same nature Salomon was Rich Christ poore Salomon passed his time in peace Christ in disquiet Salomon was a King Christ by the censure of the world but a Seruant Salomon had a Pallace Throne Power Christ a Stable a Manger Infirmity Oh! it S. August becommeth yea it behooueth vs rather to be like Christ yâ— Truth then Salomon the Type For as a father writeth euery actioÌ„ not of Salâ—moÌ„ but of Christ ought to be our Imitation We ought therfore to be like Christ in his Pouerty in Disquiet Bondage his Stable Manger Infirmity then to be like Salomon in his Ritches Peace Royalty Pallace Throne Potentacy especially considering yâ— as the exercise of the Cross is as the Shoole-men speak Communis terminus as common as Community it selfe vnto the godly yet be it spoken in the way of comfort vnto them though there bee so frequent a Communitie of it yet haue they also a priuiledged Immunitie against it for bee it granted not onely that it is a Arodde to scourge them but which is more a staffe to bruse them yet by Gods mercyfull disposall shall both this Rodde and â—â—affe comfort them A Rodd Psal 23. 4. shall it become rather of Consolation then of Desolation a Staffe rather of Supportation then of Supplantation It ought to be our practise because it is CHRISTES chalenge If any man will â—ollow mee lette him forsake Math. 16. 24. him-selfe and take vppe not Salomons Crowne but his Crosse and â—ollow mee as if there were no following of CHRISTE but by this Crosse-way straight rough and vnpleasant in the in-gate there-into Second the way of Sinners hath the first front or entry thereinto Broad Smooth Pleasant as a way which appertaineth vnto such as Liue and waxe old grow in wealth their seed is established in their sight with them and their generations before their Eyes Their houses are peaceable without feare and the rodde of GOD is not vppon them their Bullocke gendreth and fayleth not their Iob. 21. from ver 17. to 14. Cow calueth and casteth not her calfe they send forth their children like sheepe and their sonnes daunce they take the Tabret and the Harpe and reioyce in the sound of the Organs They haue then as appeareth heereby Goodes Houses Landes Cartell Children Musicke and A long-life to enjoy all this Then which way therefore in the first enterance thereof what can bee more gaynsome What more delightsome They haue prosperitie in that aboundance that they are Drunken with it as it is said of Ephraim Esay 28. 1. The Gardiner dispayreth of that Vine which hee pruneth not The Chyâ—urgian hath little hope of that festered wounde which hee launceth not The Father giueth ouer that Sonne whome hee rebuketh not and GOD reprobateth that seruant which he chastneth not It is sayd Ezech. 16. 42. I will make my wrath to rest and my Iealousie shall depart and I will cease and bee no more angry S. Bernar. Ser in Cant. 42. Where-vppon Saint Bernard hath these wordes Solo auditu contremisco vides quod tunc magis irascitur Deus quando non irascitur Misericordiam hanc ego nolo supra omnem ira miscratio ista I tremble onely at the hearing hereof Thou seest how GOD is then more angry when hee is not angry I will none of this mercy Oh LORD This fauour is aboue all displeasure The same Father writing Bernar. medit Cap. 6. Sayth also Sitecum Deus non est per gratiam adest per vindictum If GOD bee not with thee by his grace hee is with thee by his reuenge But woe bee to thee if hee bee so with thee yea saith hee wo bee vnto thee if it bee not so with thee for there is GODS wrath where hee doth not scourge for Sinnes et quem hic flagellando non emendat in futuro damnat And whome heere hee doth not mend by scourging hee doth condemne hereafter By the outward blessings of this VVorld cannot a man Iudge whether hee stand in GODS anger or fauour Yea as they are the blessings of Esaâ— rather then of Iacob of the leâ—t rather then the right hand vnlesse GOD season them with the Dew of Heauen the grace of his spirit they argue that GOD is rather angry then pleased with vs in bestowing them vppâ—n vs as they which are to bee found in the enterance of the way of Sinners The second difference which is betwixt the way of the Righteous and the way of sinners is of Company in the way This Company is three-fold it is eyther Precedent or going before them Concomitant or walking with them Subsequent or following after them First the Company Precedent in the way of the Righteous haue beene Abell Abraham Isaac Iacob Iob Moyses and the Prophets Apostles and Euangelistes and such like being the congregation of the first borne which are written in Heauen and the spirits of iust and perfect men Hebr. 12. 