punishing if I may so say God punisheth as Carpenters pull downe ruinous houses that is to build them vp better then they were before so doth the Lord take vs of there down here that he may build vs on high 1. The vse serueth to teach vs to abhorre their prophanenesse that vnder the continuance of any publike or particular afflictioÌ„ as now in this long continued drought doe say that God sporteth himselfe in punishing the world know I beseech you in the feare of God that God is delighted and taketh pleasure to exercise his mercie and hath compassion vpon all those of whose returne there is any hope Luk. 15.4 He is to farre from sporting himself at our miserie that contrarily as a carefull father he seeketh vs vp he goeth after vs till he hath found vs he staieth not till wee returne but preuenteth vs with his grace and albeit grace in vs is imperfect and moueth a farre off Luk. 15.10 vers 10. God in compassion seeketh vs till he hath found vs and then leadeth vs with the cords of a man Osca 11 4. euen with the bands of loue for he calleth vs by his Preachers draweth vs by his spirit 2. Cor. 5.19 wooeth vs by his benefits that he may pardon vs in his mercy and in loue receiue vs to glorie Psal 103.9.13 For our God is an â—lluring God Cant. 5.2 Gen. 9.27 he shall allure Iâ—pheth to dwell in the tents of Shâ—â—â— But here me thinks I heâ—â—e some politike Protestant of estate 〈◊〉 Papist in heart say If the 〈◊〉 bâ—e thus full of compassion to â—â—â—iâ—e by all meane a sinners and such aâ— goe astray from him on where is that compassion and when will this alluring course bee taken with the Papists that they might heare of the same To whom I answere as S. Paul doth in the like case Rom. 10.18 I demaund haue they not heard yea they haue been mercifully deale with by our late Queene of sâ—moâ—â— memorie and they haue been loâ—â—â—gly intreated by his Maiestie and curteously perswaded by their brethren to tread in the Kings high way But all in vaineâ— which sheweth 〈◊〉 an vnion of religious 〈◊〉 harderâ—hing to effect â—hâ—â—aâ—â—n vnion of kingdomes Fâ—â—â— I â—peaâ—â—â— it vpon my soules altar that thee man would merit eternitie that could reconcile the long seuered Papists and Protestants But it is in vaine to assaie it for the Ancients haue concluded that nullâ—â— fâ—â—â—t as fidei Cyp. ep 55. 2. Cor. 6 14.15 perfidia potest God and Bâ—lial can neuer agree Yet if I might obtaine my request at the hands of God my prayer for my Countrie should bee that religion may bee once purged from the lees of the Romane grape that so euery thirsting soule might drinke out of the fountaine of the written word of God 3. The third vse confirmeth our iudgements for our comfort that the Lord will not deale with vs according to our deserts but according to his mercies in Iesus Christ For Christ Iesus alone fulfilled the Law for vs Isai 73.4.5 and suffered our punishment for he did be are our infirmities and carried our sorrowes hee was wounded for our transgressioÌ„s broken for our iniquities the châ—stisement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes wee are healed And this is the Christians triumph that the partition wall is broken downe and the hand-writing fastened to the Crosse and all our sinnes shall not be able to rarâ—pier vp the gate of Gods mercies against them that beleeue 4. The fourth vse from this readinesse to mercie in God checketh the vncharitable practises of three sorts of persons First the Papists whose hearts be infected with the blood-crying and heauen pearcing sinne Occide imò manduca hareticum that tip their fingers of a sanguine colour in the blood of those men who doe but transgresse the vnwritten vntruths of their scarlet Pope and in the meane time crie out of the want of charitie amongst Protestants Secondly it reproueth the rash and inconsiderate course as farre from charitie as from wisedome deliuering the members of Christ to Satan and that for a trifle when as those that are spirituall Gal. 6.1 ought to raise such that fall with the spirit of meeknesse considering themselues lest they also be tempted And lastly it reproueth the furious spirits of the Brownists who for blemishes when themselues are most filthie cast out our whole Church for no apparant Church of God yet who is he that in many things sinneth not The God of heauen cleere our eyes Leuit. 