Plinie saith the
Tree is all medicinable the chiefe and prime vertue is in the Iuyce the second in the Seede the third in the Rinde the last and weakest in the Stocke It comforts both by tasting and smelling It is most commonly distinguished by Phisitians into Lignum Semen Lâ—quorem the Wood the Seede and the Iuyce This is the nature of the Balsamum This holy Word is heere called Balme and si fas sit magnis componere parua if wee may compare heauenly with earthly spirituall with naturall things they agree in many resemblances The vn-erring Wisedome of Heauen hath giuen this comparison There is no feare to build on Gods ground whiles the Analogie of Faith limits vs. It is the Builders first and principall care to chuse a sure foundation The rotten moorish quicke-sandy grounds that some haue â—et their edifices on haue failed their hopes and destituted their intents How many worthy wittes haue spent their times and studies to dawbe vp the â—ilthy walls of Rome with vntempered morter How well had they hunted if they had not mistaken their game How rich apparrell haue they wouen for a Babilonish Harlot How well had they sailed if Rome had not guided their Compasse But euery mans worke shall be made manifest For the day shall declare it because it shall be reuealed by fire and the fire shall try euery mans worke of what sort it is Happy is he that hath a rocke for his ground that no gusts stormes windes waues may ouer-turne his house Though other foundation none can lay then that is layd which is Iesus Christ yet blessed is hee that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath builded safely vpon this ground God hath here layd my ground I will be hold to build my speech on that whereon I build my faith Onely sobrietie shall be my bounds Wee may call Gods word that Balme tree whereon the fruit of life growes A tree that heales a tree that helps A tree of both medicament and nutriment Like the Tree of life which beares twelue manner of fruits and yeeldeth her fruit euery moneth Neither is the fruit onely nourishing but euen the leaues of the tree were for the healing of the Nations Now though the Balme heere whereunto the Word is compared is more generally taken for the iuyce now fitted and ready for application yet without pinching the Metaphore or restraining the libertie of it I see not why it may not so be likened both for generall and particular properties It is not enough to say this but to shew it Let me say it now shew it anone For the Balme you haue the Tree the Seed the Iuice Gods Word will not vnfitly paralell it in resemblances transcend it in effectuall properties The Tree it selfe is the Word We finde the eternall Word so compared I am the true Vine and my Father is the Husbandman Hee is a Tree but arbor inuersa the roote of this tree is in Heauen It was once made â—lesh and dwelt amongst vs and wee beheld his glory the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father full of grace and truth Now hee is in Heauen Onely this Word still speakes vnto vs by his word the word incarnate by the word written made sounding in the mouth of his Ministers This word of His is compared and expressed by many Metaphores to leauen for seasoning to honey for sweetning to the hammer for breaking the stonie heart Is not my Word like as a fire saith the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh the rocke in pieces To a sword that cuts both wayes The word of God is quicke and powerfull and sharper then a two-edged sword c. Another sword can but enter the flesh and pierce the bones or at most diuide the soule and the body but this the soule and the spirit where no other sword can come no not the Cherubins sierie sword that kept the passage of Paradise It is here a Tree a Balme-tree a saluing a sauing tree Albumasar saith that the more medicinable a plant is the lesse it nourisheth But this Tree reddit aegrotum sanum sanum verò santorem makes a sicke soule sound and a whole one sounder It is not onely Phisicke when men be sicke but meate when they be vvhole Triacle to expell preseruatiues to preuent poyson It is not onely a sword to beate backe our common enemie but a Bulwarke to hinder his approach It carries a seed with it Carpo-balâ—amum an immortall and incorruptible seed which concurres to the begetting of a new man the old rotting and dying away for it hath power of both to mortifâ—e and dead the â—lesh to reuiue and quicken the spirit That seed which the sower went out to sow Happy is the good ground of the heart that receiues it That little Mustard-seed which sprâ—ads vp into branches able to giue the fowles of heauen harbour Disâ—rimâ—n hoc inter opâ—ra Dei et Mundi This difference is betwixt the workes of God and of the World The workes of the world haue great and swelling Entrances but malo sine clauduntur they halt in the conclusion The vvorkes of God from a most slender beginning haue a most glorious issue The vvord is at first a little seed how powerfull how plentifull