23. Who haue already cast off the bondes of this liâ—es imprisonment that they might bee receiued into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God in Rom. 8. 21. Heauen Secondly the Company Concomitant in the way of the Righteous are all they which liue at the same time with the Righteous in this present world whom GOD hath so Predestinate before the World As he hath called them out of the world As hee may iustifie them in the world And purposeth to gloryfie them after this Worlde As Saint Augustine alledgeth alluding to August Rom. 8. 29. 30. Thirdly the Company Subsequent in the way of the Righteous are all they who while the Earth shal stand vpon her Pillars while the Heauens shal be spread abroad as Curtains and while the frame of the world it selfe shall haue any being shall hereafter vntil the finall Consumation of all things so breath on the earth amongst men as they shall belong to GOD in Heauen A Blessed societie knowne vnto GOD not knowne vnto vs Sealed by God as yet Concealed from vs for it is with GOD a foundation that remayneth sure and hath this â—ale that GOD knoweth who are his 2. Timo. 2. 19. Secondly on the othher side The Company in the Way of Sinners Precedent haue beene Cayne Corah Esau Ismaell Saul Ahab Ieroboam Herod Pilate Iudas and the like Of all whome it may bee said as oâ— â—â—â—au onely Rom. 9. 13. That the Lord hath hated them The Company in the way of Sinners Concomitant are all such as liuing in the same age with them are dealt with all by the LORD as the LORD sometime dealt with Pharaoh whose heart hee hardened These haue so their Feete in the way with sinners as they lift vppe their Heele against Heauen by Sinning as Iudas didde sometime against CHRISTE by Treason The Company in the way of Sinners Subsequent are all such as shall Heape vppe vnto them-selues wrath against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the iust Iudgement of GOD Rom. 2. 5. Sonnes of Beliall
with CHRIST IESVS which was best for him Where hee maketh the end of his wishe not to fall a sleepe but to bee with CHRIST not so as with CHRIST hee should bee ouer-whelmed with a sencelesse slumber but so as with CHRIST hee should bee rauished with a sence of ioy for which he addeth that it is best for him Further it is not likely but rather absurde to thinke that CHRIST will suffer their spirites to sleepe in his kingdome whose bodyes hee would not suffer to sleepe in the Garden Matth. 26. 40. But let CHRIST the wisedome of GOD his Father 1. Corinthians 1. 24. confute and confound the Wisedome of this Worlde which is enmitie vnto him which hee will therefore destroye and caâ—t awaye the vnderstanding of the prudent in this kinde 1. Corinth 1. 19. That mortall blowe which hee gaue the Sadduces Matth. 22. 32. may serue also as a fatall wound to strike these men dead I am sayth GOD the GOD of Abraham and of Isaack and of Iacob GOD is not the GOD of the dead but of the liuing If hee bee not the God of the dead but of the liuing then is hee not the God of such whose spirits are fallen a sleepe and so by consequence beare the Image of death â—ot of life with them More-ouer what comfort could the good Thiefe receiue from the speeches of our Blessed Sauiour hanging vpon the Crosse that hee should bee with him in Paradise if his spirit should sleepe there or what possibility was there that Abraham should speake Luk. 23. 43. and conferre with Diues if the spirit of Abraham and of all the faithfull which bee the Children of Abraham Luk. 16. 25 were a sleepe To conclude what such resolution and protestation could rightly and truely haue beene found and made in and by Polycarpus as the Ecclesiasticall histories witnesse one liuing euen in the prime and purer times of the Church before hee entered into the flames to giue his body to bee burned that hee mought become a whole burnt-offering of a sweete sauour vnto the Lord enen that that day as hee saith hee should bee presented vnto the Lord in spirit if his spirit should bee presented vnto God in the same nature that Eutychas was in when Paul preached fallen a sleepe An opinion hath it Act. 20. 