of Funerals And euen this day I exhort in the Lord whom it doth most concerne that as I knowe and doe affirme your hate to that pestilent péece of popery and your sinceritie in Christ so yée faithfully shewe it at this instant Féede these poore assembled but foster not that popishe opinion to pray for the soule departed Forget not the Lord at this present who hath not forgottē to bring you to great things Abstain saith the Apostle not only from euill but euen also from the shadow shew of euill If it might be take some other day for them giue them with warning that you meane no procuring of prayer for the dead For I know that you are assured that euery man shall appeare and aunswere for his owne factes as well this reuerend corps going to his graue as all you and wee here assembled in cause of him We must all appeare saith Paule before the iudgement seate of Christ 2. Cor. 5.10 that euery man may receiue the things that are done in his bodie according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill The Lord in mercy blesse vs with his grace that liuing in him we may die in the Lorde Christ and so rest in peace till our returne to this bodily resurrection when we shall resigne to our soules our newe bodies though burned to ashes eaten with vermine in Sea or by lande For death lande and sea shall giue vppe not newe creatures but her receiued deade to be revnited to this resurrection And so with holy Iob we shall all sée our redéemer not with other but with these eyes that nowe we haue and with the selfe same bodies which nowe we beare shall wée all both small and great stande before the almightie Christ the iudge of quick and deade To whom be glory for euer And nowe time requireth to speake of the first resurrectiō which earst we called spirituall And of this resurrection Paul speaketh thus Ephe. 2.4 And when we were deade by sinnes God in his rich mercie through his great loue wherewith hee loued vs hath quickened vs together in Christ by whose grace wee are saued And hath raised vs vp together made vs sit together in the heauenly places in Christ Iesus Rom. 6.4 And againe to the Romans thus We are buried then with Christ by baptisme into his death that like as Christ was raised of God the father so wee shoulde walke in newnesse of life And nowe of these places we are to obserue First that there is a death that goeth before this resurrection Then that by an other power beyonde our selues we are reuiued and raised from that death And thirdly what this life is where vnto we are raised To the first this death is spiritual and is none other but sinne as here is saide and when we were deade in sinne And rightly is sin called death for it killeth all the vitall partes of the soule and maketh it not onely vnapt but vnable to serue the liuing God It depriueth vs of the grace of God It separateth Christ Rom. 6. which is our life from vs it bringeth sathan to possesse our soules and haleth vs to the second death which is the infernal lake This is the nature of euery sinne and therefore they are rightly saide to bée deade which be possessed of it as wholly cut off from God estraunged from his life 1. Tim. 5.6 and deade to godlynesse So are the lashing widowes called deade in spirite though they liue by nature which giue themselues to carnalitie fleshly lusts And of such men also spake Christ the Lorde saying Let the deade burie their dead Matth. 8.22 Nowe beloued drawe hence this doctrine We are by course of naturall life sinners but by our selfe delights we are become deade in trespasses but he that is dead is so frée from life that he hath no part of whatsoeuer is done vnder the sunne as the preacher saith Eccle. 9.4.5.6 So now that I speake to you that you conceiue and we all féele the power of the voyce it is by that wee liue but this Corpes héere present is so frée from all this that he neither heareth or conceiueth féeleth or partaketh whatsoeuer by his occasion héere is done for hée is deade and his life is not in him Euen so beloued the deade in sinne are as frée from righteousnes and the true féeling thereof as this sanctified corpes is cut from our present action Moreouer this corps can neither goe nor stir hinder or let those that list to carry conuey him whether they woulde Neither can the deade in sinne withstande the guide of his deadly soule the killing diuell the prince of hell but is ledde and drawen euen whether and to what him lust to whoredomes murthers lying blasphemie and what not Ion. 8.34 Rom. 6.20 2. Pet. 2.19 For of whom so euer a man is ouercome his seruant he is whether of sinne vnto death or of grace vnto life Last of all it is not in the power of any deade man to arise againe till his life be returned to him No more is it in the power of man once deade in sin to rise againe from it vntill his life which is Christ returne to reuiue him