are the effects how manifold how manifest are the operations of it casting downe the highest things that exalt themselues against the knowledge of God and captiuating euery thought to the obedience of Christ. The iuyce is no lesse powerfull to mollifie the stony heart and make it tender and soft as a heart of flesh The seed conuinceth the vnderstanding the Iuyce mollifieth the affections All is excellent but still conspicuum minùs quod maximè est praeclarum the roote that yeelds this seed this iuyce is the power of God A tree hath manifest to the eye leaues and flowers and fruits but the roote most precious lies hidden In man the body is seene not the purer and better part of him his soule The Kings daughter though her cloathing be of wrought gold is most glorious within In all things we see the accidents not the forme not the substance There are but few that rightly tast the seed and the iuyce but who hath comprehended the roote of this Balme The Balsame is a little tree but it spreads beyond a Vine The vertue of it in all respects is full of dilatation It spreads 1. largely for shadow 2. pregnantly for fruit 3. all this from a small beginning So that we may say of it as the Church of her Sauiour As the apple tree among the trees of the wood so is my Beloued among the Sonnes I sate downe vnder his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my tast It spreads No sharpe frosts nor nipping blasts nor chilling aires nor drisling sleete can marre the beautie or eneruate the vertue of this spirituall Tree The more it is stopped the
should heare the crackling of his Sauiours bones Digitis tunc obserat aures Nâ— collisa crepent Christi quem conterit ossa So these become voluntarily deafe Adders and will not heare Christ crucified the preaching of the crosse of Christ as Paul calls it which is able to kill our sinnes and quicken our soules I haue read it reported that the Adders in the East and those hote Countries did so subtilly euade the Charmers thus When she heares the Pipe she will couch one eare close to the ground and couer the other with her taile So doe worldlings they fill one eare with earth as much couâ—tous dirt as they can cramme into it the other eare they close vp with their lewd lâ—sts as the Adder with her winding taile that they haue none left for their God for their good And being thus deafe to holy and heauenly incantations they are easily by Sathan oueâ—-reached ouer-rul'd ouer-throwne So vnweldy is Christs yoake to the raging Mule so heauie his burden to the reluctant horse so hard his Law to the carnall Capernaite so sowre his Balme to the wicked palate Though to the godly his yoake is easie and his burden light Woe vnto them for they call sweet sowre Gods Balme distastfull and sowre sweet the worlds Boleno sauoury They are not more propitious to vice then malicious to goodnesse For others they loue a Barrabas better then a Barnabas For themselues euery one had rather be a Diues then a Diuus a rich sinner then a poore Saint No maruell if the blinde man cannot iudge of colours nor the deafe distinguish sounds nor the sicke rellish meates Gods word is sweet how euer they iudge it and their hearts are sowre how euer they will not thinke it My wayes are equall but your wayes are vnequall saith the Lord of hoasts 3. They write of the Balsamum that the manner of getting out the iuyce is by wounding the tree Sanciata arbor praebet opobalsamum Prouided that they cut no further then the â—â—nde for if the wound extends to the body of the tree it bleedes to death I haue read no lesse of Vines that vniustly pruin'd they bleede away their liues with their sappes The issuing Balme is called opobalsamum as some from the Greeke opo which signifies a Denne or rather of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iuyce A trebble lesson here inuites our obseruation 1. The Balsame tree weepes out a kinde of gumme like teares the word of God doth compassionately bemoanâ— our sinnes Christ wept not onely teares for Ierusalem but blood for the world His wounds gush out like fountaines and euery drop is blood Ecce in lachrimis in sanguine locutus est mundo His whole life was a continuall mourning for our sinnes Nunquam ridere dictus flere saepissimè Hee may adiure vs to repentance and obedience by more forcible arguments then euer Dido vsed to Aeneas Ego vos per has lachrymas per hos gemitus per haec vulnera per corpus sanguine mersum I entreate you by teares by groanes by wounds by a body as it were drown'd in it owne blood by all these mercies of Christ whereby wee doe not onely perswade you of our selues but God doth beseech you through vs. If those teares sighes wounds bloud moue not our consciences we haue impenetrable soules If the heart-blood of Christ cannot make thy heart to relent and thy feete to tremble when thy concupiscence sends them on some wicked errand thy hands tongue and all parts and powers of thee to forget their office when thou wouldst sinne obstinately