9. beene which hath not seazed alone on the Foote but euen possessed as some men will haue it the Head of the Church Which hath not bashfully stood at the Footestoole but boldly set on the Chayre of Peter that the soules of men sleepe till the Resurrection which matter may surely serue not onely as a black-coale both to blemish the name and to obscure and blotte out the writings and workes of them who haue by Pennes and Presses witnessed the contrary but álso as an impregnable proofe that the Pope may erre An Opinion hath it beene I say or rather an Haeresie then an Opinion because it hath beene manteined with pertinacie or stiffenesse against the Scriptures hatched broched published and patronized by one of the Popes them-selues euen Joban Gers Ser. de Pasch par 3. Pope Iohn the 22. as Gerson a learned man testifyeth who would haue the Soules euen of good men to bee bereft of the Happy-making vision of Gods face vntill the day of Iudgement and so in some sence to sleepe vntill the awaking time of the resurrection A matter as it was well worthy condemned as Hereticall by the whole Vniuersity of Paris with the sound of trumpets in the presence of Philip then Kinge of France a thing was it not of God therefore could it not stand But we which are Act. 5. 38. taught of God a beter lesson ought to hold another course and beleeue that in the life to come there is a building on of our blessednesse begun in this life the former steppe of our glory Secondly this Blessednesse in the life to come is to bee considered as it is a second steppe thereof consumate in glory which shall then bee fully accomplished when the bodies and soules of the Saints shal be re-united and knit together againe in peerelesse blessednesse endlesse Immortality cheefly aboue al intended in this place Blessed is the Man Which blessednesse that we may the beter know by knowlege insue it we must vnderstand that it cheifly consisteth in two pointes First this sulnes of Blessednesse consisteth in that matchlesse perfection which shall bee enioyed from within vs secondly in that endlesse consolation which shal arise to vs from without vs The matchlesse perfection within vs shall concerne both our Bodeis and our soules First our Bodies which are now earthy then shall become heauenly are now mortall then shall become immortall are now corruptible then shall become incorruptible are now subiect to passion then shal become impassible Mat 13. 43. are now dull and heauy then shall become quicke and liuely are now it may bee blacke and deformed 1. Cor. 15. 43. then shall become shining as the Sunne in the Kingdome of there father are so now as to be sowne in dishonour but then shall they be rased againe in honour so now as to be sowne in weakenesse bnt then to be raysed vp in power Wheare the Eye shall so see the glory of God as it shall neuer be dazeled the Eare shall so heare the most melodious musicke of the Heauenly Quire as it shall neuer bee wearied the Nostrills shall so participat of the most delicate sent of the Paradise of God as they shall neuer bee satisfied the Pallate shall so tast how sweet the Lord is as it shall neuer be cloyed and to conclude the whole man in his hole body and in euery particular thereof as in his ioynts siners veines arteries fllesh blood bone ligament mussekle and whatsoeuer part or parcell besides shall be so affected and disposed as they shall haue a neuer ceasing contentment an euerlasting reioycement for they shal bee satisfied with the pleasures of Gods house who shall giue them drinke out of the riuers of his pleasures Psal 36. 8. The Eye hath seene much yet the eye hath not seene it the Eare hath hard more yet the Eare hath not heard it the Heart is able to conceaue most yet neuer hath it doth it or shall it enter into the heart of Man what the heart of Man shall then enter into a ioy which wee must enter into it is so large Mathew 25 23. For it cannot enter into vs wee are so little A Maisters toy which is able to maister the conceites and capacities of all men who seeke to comprehend it When that complaint of Gregor Nazianz. shall cease 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am little and great base and high mormortal Grâ—go Nazian Epitaph in sratrem immortal earthly and heauenly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hauing those things after the slesh these according to the spirit but then in regard of the glorified flesh wee shall become