Wherefore the Apostle saith hee hath quickned vs euen God the father by the spirite of his Christ hath raised vs vp with Christ Where is then thy frée will and power to kéepe the wayes of God when thou hast eares but fatted eares that cannot heare a heart but blinded Matt. 13.14 that cānot perceiue the good wil of god a soule but deade and estraunged from the life of God Ephe. 41.8 And for this cause God is saide to raise vs from the deade that Christ may giue vs light that by his mighty operation through faith in him It is his mighty operation Colos 2.12 not mans weaknesse to raise vs from sinne For sathan is stronger then we 2. Tim. 2.26 holdeth vs once dead euē at his wil as Paul saith so as it is not possible for vs to arise from his bōos til our life Christ which is the strōger Luk. 11.29 Math. 12.29 Mark 3.22 enter combat with him bind him take vs his spoile away from him The workeman then to raise vs in this first resurrection is not man but God And he vseth heereto as his finger to forme vs anewe his worde and his spirite both from him selfe that he might haue the whole glorie of our life Embrace then this holy meanes come to the word there is his spirit If thou be his he will drawe thée to it lighten thée by them raise thée from this spirituall death as the Apostle hath saide Rom. 3.11 If the spirite of him that raised vp Iesus from the deade dwell in you hee that raised vp Christ from the deade shall also quicken your mortall bodies because that his spirite dwelleth in you Nowe
what this resurrection is the Apostle doth tel vs namely newnesse of life saying Rom. 6.4 We are buried then with Christ by baptisme into his death that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorie of the father so wee should walke in newnesse of life This is then the first resurrection namely newnes of life There must be life beloued as well in the spirite as in the bodie Manie men séeme to liue and to doe the works of life but not in the spirite but in the body to serue their turn to answere the law to obserue the time but all this while the spirite liueth not Many a papist to day will come to Church in bodie but he bringeth a deade soule with him for Christian Religion hath no roume in his heart But if thou wilt haue thy part Papist or Protestant in the first resurrection thou must beginne to liue in thy spirite that thy spirite may enforce thy bodie to loue liue and feare thy God According to this sentence of Paule Ephes 4.22 Cast off the olde man which is corrupt through the deceiueable lustes and bee yee renewed in the spirite of your minde and put on the newe man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holynesse And at one worde to speake it herein consisteth the first resurrection To cast away the works of darkenesse and to put on Christ the armour of light But as no man raised from a filthy puddle will willingly beare with him the myerie spots of that dirtie soile but will rather cast away the defyled garments that he might appeare clensed Hos 3. Euen so beloued wee must not part stakes with God and sinne but we must say to sinne get thée hence by a spirituall hatred vnto her so increase in it that we must as the Apostle Iude saith euen hate the very garment that is polluted by the fleshe vers 23. So must we hauing receiued such grace liue in spirite and bodie as the sonnes of lighte translated from the power of death to the kingdome of Christ in all peace Colos 1.13 Godlynes Tit. 2.11 sobrietie and honestie Thus shal we liue raigne with Christ a thousand yeare viz. for euer Now call your spirites to your senses and sée howe yée sauour this trueth beloued in Christ Rowse vppe your drowsie heartes and with the perspicuitie of a good conscience sifte and search your selues euerie one howe you haue profited by this doctrine and whether you liue or die Be not deceiued God is not mocked whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall hée reape For if yée sowe still to the flesh your former corruptions you shal reape the seconde death But if nowe you can take hold of Christs doctrin by his spirit from his truth sowe to your spirits the séeds of the word of Faith of righteousnes of peace and godlynesse Gal. 6.7 you are partakers then of the first resurrection and shal reape hereof life euerlasting And in this examination two sorts of men are meruellously conuinced The first neither féeling death or life in god runneth headlong to his luste in infidelitie and gréedinesse to sinne as though that onely were his chiefe beatitude And these bée the Atheistes of our dayes whose consciences are seared vppe with an hotte yron so as no worde can pearce into their heartes or sappe of Gods spirite haue course in their members but are past all féeling euen at the point of damnation The seconde sort are of such as hauing some sparkes of a former fire and a little breathing force of an elder strength but nowe decaying doe yet séeme to liue when rather it may be feared that they are almost deade And these are notably shadowed vnto vs by the Church of Sardi in the Apocalips Apoca. 