19 17. Prou. 27 6. Gal. 6.1 and rectifie our iudgements that in censuring sinne in all men we may iudge charitably of all till we see the end of all 5. The fifth vse And now glue me leaue to speak to you right honourable and reuerend Fathers for Gods example here speaketh aloud to you my Lord and lieth at the doores of the Magistracie who are to execute iustice in the gate yea the fatherlesse the widow and the orphant doth crie the Master and the apprentice doe call vpon you rich and the poore doe call you the prisons and those that are bound in chaines and iron doe crie vnto you that be in authoritie to imitâ—te the Lord of heauen and earth be mercifull as hee is mercifull put on the bowels of compassion in iudgement censure and iudge your brethren the Lords people with all remorce and pitie take no pleasure in punishing taunt not those whom the Lord hath brought before you delight not to defame not disgrace those whom God Almightie hath put in your hands to correct bee not like the Philistims laugh not at the sorrowes of Samson shew mercie in iustice to those that are appointed to dye It is enough that their bodies doe dye for the sinnes of their soules bee not cruell towards them neither suffer your executioners to play the parts of tormentors delighting themselues to adde sorrow to the sorrowfull mouing a stout spirit to cast away their soules together with their bodies Be pleased to know as no Ancient faith that Ambros ad Var. câ—ll Epise suâ—â— Luc. lib. 5. Mansâ—â—â—tus homo cordis est mediâ—us And againe Beatus qui soueritatâ—â— man sâ—â—tudiâ—â—â— tâ—â—oâ— vt altâ—râ— dise iplâ—â—â—d seruetur alâ—erâ— iâ—â—oâ—â—â—nt 〈…〉 â—pprimatur But here right Honourable I weepe with the Prophet 2. King 8.12.13 to remember what some in places of office haue down and to thinke what some â—herâ— would doe if the Lord restrained them not how in colour of office and pretence of law iustice is wreâ—ied and the Lords people abused which maketh me to thinke that if they had Prince and Preâ—â—â—â—â— and law and all to backe them no raging crueltie would be left vndone Well God Almightie blessâ— vs and keepe vs in his holy feare 〈◊〉 make vs vpright-harted and constant in the profession of religion and meeke and milde bearted to such as are subiect to our censures that all
THE LAVER OF THE HEART OR BATH OF SANCTIFICATION Preached at Pauls Crosse the first of September last 1615. By GABRIEL PRICE Minister and Preacher of Gods Word ISAY 1.16 Wash you make you cleane take away the euill of your workes from before mine eyes cease to doe euill learne to doe well c. AT LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man 1616. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE HIS VErie good Lord and Patron ROBERT Lord RICH Baron of Leez GABRIEL PRICE wisheth all grace peace and ioy in beleeuing with increase of Honor in this life and eternall happinesse in the life to come I Haue presumed which I haue loÌ„g purposed to offer vnto your Honor some poore token of that dutie which bindeth mee vnto your Lordship while life lasteth hauing gotten some fit occasioÌ„ to expresse my loue I thought not to pretermit the same but therin to shew my minde and poore abilitie wherein I may doe your Honor any seruice Therefore after I had yeelded to publish this Sermon I remembred the blessed holie Euangelist Saint Luke penning and publishing the heauenly storie and blessed Gospel of Iesus Christ did dedicate the same to one Theophilus a noble man of singular credit and authoritie which moued me to make choice of your Honour to become a Patron refuge vnto my poore and simple meditations in a Sermon preached at Paules Crosse as the title sheweth and is a Treatise tending to sanctification which according to the time I haue amongst others brought my present and as I hope contrarie to Mithridates sword is more pretious and richer within then it is without and which with the New yeere as a New-yeeres gift I humbly present vnto your Lordship that vnder the shadow of your Honorable acceptance it may finde some rest and reliefe To whom being diligently read and often meditated vpon I doubt not but it will be fruitfull to inflame a zeale of Gods glorie and furtherance of his religion Wherefore my humble desire is your Honour would vouchsafe the patronage hereof then I doubt not but more learned then my selfe will accept my good will and good men will helpe mee with their prayers to God for the encrease of his grace to the further inloâ—ging of the kingdome of his holy sonne Iesus Now the very God of peace sanctifie your Honour throughout and in the perusing hereof to measure the commendation to the glorie of God by the liking and feeling of your own heart so shal I haue what I desire and my paines shall bee more then sufficientlie recompeÌ„ced Praying vnto God that you may liue long to the benefit of your Countrie the aduancement of your Honour the comfort of learning and aboue all that your whole spirit and soule and bodie may bee kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ to his glorie who shall glorifie you in the Heauens Amen TO THE GODLY and well disposed Reader HAuing taken in hand to entreat of this place of Scripture according to my poore talent wherewith God hath enabled me at the sundry motions earnest requests of some of my friends such as feare God I was earnestly desired to put the same in print for the benefit as they said of others whose christian desier I take in this case as a sufficient calling hereunto neither do I yet see how I could haue made them a denyall without some preiudice to their soules and some checke vnto