face of the earth yet yeeldeth shee her fruite in Grapes her Grapes in clusters and her clusters iu aboundance of plenty So is it with Man this misticall Tree whâ— the higher he is the more dangerfull hee is and the lesse fruitfull First he is the more dangerfull Locaquae aliis celsa ipsis praeupta videntur saith Seneca Those places which seeme Seneca to be stately vnto others are steepe vnto themselues they lay open vnto the contrary windes of alterations to the blasting lightnings of disaster aspects if they be subiects of their soueraignes if they be soucraignes yet of GOD who is the great Monarche and soueraigne of the world at the barre of whose tribunall they stand euer arreigned many of them as Pharaoh Antiochus Belshazzar Herod c. haue beene as with a flash of lightening both very suddenly and fearefully punished and confounded Who sit on their chaires of estate as sometime Damocles did on the throne of Dionysius hauing not one but many swords hanging ouer them a sword of Enuie from their equalls in forreigne states a sword of mutinies and insurrestions from their inferiors of poysnings from their feigned friends in their owne territories and of murtherings from their open enemies both forreigne and domestick It is an excellent saying of Hugo Victorinus Quatuor sunt quae trahunt Hâ—gâ—Victorinus elationis currum c. Foure things there bee which draw the chariot of Aduancement Desire of rule Loue of our owne praise Contempt Disobedience the wheeles of this Chariot are first Boasting of minde secondly Arrogancy thirdly Gloriousnesse of speech fourthly Leuity or lightnesse The driuer of this Chariot is the spirit of pride They who are borne therein are Louers of this world But farre from security is both this Chariot and they which are borne in it because as the same Author speaketh the horses are vnbrideled the wheeles easily turned the driuer froward and they but weak who are borne in it And therfore if the Chariot shal be ouerturned must needs bee the more grieuously bruised and more easily oppressed High places may be compared to the Cantharides whose outward shew is glorious but their inward working poysonous like a Tree which the higher it is the more danger it hath Secondly Man this misticall Tree the higher he is the lesse fruitfull as Trees vse to bee An high place vnlesse grace doth alter it occasioneth an high minde and an high minde is like an high Mountaine which the higher it is is also the barrener Saint Gregory saith Greg. in morall Radix cuncti mali et regina omnium vitiorum superbia Pride is the roote of all Euill and the Queene of all Vices How can a man then gather Grapes of this Thorne or Figges of this Thistle It is not possible It may also appeare vnto vs that man in regard of the state thereof is like vnto a Tree because as a Tree the lower he is the lesse dangerfull he is and the more fruitfull First hee is lesse dangerfull because hee is not subiect to Chaunges to Dis-fauours to Enuy to Insurrections Poysonings Murtherings as to so many seuerall raging wiâ—des blastings lightnings fearefull thunderbolts for as much as hee with little Dauid sitteth at home tending it may bee The Ewes great with young ones when his elder and stronger bretheren are mustred to maâ—ch vnder Sauls coullours against the Philistines 1 Sam. 17. The smaller the markeâ— the more hardly it is hitte But the greater the more easily it is pierced The smaller frye may escape the net when the greater fishes shall be entangled and needes must hee bee safe whose Lord Protector the Lord of hoastes becommeth by whose grace and blessing it commeth to passe that when the Bowe and the mighty are broken then the weake and humble gird them-selues with strength 1 Sam. 2. 4. And though the Lordes adueâ—saries bee proud like vnto them whome the Lord professeth That hee will resist 1 Pet. 5. 5. Yet shall they be destroied and out of Heauen shall the LORD thunder vppon them 1. Sam 2. 10. VVhile hee on the other side rayseth the poore out of the dust and lifteth the begger from the dung-hill to sette them among Princes and to make them inherit the seate of 1 Sam. 2. 