thou art in a desperate case These were the teares of this Balme tree The word doth in many places as it were weepe for our sinnes panting out the grieuance of a compassionate God Why will ye dye oh you house of Israell What Prophet hath written without sorrow One of them Threnos suspirat sighes out a booke of Lamentations which Greg. Nazianzene saith Nunquam à se siccis oculis lectos esse that he could neuer read with dry eyes The other Prophets also like Quailes curas hominum gesserunt tooke on them the burden of many mens sorrowes Cyprian had so compassionate a sympathie of others euill deedes euill sufferings that cum singulis pectus meum copulo cum plangentibus plango saith hee I ioyne my breast with others and challenge a partnership in their griefes A Minister saith Chrysostome debet esse lugens sua et aliena delicta should be still lamenting his owne sinnes and the sinnes of his people Monachus est plangentis officium The office of a Minister is the office of a Mourner All these are but as Canes to deriue to our obseruation the teares of this Balme 2. The way to get out the iuyce of Balme from Gods word is by cutting it skilfull diuision of it which S. Paul calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rightly diuiding the word of truth It is true that Gods word is panis vitae the bread of life but whiles it is in the whole loafe many cannot helpe themselues it is needfull for children to haue it cut to them in pieces Though the Spice vnbroken be sweet and excellent yet doth it then trebble the sauour in delicacie when it is pounded in a Morter All the Balme-tree is medicinall yet the effectuall working is better helped by cutting the stocke by taking out the iuyce and by distributing to euery man a portion according to the proportion of his wants With no lesse heedfulnesse must the word be diuided that some may receiue it gentle and mollifying and others as a sharper ingredient As there is a double composition in men pride and humillitie so there must be a double disposition in preaching the word of meekenesse of terrour Aarons Bells must be wisely rung sometimes the Trebble of Mercie sometimes the Tenour of Iudgement sometimes the Counter-tenour of Reproose and often the Meane of Exhortation There is no lesse discretion required to application then to explication As Phisitians prescribe their Medicines by drammes or ounces according to the Patients strength or weakenesse So Diuines must feed some with milke others with stronger meate The learned should haue deeper points the simple plainer principles How easie is it for many a weake stomach to surfet euen on the food of life though the fault lies not in any superfluitie of the word but in the deficiencie of his vnderstanding The absence of sobrietie in the speaker is more intollerable then in the hearer The people must take such meate as their Cookes dresse to them Let none of Eli's Sonnes slubber vp the Lords Sacrifice or Seruice Let not good Balme be marr'd by a fustie vessell Seasonable discretion must attend vpon sound knowledge Wisedome vvithout Wit is meat without salt Wâ—t without Wâ—sedome is salt without meate Some Wells are so deepe that a man can draw no water out of them these bury their gifts in the graue
their euersion is our conuersion They were Gods Vâ—ne but they lost their sweetnesse They vvere Gods Oliues but they lost their fatnesse Therefore God tooke away his Balme 6. Pliny affirmes that euen when the Balâ—ame tree grew onely in Iury yet it was not growing commonly in the Land as other trees either for Timber Fruit or Medicine but onely in the Kings Garden The prepared Iuyce or Opobalâ—amum was communicated to their wants but the Trees stoode not in a Subiects Orchard He saith further that it grew in two Orchyards of the Kings whereof the greater was of twentie dayes aring I force no greater credite to this then you will willingly giue it which yet is not improbable but this I build on and propound for truth that this spirituall Balme growes onely in the Garden of the King of Heauen To him that ouercommeth will I giue to â—ate of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God It growes in the Paradise or heauenly Orchard of God The roote of it is in Heauen there sits that holy tree at the right hand of his Father His fruit his seed his Balme he sends downe to vs written by his Prophets and Apostles read and preached by his Ministers Mahomet would challenge this Balme to grow in his Garden and bids vs search for it in his Alchoran The Apostate Iewes affirme it to grow in their Sinagogue and point vs to the Talmud The Russian or Muscouitish turne vs ouer to their Nicolâ—itan Font and bid vs diue for it there The Pope pluckes vs by the sleeue as a Trades-man that would faine take our money and tells vs that he onely hath the Balme and shewes vs his Masse-booke If we suspect it there hee warrants the vertue from a generall Councell If it doth not yet smell well he affirmes not without menacing damnation