3.1 And writte vnto the Angel .i. the Minister of the Church which is at Sardi These things saith he that hath the seuen spirites of God in his hand and the 7. stars I knowe thy workes for thou hast a name that thou liuest but thou art deade Oh beloued marke well this Church of Sardi or Lidia She is not an idolatrous Church but professing God and godlinesse She hath the forme of Gods gouernement his worde his ministers is called his Church She séemeth for her outward shew to be most Christian and holy but in déede and troth shee is conuicted of death And that not because shée hath no part of godly life in her but because she hath fallen frō her first loue life and strength in him that holdeth the manifold graces called 7 spirits in his hande to dispose at his good pleasure the sufficient number of his preachers named starres to shine into the darkenesse of mans nature with the brightnesse of his word Finally Sardi is conuinced that she is imperfect in her workes before God that is she was but an hypocriticall Church rested in the externall ceremonies and rites but sought not the Lorde in trueth and sinceritie And héere note beloued that whatsoeuer Church or people which hath not in her soule the rooted faith of Christ graft by his spirite in that inner Man in strength wherof the force and power of Christs spirite floweth thence into an open practise of holinesse and godlinesse righteousnesse and honestie That same Church people or seuered person is as deade before the Lord. But yet in this Church of Lidia there were a fewe names as the Lord noteth in the 4. ver of the 3. chap. which had not defiled their garments that is had not stained the profession of Christ which Christ they by baptism had put on is the wedding garment adorning our beauty in him couereth our infirmities iniquities from the censure of gods iustice Very comfortable is this to the Godly but to the wicked most terrible The Lordes eyes beholde the hearts and actes of men and doth daily discerne the number of the Godly but kéepeth recordes of the wickeds practizes against the day of wrath O Englande Englande Oh thou Church of Sardi if thou be looked into with a spirituall eye thou shalt be founde néere vnto death onely a fewe names or persons are kept in thée for a reserued séed to the Lorde In outwarde shew what Church more holy Thy Princes are protestants Thy angelical starres thy bishops and preachers are learned teachers Thy gouernement is godly thy profession is holy But O Englande if thou be sounded to the heart thou shalt be founde I feare me verie sicke and néere vnto death Many maladies haue mette with thée no sickenesse but hath taken holde of thée and sore weakened thy strength But last of al hypocrisie securitie sléepe in thy bosome Thou stainest thy bright vesture of holy profession with the filthy spottes of carnall desires Thy religion is a cloake to all thy iniquities But as a spot is soone espied and séemeth most foule in a scarlet robe So the brighter thy profession is the sooner
victorie in Iesus Christ Yet I trow that the papistes will not say how the gratious virgin Mary and the holy Apostles went from death to their popish purgatorie Rom. 7.23 The same mixture that is to say in one bodie to haue obeying faith in it another lawe rebelling to the spirite is in all the electe of God in more or lesse measure By meanes whereof there cannot but bee many sharpe battels in the hearte of man so as some times he slippeth is brought very low somtimes he resteth againe and taketh courage and stoutly standeth vnder the banner of his captain Christ by the strength of his holy spirite but yet at the houre of death if he shoulde be measured by his falls he should be iudged worthy of the second death Psal 130.3 But because he hath his part by true louing Faith in repentance of the first resurrection he dyeth blessed in the Lord and holy resteth from his labours in earth and paines in hell for the second death hath no power of him much lesse can a popish purgatorie which is not I come not to dispute with the papistes nowe but to lay forth the plaine doctrine of saluation to your Christian hearts and something to let you sée the blindnes of the side which in so cléere a light do grope at their owne inuentions But to your purgatory thus much Is there such a place yea sir I pray you wher sir haue you warrant for it in the holy scriptures Forsooth saith the papist both in the olde Testament and in the newe doth not Zacharie say Zach. 9.11 I haue loosed my prisoners out of the pitte wherein is no water Sir here is our purgatory Well proued and like the rest of all