〈◊〉 glory To which end also Iudith the humble hand-maid of the Lord faith Thou O Lord art the helpe of the humble and of litle Ones and a defonder of the weake and a protector of them that are for-saken and the Saviour of them which are Iudg. 911. without helpe Like a Tree the lower the safer Secondly Man this misticall Tree the lower hee is the more fruitfull therein not vnlike to the Vallies Humility is not onely the foundation of our Righteousnesse S. Chrysoft as S. Crysost writeth but of our Religion which according to the testimony of blessed Iames If it bee pure and vndefiled before GOD euen our Father visiteth the fatherlesse and Widowes in their aduersities and causeth a man to keepe him-selfe vnspotted of the Worlde I am 1. 27. By consequence wherof it may appeare that none can sincerely haue eyther true Purity in him-selfe in keeping himselfe vnspotted of the Worlde or true Charity toward other in visiting the fatherlesse and widowes vnlesse hee bee religious which true Religion man cannot haue without Humility Humility therefore it is the ground-worke of euery good worke like a Tree the lower the fruitfuller The fourth and last thing wherein Man may be likened to a Tree is the end of a Tree The end of a Tree is eyther to become when it is cutte downe timber for building â—t fuell for burning So Man this Misticall Tree being cutte downe by the axe of death becommeth eyther as an holy Timber to bee built in the Heauenly Ierusalem a member of that Spirituall house mentioned 1. Pet. 2. 5. Wherein our building in Heauen shall not bee like vnto that building vppe to Heauen as it was intended Gene. 11. 4. That proued but a Babell a matter of confusion as in the same chapter is manifest but so shall this building 2. Coâ—in 5. 1. bee reared vppe in Heauen As it shall become aâ—ernall A building where the Stone shall not crye out of the wall and the beame out of the tymber shall answere it VVoe bee vnto him which buildeth a Towne with bloud and erecteth a Cittye by iniquitie Abacu 2. 11. 12. But shall sing like the Seraphins one to another holy holy holy is the Lord of hoastes the whole world is full of his glory Esay 6. 2. As Math. 21. 12. We read of an house of prayer so shall we then be in an house of praise Furthermore Man this misticall Tree beeing cutte downe by the Axe of Death otherwise becommeth as fuell for the fire but for what fire Not for The fire Materiall which when matter fayleth forth-with goeth out but for Fire Alasse Immateriall Infernall Vnquenchable Math. 3. 12. which goeth not out
counsell no man can looke it is appointed onely by him and knowne onely to him Thirdly whom God hath appointed to bee the Iudge in this iudgement by that man that is Christ his sonne both God and man Fourthly whom hee hath appointed to bee iudged the world Fiftly How in righteousnesse Sixtly and lastly the reason to confirme the truth of this whole matter in that God hath giuen an irreuocable and indissoluble assurance of it in that hee hath raised his sonne from the dead Hee hath quickened him beeing dead to the end hee may become the Iudge both of the quick and the dead It is sufficient for vs to beleeue certainly that there is a time when this Iudgement shall bee wee must not search curiously after the particular time of this Iudgment But let vs bee assured of this that it cannot bee farre of but euen hard at the doores Wee read in Histories that Cato a graue Romaine Senator Plin. lib. 15. cap. 18 by a greene Figge-tree which hee brought into the Senate-house that had growne but three dayes before in Carthage the seate of their mortall enemies tooke ocâ—asion to discourse vnto them the danger the Romaine estate was in which had men of such hostile affections against them within three dayes iourney of their Citty The Signes like vnto the budding of the Figge-tree Matth. 24. 32. may much more admonish vs of that Summers approachment in the which shall bee the haruest of Gods iudgment that it is neare euen at hand For if since the time of Christ then now most chiefly heare we of warres and the rumors of warres nation rising against nation realme against realme pestilence famine earth-quakes This last age of the Church hath beene and is the time of afflicting killing hating betraying one another of the rising of false Prophets deceiuing many Now if euer doth iniquity increase and the loue of many waxe colde Hath not I beseech you the Gospell of the Kingdome beene preached to all nations through-out the whole world beginning like the Sunne in the East and setting in the West thereof Hath not since that time by reason of corruption of the truth the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniell stood in the holy place a place where it ought not hath not the Sunne beene darkened and the Moone turned