mine owne conscience For the matter it selfe containing The Lauar of the heart or the Bath of Sanctification I confesse is of that excellencie that it requireth both large and deepe discourses wherein both learned and godly haue not bin wanting In this corruption of nature it is not possible to do any thing so exactly well but will bee carped at depraued and slandered so that who offereth any thing to the sight of the world must make ready his backe for the deepe surrowes of euery byting censurer Psa 1.9 3. Therefore who am I that I should take vpon me to set forth and publish any thing the vnworthiest I confesse of many hundreds and the vnablest of many thousands yet seeing many things more simple lesse needfull and profitable are not only suffered but alowed to come abroad I am â—â—t altogether discouraged neither hath any man iust cause to accuse me in this my honest enterprise And so much the lesse because my care hath been to bee sound and plaine for the benefit of the simplier sort and especially for the satisfying of such honest and good hearts as desired to peruse that with their eyes which they heard with their eares that so better meditating and remembring that which otherwise they forget they might make their hearts as rich in grace as Sermons according to the truth of God are full of goodnesse If thou gentle Reader meete with any thing in any part of the Sermon that thou shalt iudge worthie the censuring as me right in vnderstanding me as I expresly spake it and let me before aâ— vncharitable opinion be setled I pray thee haue some brotherly signification thereof and I shall be most ready God willing to satisfie thee therein or to alter or to better my iudgement if any man out of the word of God shall offer to instruct me for as I desier to teach what I know without grudging so I disdaine not to learne that wherein I am ignorant without blushing we know nothing yet as we ought to know saith the Apostle therefore I doe not presume of perfection I confesse much imperfection euery way and in this do wholy and humbly submit my selfe to the iudgement of the Church as I do for my sinfull life in Christ craue mercy of God The Lord enforme vs all with all profitable and conuenient trueth and frame all our affections thereafter And the Lord giue vs all grace to turne our hearts from the world vnto God our contentions into the peace of the Church and our mindes into loyall obedience vnto Soueraigne authority and our prayers and thanksgiuings for our gratious and dread Soueraigne King IAMES Amen Amen THE LAVER OF THE HEART OR THE Bath of Sanctification IEREM 4.14 O Ierusalem wash thine heart from wickednesse that thou maiest be saued or helped or kept THe blessed Apostle S. Paul Hebr. 5.13.14 coÌ„pareth the Scripture to the Store-house of a rich and plentifull house-keeper wherein is laid vp variety of victuals fit for all persons and estates both milke for babes that are vnexpert in the word of righteousnesse and stronger meate for them that are of riper age which through long custome haue their wits exercised to discerne both good and euill And our Saurouâ— Christ Matth. 13.52 compareth it to a treasurie wherein are things both new and old so that euery one may receiue hence what is conuenient for him new garments and new vessels may bee filled with new wine new cloth and old garments and old vessels may bee filled with old wine and old cloth
in what case shall they stand before the Almighty Prou. 16.5 The Wise man saith All that are proud in heart are an abomination to the Lord. The Lord resisteth the proud and giueth grace to the humble Worthy was the speech of a Reuerend Bishop of our time Doctor Babington that said If it be a shame to weare a paper on the hat at Westminster hal to declare what was done it is as reprochfull to weare a vaine garment on the back to pull all mens eyes vpon thee O that the God of heauen would moue you in the Magistracy to reuiue and put life into the many and good lawes concerning apparell that men and women in their distinct callings might bee knowne what manner of persons they bee that so honour as she is of her selfe bright and glorious might haue her like raiment to her splendor that so she might be discerned from the base vulgars I haue stayed you here too long but I leaue the mother and come to the daughter The euill of Contention crieth for the rod of your correction For this sinne is the daughter of Pride Onely through pride man causeth contention Prou. 13.10 and by contention the land is diuided O Lord heale the sores thereof for it shaketh But coÌ„tention is a coale too hot for my cooling I entreate you in the Magistracie that your fountaines of discipline may flow forth to wash away this sinne out of the Church and Common wealth For it we akeneth both Common-wealth Church of God yea it hindreth good proceedings it troubleth the best subiects that may be that Papists and Atheists in meane time may doe what they list The diuision betweene Protestant