to our mistrust that it is euen in scrinio pectoris sui in the closet of his owne breast who cannot erre Tut saith he as it growes in Gods Garden simply it may poyson you As if it were dangerous to be medled withall till he had plaid the Apothecarie and adulterated it with his owne sophistication Indeede he makes it sweet by his fayning it and therefore his Shop wants not Customers But it is deere when Gods is cheape saith the Prophet Buy it without money without price Wherefore doe you spend money c. Well it can grow in one onely Garden and that is Gods There is but one truth Onâ— Lord one Faith one Baptisme c. Euen they that haue held the greatest falshoods hold that there is but one truth Nay most will confesse that this Balsame tree is onely in Gods Garden but they presume to temper the Balme at their owne pleasure and vvill not minister it to the world except their owne fansie hath compounded it confounded it with their impure mixtures No false Religion no fundamentall Heresie but giue God the appropriation of the Balme but they take to themselues the ministration the adulteration of it So in effect they either arrogate the Balme to themselues or take it out of Gods Garden as it were whither he will or no to plant it in their owne So they bragge euery one of this Balme But who will not suspect the Wares out of a knowne Couseners Shop It is vnlawfull and wicked to offer to Gods Church Balsamum vâ—l alterum velidem alteratum either another Balme or after another fashion then he appoints But as Clusius writes of new Balmes Peruvianum et Balsamum de Tolu from Peru and Tolu so demonstration is made vs of new Balmes some rather Logicall then Theologicall Germanie knowes my meaning Others produce vs Balmes of Piety made vp with Pollicie the coate of Religion put vpon the backe of State Where there may be some Balme but it is so mixed that it is marred For to a scruple of that they put in whole ounces of other ingredients an ounce of Oleum vulpinuâ— Foxe-like subtiltie as much oleum viperis poysonable opinion and no lesse oleum tartari c. A whole pound of pollicie an arme-full of stinking weedes friuolous and superstitious Reliques all these are put to a poore dramme or scruple of Balme Nay and all these shall be dash'd and slubberd together by a Masse-Priest an idle and vnskilfull Apothecarie And when any conscience is knowne sore by auricular Confession it shall haue a plaister of this stuffe Perhaps this is that they call their Holy-oyle which is said to heale the sicke body if it recouers or at least to cure the soule of her sinnes at least of so many as may keepe a man from Hell and put him into Purgatorie where he shall haue house-roome and fire-wood free till the Pope with soule-Masses and merits can get him a plat of ground in Heauen to build a house on How shamefull is it to match their oyle with Gods Balme to kneele to it as God to ascribe euents to it which God workes and to helpe the glory of it to call those workes miracles whereas they might finde fitter vse for it about their boots Though it be newly inuented and euery day more sophisticate then other yet they make their Patients belieue that it is auncient and deriued from holy Scriptures and enter the lists with the Champions of Gods truth to maintaine the puritie and antiquitie of it A great while they kept Gods Balme the word wholly from the people now because the cursings of the people haue a little pierced their soules for ingrossing this Balme and denying iâ— to their sores they haue stopped their mouthes with the Rhemish Testament But as they erst did curse them for hoording Gods graine so now their iust anger is as sharp against them for the musty mill-dew'd blasted stuffe they buy of them Their wickednesse is no lesse now in poysoning them then it was before in staruing them Before no Balme now new Balme Before no plaister to their woundes now that which makes them ranckle worse So they haue mended the matter as that Phisitian did his Patients health to whom because hee was vrged to minister somewhat hee gaue him a potion that dispatched his disease life at once Thus the Popish Balme is as Renodaeus cals one vulgare Balsamum exoletum inodorum vietum rancidum stale vnsauory rammish lanke vile Such is the sophisticate doctrine of superstitious heretikes speaking for Gods precepts their owne prescripts preaching themselues and in their own names for ostentation like the Scribes deliuering falshoods and fathering them on the Lord Hee hath said it abusing mens eares with old wiues tales and old mens dreames traditions of Elders constitutions of Popes precepts of men vnwritten truths vntrue writings either with-holding the truth in vnrighteousnes or seâ—â—ing the word of God for gaine or corrupting it and dealing with it as Adulterers doe in their filthinesse as these respect not issue but lust so the other not Gods glory