your religion Héere is meÌ„tion made of a pitte voide of water that is ynough for purgatories proofe Such warrant haue they for the assumption of their Lady hauing no warrant for it in their blasphemous Masse of that day they solemnely sing the Gospel of Marie Martha But this is ynough to blinde the eyes of the ignorant that they haue the name of Marie in that Masse although it concerne a farre other matter and be altogether spokeÌ„ of another person And euen such is the popish beggerie of this rich place and promise of Gods prophet here But be it that this scripture did any whitte toote at your purgatorie I pray you sir hath your purgatorie neither fire nor water in it you sée water is here denied and here is no mention of fire at all Besides the deliuerie here is saide to be by the Lorde in heauen and that in his mercy without their merite But out of your purgatorie mens soules are deliuered by men in earth without him in heauen through their merite to his iustice of prayer and almes and diriges and restles masses and such like and not by his mercie And for the proofe hereof you cite this place Matt. 5.26 He shall not come out thence till hee hath paide the vtmost farthinge If this sentence serue your purpose then this doctrin is rightly gathered of it that though all the papists in the worlde pray and crie and launce themselues 1. King 18 27. with their forefathers the false priestes of Baal till they cease to liue yet their poore popish prisoner lyeth in the pitte still but without fire or water it is sure some driefatte till he hath payed not prayed the vtmost farthing Thus beloued yée may sée what gaine the papistes haue got of this place which they haue stollen from his true sense to shadowe their shamefull briberie and marchandize of mens soules in a faigned purgatorie If it bée lawfull to allegorize this place 1. Pet. 2.1.2.3 Apoc. 12.16.17 then this lake is rather the power of Satan the bloude of the couenaunt is the death of the Lord Christ who hath long since before we were borne purged vs and thence deliuered vs â—oll 1.13 and hath translated vs into the kingdome of himselfe And your owne doctour Hierome affirmeth that this lake is not purgatory but hell it self But the true sense of the place is an assurance of Gods hande to them of Ierusalem for the couenant of his Christ for whose sake hee hath nowe brought them from Babylons bondage A second place the papistes haue of the new Testament that is out of the 1. Corinth 3. Euerie mans worke shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shal be reuealed by the fire the fire shal trie euery mans worke of what sort it is And this place séemeth so flatte on their side that néedes we must haue a purgatorie Aeneid 6. Olimp. 2. Aretius loc 56. Truely for all this we must driue them to Virgil Pindarus for Paul doth no whit helpe them And good Christian auditorie measure their opinion by this scripture and you shall sée howe falsely they father their purgatorie hereof Héerein is mention of fire I graunt But such is this fire that not the persons that do work gold or stubble but the work wrought shal be cast into it For he saith the fire shal trie euerie mans worke c. but they are to proue a place of fire wherein the workman for his worke is to be cast which thou seest cannot be this Againe they say no man shal come into their purgatorie but the mixed sort wherof we spake before But Paul speaketh here of such a fire as vniuersally all must be tryed by For he saith not they which haue builded haye woode or stubble only shal be tryed there but also they which haue builded golde siluer precious stones vpon the fouÌ„dation These good workmeÌ„ must yet goe through this fire or at the least their workemanshippe For hee saith euery mans worke c. Further the texte doth not saye that this fire shall purge the worke from corruption or chaunge it as to make Haye become Golde Woode Siluer stubble precious stones But hée saith it shall bee ignis probatorius non Purgatorius it shall onelye prooue and trye what nature the mettall is off not purge the person or his worke at all Doe not yee sée by this sounding and short sifting of their popishe follyes with this portion of holye scripture that the papists are sacrilegious robbers of God and his scriptures I doubt not but you doe Adde to this their owne doctors are of other iudgement touching this fire Chrisostome taketh it for hell fire To. 1. li. 4. c. 36 Hierome for the fire at the last day which shal then trie euery mans worke what it is Gregorie a Pope of Rome vnderstandeth it for the afflictions of this life And auncient Ambrose interpreteth it of doctrine which of al other is the néerest the mind of the Apostle For the Apostle speaketh only of preachers their labours which the fire of Gods iudgement shall make manifest at his appointed season whether they haue