and Protestant the alienation of affection betweene Minister and Minister that will neither vouchsafe to seeme to consent not ioyne together against the common aduersarie giueth aduant age to the Papists But as the blessed Apostle saith to the Ephesians Ephes 4.4 so say I There is but one body one spirit one hope of our calling one Lord one faith one Baptisme one God and one Father of all If there be any consolation in Christ euen for his sake that made vs and for his blood that died for vs let all these Ones make vs one in the truth and while we liue to keepe the vnity of the spirit in the bond of peace The Last euill that waiteth for your check needeth iron hands to punish the wickednesse thereof is the contempt of you that sit in the high places For the contempt of gouernment Rom. 13.1 â— iâ— the contempt of God himselfe But the Papists will say they may in some things disobey Casar and make no breach of their alleagiance to Almighty Godâ— But they that so say 〈◊〉 Iob saith telleth a lie for the Almighty The contrary I doe protest that subiectâ—â— to Princes standeth with and is commanded in religion by God himselfe For that which is Casâ—â—â— ought to be giuen to Casar Matth. 22.21 if wee will keep our allegiance to God and the contempt of gouernment is a sin by Saint Iudâ— bound vp in the bundle of death Where you may reade that none but filthy persons that need to be washed cut and keâ—â—ned doe despise gouernment whom Saint Peter calleth bruit beasts lead by sensuâ—lltie which haue no ground but ignorance which if they pleade not you shall doe well to let them haue no mercie but iustice There be 2. poyson some wormes that gaster at the roote of gouernment and two beasts amongst vs with Ants bellies and Mâ—lâ—â—hes hands like the horseleach that will neuer be satisfied And if you would know them by name the one is hath wasted all the other longeth to waste all Hath wasted all are the male-contented prodigals that in euerie degree haue consumed their owne estates and now houer ouer other mens and their eye watcheth for the twy-light and of these some lie couchant and dormant Concerning would waste all or longeth to waste all who haue treasured vp wrath and reuenge in their mindes against Prince and people These forsooth crie out that euery man must not be subiect to all that bee in office or superioritie ouer him by that he is a Superiour and that onely in matters of peace and policie but not in matters of religion or regiment of soules Rhem. annot in Rom. 13. These be the counterfeit Catholikes that haue taken libertie to change their ciuill Superiour for a spirituall Father and religion for policie and policie for religion The Lord Almighty look down vpon them and in his wrath grant to as many among them as be impenitent the day that Zachariâ— prophecieth vnto them euen a day Zach. 14.12 that their eyes shall sinke in their holes and their tongue confume in their mouth and that their flesh may consume away though they stand vpon their feete because they fight against Ierusalem In meane time right Honourable it lieth vpon you for the safetie of the Kings person of the State and your selues to looke vnto them For the cause of the contempt of the Magistrate is the incorrigiblenes of the euill disposed Wherefore sith lawes be the sinewes of a Common-wealth Plato sith they be a diuine gift sith they bee the bands of Cities Demost Cicero Plutar. sith they are the very life of the Common-wealth and sith the Magistrate is the life of the law let me preuaile with you in the Lords behalfe to take the zeale of Phineas and the courage of Moses and Iosuh and goe through your Citie search and see and you shall behold sinne to be growne to a head and therfore high time that you make head against it You haue the sword of iustice you haue the law who doth warrant the sword of iustice but the law who defends the law but the sword of iustice Let the sword of iustice by the law be warranted and spare it not lest your selues bee neglected you are our Fathers we are your children spart your rod and spill vs. The first coÌ„mandement that was giuen to man after the creation was the Law and vpon breach of the Law was the sword giuen to reuenge iustice If you that be in authoritie suffer it rust in the sheath you will be contemned iustice despised the poore oppressed and the whole Common-wealth confounded I might here leade you to more abominations then these where in drunkennesse men become beasts and yet at this day hee is not counted a man that will not take away the image of man and defile himselfe therewith Oh the height of prophanenesse that man should offer more sacrifice to Bacchus then to Iehouah I might shew you the wickednesse of whoring euen in this citie where many men prostrate their bodies to vncleannes Let me perish if more soules of our youth perish any other way then this From hence it is right Honourable that the citie the towne and the countrie is filled with beggers and sturdie vngabonds that