whole neede not a Phisition but they that are sicke Foolish mâ—n because of their iniquities are afflicted that their soule abhorreth all manner of meate and thâ—y draw neere to the â—ates of death Yet they cry vnto this Phisitian and hee deliuers them from their dâ—stresse So hee hath promised in the Testament both of his Law and of his Gospell Call on mee in the day of trouble and I will deliuer thee Come to mee all that are lâ—den and I will giue you rest There neuer went sorrowfull Beggar from his doore without aâ— Almes No maruell if hee be not cured that is opâ—nionated of his owne health They say that the Teâ—ch is the Phisitian of Fishes and they being hurt come to him for cure All the Fishes that are caught in the Net of the Gospell come to Christ who is the King of Phisitians and the Phisitian of Kings Come then to Him beloued not as to a Master in name onely as the Lawyer Matth. 22. but as to a Sauiour indeed as the Leaper Matth. 8. Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me cleane Non taâ—quam ad Dominum titularem sed tanquam ad Dominum tutelarem as one ellegantly Ministers are Phisitians vnder Christ sent onely with his Phisicke in their hands and taught to applâ— it to our necessities Neither the Phisitian of the bodie nor of the soule can heale by any vertue inherent in or deriued from themselues We must take all out of Gods warehouse God hath a double Boxe of Nature of Grace as man hath a double sicknesse of â—lesh of spirit 1. The first boxe is mentioned Ecclus. 38. The Lord hath created medicines out of the earth and hee that is wise will not abhorre them God hath not scanted earth of drugges and mineralls the simples of Phisicke for such as tread on it And howsoeuer our vanitie in health transport our thoughts earth hath no more precious thing in it then as sustenance to preserue so medicine to restore vs. You that haue digged into the entralls of the dead earth and not spared the bowels of the liuing earth the poore for riches You that haue set that at your heart which was cast downe at the Apostles feete Money as fit onely for sanctified men to tread vpon in contempt You that haue neglected heauen which God hath made your more glorious feeling and richly stuck it like a bright Canopy with burning lights and doted on your pauement made onely for your feete to tread vpon fixing your eyes and thoughts on that which God hath indisposed to be your obiect for mans countenance is erect lessoning his soule to a iust and holy aspiration You that haue put so faire for the Philosophers stone that you haue endeuoured to sublimate it out of poore mens bones ground to powder by your oppressions You that haue buried your Gods so soone as you had found them out as Rahâ—l did Labans in the Litter and sit downe with rest on them saying to the Wedge Thou arâ— my conâ—â—dence When your heads ake dissolue your gold and â—rinke it wallow your crasie carkasse in your siluer wrap it in perfumes and silkes and try what ease it will aâ—ford you Will not a silly and contemptible weede prepared by a skilfull Phisitian giue you more comfort Doth not the common ayre which you receiue in and breath out againe refresh you better How eager are our desires of superfluities how neglectfull of necessaries This boxe of treasures hath God giuen vs and indued some with knowledge to minister them least our ignorance might not rather preiudice theâ— succour our healths No Phisitian then cures of himselfe no more then the hand feedes the mouth The meate doth the one the medicine doth the other though the Phisitian and the hand be vnspared instruments to their seuerall purposes Thus God relieues our health â—rom the Boxe of Nature 2. The other Boxe is Grace whence the Diuine draweth out sundry remedies for our dâ—seases of soule This is not so common as that of Nature Once one Nation had it of all the world now all the world rather then that Nation But it is certaine they haue it onely to whom the Gospell is preached It is indeede denied to none that doe not denie their faith to it Christ is that Lambe that takes away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sinne of the world But many want tâ—e Phisitians to teach and apply this And how shall they preach except they be sent Now where these Phisitians are is the people healed by any vertue deâ—â—ued from them Is it the Perfumer that giues such sweet odours or his perfumes Why looke ye so earnestly on vs as though by our owne power or holinesse wâ— had made this man to walke Be it knowne to you all that by the name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth doth this man stand whole before you Therefore saith S. Paul concluding this Doctrine so throughly handled Let no man glory in men for all things are yours whither Paul c. all are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods It is the tidings we bring that saues you not our persons Moses that gaue the Law could not frame his owne heaâ—t to the obedience of it It lyes not in our power to beget faith in our owne soules The heart of the King is in the hands of God as are the