into blood and the starres fallen from heauen Whether wee vnderstand by the Sunne as some will haue it Christ who hath beene darkened by Atheisme by the Moone the Church which hath beene turned into blood by persecution by the Starres the Pastors which may bee sayd to haue fallen from heauen by reason of their Apostatizing from the truth Or whether wee interpret as others the Sunne for the Magistrate Ecclesiasticall who is darkned by contempt the Moone for the Magistrate ciuill who is become bloudy though not God bee praised among vs yet in other our neighbour countries by murthers and by the Starres the Common-people which haue falne from heauen some by Schisme some by haeresie some by Apostasie Or whether wee doe expound as other-some doe thinke by the Sunne Faith which giueth light to other vertues and is now hardly to bee found in the earth by the Moone Charity which is now waxen cold by the Starres other vertues which are so choaked with vices as the small remnant of the elect may say Come Lord Iesu come quickly because vnlesse Those dayes should bee shortened there should no flesh bee saued O then what can wee now but looke for this day of iudgment that it is neare euen at hand Sâ—thence all signes else be fulfilled but euen that one signe that remaineth the signe of the sonne of man in heauen comming in the clowdes with power and great glory and that he should euen now send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet to gather together the elect from the foure windes and from one end of the heauen to the other that so they may come to this iudgmeÌ„t The second point is that the wicked shall not stand or as Matth. 24. 30. 31. it is in the originall rise vp in this Iudgment But may some vngodly one say This is the thing wee looke for we wish for long for that we may not appeare before the angry countenance of that displeased Iudge whose presence is to vs so intollerable punishment vnsupportable What more blisfull thing and more to our hearts content then to haue glutted our selues with sinne to haue â—ulled our benummed spirits asleep on the bed of iniquity to haue pampered our flesh to haue stâ—fled our spirit to haue disglorified God to haue despised his truth to haue cast off euery yoake of dutifull obedience to haue loued our selues so as wee haue hated all besides our selues to haue drawne vnto vs sinnes with cart-ropes iniquity with the cords of vanity to conclude to drunke as it were an health to Sathan in the strumpets cup of abomination and neuer to make a reckoning for it neuer to make an Apoc. 17. 4. accompt concerning it neuer to be called to the iudgment But that I may cut as it were the sinew of this obâ—ection and abate the crest of these proud vanters Qui torquent textnm ne ipsi torqueantur which rack and torture the text that they may not as they deserue be racked and tortured themselues We must know that the wicked and vngodly shalâ— that vnauoâ—â—ably both rise and stand in this iudgment and yet in some acceptation cannot possibly as this Scripture witnesseth rise or stand in this Iudgment They must vnescapably rise and stand in this Iudgement First in regarde of their appearance there The Lord will enter iudgement with all flesh If with all slesh Iere. 25. 31. then with them as a species of that genus and chiefly with them who are so flesh as they are nothing but flesh not borne of the spirit to be spirit but borne of the flesh to bee flesh Ioh. 3. 6 Secondly they must rise and stand in this Iudgement in respect of their arraignment at the Iudgement barre for wee must not onely appeare in Iudgment but before the Iudgment seate of Christ that is wee are to bee arreigned 2. Corin. 5. 10 at the Iudgement barre Thirdly they must rise and stand in this Iudgment to be indited for God will bring euery worke of theirs vnto iudgment not onely those things which are so notoriouslye done as the world taketh notice of them but euery secret and hidden thing whether it be good or euill Ecclâ— 12. 14 Fourthly they must rise and stand in this Iudgment to heare the sentence of the Iudge passe against them Depart from mee you cursed into euer-lasting fire which is prepared Matt. 25. 41 for the Deuill and his Angels A thundering sentence is this indeed vttered by him which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the glorious Psal 29. 3. God that maketh 〈◊〉 thunder whereof euery word seemeth to bee as a boltte to cause