waters in the South The soules of all Prince and people Prophets and Nazarites Preachers and hearers learned and ignorant are conuerted by God by whom they were created It was the voyce euen of a Prophet Turne vs oh Lord and so shall we be turned This consideration may serue to humble our harts whom God hath trusted with the dispensation of his Oracles It is a sacrilegious sinne for any spirituall Phisitian to ascribe Gods doing to his owne saying and to make Hâ—s glory cleaue to earthen fingers As Menecrates a naturall one wrote in a certaine Epistle to Philip of Macedon Thou art King of Macedon I of Phisicke It lyes in thy power to take health and life from men in mine to giue it So monstrous was his pride yet so applauded by the besotted Citizens that he marched with a traine of Gods after him One in the habite of Hercules another of Mercurie a third in the forme of Apollo whilst himselfe like Iupiter walked with a purple robe a Crowne of gold and a Scepter boasting that by his Art hee could breath life into men Foolish clay hee could not preserue himselfe from mouldring to dust Ostentation in a spirituall Phisitian is worse by how much our profession teacheth vs to be more humble It is a high climbing pride in any Pharise and iniurious to the Throne of God to arrogate to himselfe a conuerting power As in the fable the Flye sitting on the Coach-wheele at the games of Olympus gaue out that it was she which made so great a dust Or as that
malecontent in a deepe melancholy who hearing the wiâ—des blow furiously thought it was onely his breath which made all that blustring It is God onely that can turne the heart and tune the tongue heale the body and helpe the soule Let the Instruments haue iust respect God alone the praise Honour the Phisitian with the honour due vnto him for the Lord hath created him And count the well-ruling Elders worthie of double honour But let God be glorified as the Author of all aboue all for all It hath pleased God to call his Ministers by this title Phisitians many duties hence accrew to our instruction I cannot I neede not dwell much on them For euery one can lesson vs that will not be lesson'd by vs. Not that wee refuse knowledge from any lips since nothing can be said well but by Gods spirit who sometimes reproues a Ionas by a Marriner a Peter by a silly Damosell a Balaam by an Asse But because they whose lips God hath seasoned sealed to preserue knowledge are held contemptible and their feete foule that bring the fairest message So the franticke Patient beates the Medicine about his eares that brings it The Prophets would haue cured Ierusalem behold Ierusalem killetâ— them You kill vs still though not in our naturall yet in our ciuill life our reputation Wee feele not your murtherings but your murmurings Ishmaels tongue made him a Persecutor as well as Esau's hands Onely our God comforts vs as hee did Samuel They haue not cast thee away but they haue cast mee away saith the Lord. A word or two therefore concerning their care of your cure 1. The Phisitian must apply himselfe to the nature of his Patient so the Minister to the disposition of his hearer leading the gentle and drawing the refractarie winning some with loue and pulling others out of the fire hauing compassion on some and sauing others with feare Medicamenti dosis pro coeli et soli natura mutanda The prescription of the Medicine must be diuersified according to the nature of the soile and the ayre Hee shall neuer cure mens consciences that lookes not to their affections making a difference Paul testifieth of himselfe I became to the Iewes as a Iew c. to the weake as weake that I might saue the weake I am made all things to all men that by all meanes I might saue some We must vary our speech to their weake vnderstandings Iudgement to whom iudgement mercie to whom mercie belongs And you Beloued must also apply your selues to vs not scorning your owne Preacher and running with itching eares to others delighting rather in the varietie of Teachers then in the veritie of Doctrines It fares with Ministers as with Fish none so welcome as the new come Sâ—t aside preiudice The meanest Preacher whom God hath sent you can shew you that which if you obediently follow shall effectually saue your soulâ—s The word is powerfull what instrument so eâ—er brings it and Gods strength is made manifest in our weaâ—â—nesse Heare all despise none And as we are bound to â—eede that Floâ—ke whereof the holy Ghost hath mâ—de vâ— ouer-â—eers so doe you content your selues with that Pastour whom God hath seâ—t to feede you Factions haue thus beene â—â—ndled and how hardly are they extiâ—guished whiles one is for Paâ—l another for Apolâ—os a third for Cephâ—s or rather for these preserued one Aâ—alogie of truth in their Doctrine and onely differed in plainenesse and eloquence of speech when some are for Cephas and others for Caiaphas some for Apostles and other for Apostates some for sincere Preachers others for Schismaticall Sectaries Thus oâ—seruing rather the diuersitie of Instructours then the vnitie of Truth there arise in the end as many mindes as men as many Sects as Cities as many Gospels as Gossips 2. The Phisitian must not commit his Patients health to the Apothecarie God hath trusted thee with his peoples welfare whom he hath purchased with his owne blood thou must not be at thy man and impose all on him It was the reason that the Romanes Horse was so ill tended himselfe so well Ego curo meipsum Statius verò equum I looke to my selfe but my man lookes to my Horse The like reason sometimes makes fat Shepheards and leane Flockes God hath placed vs as Mothers to beare children vnto him now as we must not be barren and bring forth none so we must not when we haue them put them forth to nurse It is not more vnkinde in a naturall then vnnaturall in a spirituall Mâ—ther There is a necessarie vse of the Apothecarie sâ— of the Reader Hee that digges the ground is not to be deâ—pâ—sed though a more exquisite Gardiner drawes the knot But it is dangerous to trust all on him and doe Gods businesse by an Attourney God hath giuen thee the milke that thou shouldest feede his Sheepe and not put them ouer to an hireling who suffers the Wolâ—e to enter and teare the Lambs neuer breaking his sleepe for the matter Not but that preaching may yeeld to a more weightie dispensation When the vaunts of some hereticall Goliah shall draw vs forth to encounter him with our Pennes against whom wee cannot draw the sword of our tonges vvhen the greater businesse of Gods Church shall warrant our non-residence to the inferiour when one is called from being a Mariner and running about to the office of a Pilot to sit still at the helme then and vpon these grounds wee may be tollerated by another Phisitian to serue our Cures for so I finde our charges not without allusion to this metaphor called a Phisitian I say that is a skilfull Diuine not an illiterate Apothecarie an insufficient Reader That meere reading of the Scriptures hath and may saue soules who euer doubted But that Preaching with Reading is more effectuall can it be denyed Oh then that any of the Sonnes of the Prophets whom God hath blessed with knowledge of his heauenly Phisicke should sit downe on the chaire of securitie or shut themselues in the cels of obscuritie or chamber themselues perpetually in a Colledge or grase on the priuate commons of one mans beneuolence as Micah had his Leuite to himselfe whiles their gifts are not communicated to the Church of God Euery spirituall Phisitian must keepe his right vbi It is well obserued by Aretius vpon the occasionall calling of Peter and Andrew when they were fishing that God is wont to blesse men especially when they are busied in their proper element working as the Father charged his Sonne in his Vineyard Not in the wildernesse of the world nor in the Labyrinth of Lusts nor in the field of Couetousnesse nor in the house of securitie much lesse in the chamber of Wantonnes or in the Tauerne of drunkennesse or theater of lewdnes but in Gods Vineyard their general or particular calling Our vocations must be kept and followed not making our selues Magistrates in forraine common-wealths
then your obedient workes We must free our soules that we haue not administred soothing Sermons least at once wee flatter and further you in your follies You are apt enough to deriue authoritie for your sinnes from our liues and make our patternes patrons of your lewdnesse As I wish that our life were not so bad so withall that you would not out-goe out-doe it in euill You goe dangerously farre whiles you make our weaknesse a warrant to your presumption But if you fasten so wickedly on our vices you shall neuer finde countenance from our voyces Wee condemne our owne ills and you for aduenturing your soules to Satan on so silly aduantage Stand forth and testifie against vs Did we euer spare your vsuries depopulations malice fraudes ebrietie pride swearing contempt of holy things and duties Could any Pharise euer tye our tongues with the strings of Iudas purse and charme our conniuence or silence with giftes Wretched men if there be any such guilty of so palpable adulation qui purpuram magis quà m deum colunt Call them your owne common slaues not Gods seruants that to gaine your least fauours are fauourable to your greatest sinnes and whilst they winne your credites loose your soules We must follow our Master who gaue vs a Commission and giues vs direction to performe it Hee came once with pax vobis peace be vnto you at another time with vae vobis woe be vnto you We must be like him who was that good Samaritane putting into your wounds as well the searching wine of reprehension to eate out the dead flesh as the oyle of consolation to cheare your spirits Sometimes with Ieremies Hammer bruising your strength of wickednesse though here with Ieremies Balme binding vp your broken hearts And for you my Brethren know that the things which cure you doe not euermore please you Loue not your palates aboue your soules Thou lyest sicke of a bodily disease and callest on the Phisitian not for well relished but healthfull Potions thou receiuest them spight of thy abhorring stomach and being cured both thankest and rewardest him Thy soule is sicke God thy bâ—st Phisitian vnsent to sends thee Phisicke perhaps the bitter Pils of affliction or sharpe prescripts of repentance by his word thoâ— loathest the sauour and wilt rather hazard thy soule then offend thy flesh and when thou shouldest thanke grumblest at the Phisitian So farre inferiour is our loue of the soule to that of our bodie that â—or the one wee had rather vndergoe any paynes then death for the other wee rather chuse a wilfull sicknesse then a harsh remedie Giue then your Physitian leaue to fit and apply his medicines and doe not you teach him to teach you Leaue your olde adiuration to your too obsequious Chaplens if there be any such yet remayning Loquimini placentia Prophecie not vnto vs right things speake vnto vs smooth things prophecie deceits Get you out of the way c. Threaten your Priests no longer with suits and quereles and expulsions from their poore Vineyards which you haue erst robbed because they bring you sowre grapes sharpe wine of reproofes Doe not colour all your malice against them with the imputation of ill life to them when you are indeede onely fretted with their iust reprehension of your impieties Barre not the freedome of their tongues by tying them to conditions this you shall say and this not say on paine of my displeasure You may preach against sinnes but not meddle with the Pope or you may inueigh against Rome Idolatrie so you touch not at my Herodias or you may taxe Lust so you let mee alone for Nabaoths Vineyard As if the Gospell might bee preached with your limitations and forsaking the holy Ghost wee must come to fetch direction from your lippes Ionas spared not Great Niniueh nor the great King of Great Niniueh why should we spare your sinnes that would saue your soules You will loue vs the better when you once loue your selues better If any gaine were more valuable then that of godlines or any means more auailable then spirituall Physicke to your saluations we would hearken to it and you He that is wisest hath taught vs it we are rebels if we not obey it Your exulcerated sores cannot bee healed with incarnatiue salues 4. Spirituall Phisitians no lesse then the Secretaries of Nature must haue knowledge and Art Empirickes endanger not more bodies then ideotish Priests soules He that cannot powre healthfull moisture and iuyce of life into the gasping spirit and fill the veines that affliction hath emptied deserues not the name of a spirituall Phisitian Arts haue their vse and humane learning is not to be despised so long as like an obedient Hagar she serues Sara with necessary helpe Onely let the Booke of God stand highest in our estimation as it is in Gods eleuation and let all the sheaues doe homage to it But Empirickes cannot brooke Craterus saith the Prouerbe sottish Enthusiastes condemne all learning all premeditation This is to tye the holy Ghost to a Pen and Inkhorne c. They must runne away with their Sermons as Horses with an emptie Cart. But now he that wil flie into Gods mysteries with such sicke feathers shall be found to flagge low with a broken pineon or soaring too high without sober direction endanger himselfe Barbarisme is grosse in an Orator Ignorance in a Phisitian Dulnesse in an Aduocate rudenesse in a Minister Christ chose Fishermen but made them Fishers of men gaue them a Calling and vertues for it Shall therefore any phantasticall spirit thinke that Christs singular action is our generall patterne As if men were the more faulâ—ie the more fit the more silly the more sufficient Christ so furnished â—is with knowledge and language that the people wondred at their wisedome and knew or rather acknowledged that they had beene with Iesus It is said of Emperickes that they haue but one medicine for all diseases if that cure not they know not how to doe it but the Scribe instructed for Heauen and instructing for Heauen drawes out of his treasure both old and new which he hath carefully laid vp by his former studie high points for forward Schollers easier â—essons for those in a lower forme To children milke such things as may nourish not oppresse aptanon alta to the profound as Demosthenes said he desired to speake non modo scripta sed etiam sculpta matters of weight and diligence The truth is that wee must preach Christ not our selues and regard the peoples benefit more then our owne credite being content to loose our selues to winne others to God And to this purpose is required learning as a Phisitian is not lesse knowing because hee giues an easie and common receite to a certaine Patient but rather out of his iudgement findes that fittest for him It is no small learning to illustrate obscurities to cleare the subtilties of the Schoole to open Gods mysteries to