condemned for they had yet some â—loake for their desire of so seuere a reuenge because the Samaritanes refused â—ost vâ—kindly and coÌ„temptuously to let their Lord and master the Lord Iesus our Sauiour into their citie But for the careles crueltie cruell carelesness of these men there is no pretence for their seruants doe not shut them out of their doores as the Samaritanes shut Christ out of the citie but they receiue them and labour for them And if they did offer thee such vnkindnes which God forbid yet is it not lawfull for thee so to be reuenged by suffering them to perish in their sinnes but to pray for them rather The spirit of God doth not vse to speake on that manner for that is a spirite of loue and lâ—ue sayth the Apostle seeketh not her owne things that is it is not all for it selfe but as it is carefull to edifie it selfe in the most holy faith by vsing such meanes as are appointed by God to that purpose so hath it also coÌ„passion of others as S. Iude saith labouring in all holie wisedome to pul others out of the fire But these are all for themselues therefore they haue not true loue they haue not true loue therefore not true faith for faith worketh by loue as Saint Paul teacheth the Galathians If they haue neither faith not loue theÌ„ haue they not the spirit of God in them if they haue not the spirit of 〈◊〉 them thâ—â— are they 〈…〉 children of GOD but hypocrites 〈◊〉 themselues and so consequently they neither prouide for their own soules 〈…〉 of other but as they suffer their 〈◊〉 soules to perish for want of the meate 〈◊〉 which they should haue so doe they suffer their owne soules likewise to perish for want of that which they suppose they haue but haue it not indeed That wee may bee throughly moued with that which hath been sayd and touched with compassion towards our owne soules and the â—oules of others that depend vpoâ— vs it shall not bee amisse to hearken a little vnto the piteous moane and crie of the godlie in behalfe of their soules Dauid â—ayth his soule 〈◊〉 after God as the Hart braieth for the riuers oâ— water to shew that our soules are as it were iâ— a continuall chase and therefore must haue prouided for them the liuing waters of Gods word or els they will perish In another place he sayth that his soule thirsted after God in â— drie and barren land where no water was This moane did Dauid make to God for his soule and yet he had more abundance of Gods gâ—â—ces then ot hers haue to shew that if we had aâ— good prouisioÌ„ for the keeping and strengthening defending and coÌ„forting of our poore soules as Dauid had yet all is too little for still they lie thirsting and panting for more grace for more â—aith for more zeale for more repentance for more loue for more knowledge and for more vnderstanding c. for the temptations and assaults of the soule are so many so continuall so strong so mightie and so hot that it is not a little prouision of knowledge or vnderstanding or â—aith or patience that will serue the turne to make resistance for the â—â—â—ell shooteth his darts thicke and burning for they befierie darts But as souldiers in a caâ—tle besieged must haue day â—e a newe supplie of powder and shoâ— of men and munition of money and victuall or els they will yeeld vp the castle so must our soules haue a daily supplie of the graces of Gods spirit from the word of God or els they wil faint and yeeld vp their hâ—ld For the soule fighteth aswell as the bodie And therfore Deborah sayd her soule had marched valiantly to shewe that there is a marching and a fighting of the soule aswell as of the bodie and therefore there must be good prouision made for that as well as for the body or els it will not march valiantly but fight faintly and yeeld most cowardly and perish most miserablie Which daily and wofully appeareth by that fearefull staggering and yeelding of so many when any scoffing Papist doth but as it were breathe vpon them And what els doth this shewe but a great emptines in the knowledge there is no preseruatiue of the word against the infection Besides that in regard of thy brethren thou shouldest labour to store thy selfe with the co forts and counsels of Gods word and to bee strong in the heauenly graces of Gods spirit for such a famine of the foode of soules may come that one man may bee glad to seeks to another for counsell and comfort And if thy house be emptie or haue but a little thou wilt bee readie to say to thy neighbour as the widowe of Sarepta sayd to Eliyah when he asked a morsell of bread of her in the great famine that was in Israel I haâ—e not a cake but a handfull of meale in a barrell and a little â—yle in a cruse and beholde I am gathering of stickesâ—to dresse it for me and my sonne that wee may eatâ— thereof and die So if any man troubled in conscience come to thee for comfort and resolution of his doubts thou wilt say Alas I haue not for you I am no Diuine I am troubled aswell as you I haue nothing but the Lordes prayer and the Beleefe and the Commaundements by heart but I vnderstand none of theÌ„ and some good prayers and lessons I haue in a booke beside And if those will not serue my turne when the tempteâ— commeth I may goe hang my selfe or despayre I must die or doâ— as it please God Now what crueltie is this so carelesly to neglect the meanes of thy soules health who was bred and brought vp with thee from thy conception and hath in thy seruice spent her selfe ministring strength and reliefe to thy bodie to euery part of thy bodie yea to euery member to euery ioynt to euery vaine and sinew in thy bodie And more seruice then that too for it hath made thee to differ from the beast in that it hath ministred to thee both reason and vnderstanding and iudgement memorie and affections for it is a reasonable soule which the beasts want it hath taught thee to speake and to speake sensible wiselie and to conceiue things quicklie and to vse all other of Gods creatures comfortablie and to rule ouer them all which the beasts cannot doe And wilt not thou oh sluggard finde so much leisure as to gather heauenly meate and foode for thy soule that in the day of affliction and iudgement it may saue both it selfe and thy bodie too Nay further consider how the Lord hath shut it vp in thy breast that it might bee alwaies in a readines to supplie thy wants and wilt not thou be readie againe to supplie her wants If it should depart from thee but a foote for a minute of an houre it were present death vnto thee how
and tempests that shall awake thee and pinch thee starue thee too if thou prouide not in time for thy safetie And take this withall that the longer it be in comming she sharper will it bee when it commeth because to whom much is giuen of him much shall bee required Therefore Goe to the Pismire O sluggard bâ—hold her waits and be wise for she c. Whether this winter bee neere hand or farre off and how wee may know it The fourth Sermon BVt all this will no awake the Sluggard 〈…〉 with himselfe 〈…〉 for though it 〈…〉 winter may come yet now it is summer winter will not come yet Like the euill seruant in the Gospel that said My master will not come yet and so fell to beating of his fellowes still as the sluggard falleth to sleepe still and still puts off the day of his turning to God And it seemeth that this is no news deuise of the sluggard for he hath learned it of the scornefull men of Ierusalem and it is a common answere of all sluggards that meane to dwell still in their sinnes It will not come yet When the Lord by his Prophet sent worde to Ierusalem that a scourge was comming vpon them for their sinnes they cared not for it for they had made a couenant with death and were at agreement with hell that is they had a shift for euery thing And admit say they that a scourge do come and runne ouer vs and passe through vs yet it shall not come at vs for We haue made falsehood our refuge and vnder vanitie are wee hid A goodly refuge and a couering sutable and best beseeming the scornfull sluggard And what other refuge or couering haue all the sluggards of our time but a refuge of falsehood and a couering of vanitie that is a falfe refuge and a vaine couering which is as good as none at all But because the sluggard is at that poynt to thinke that it is yet a great way off like the foole in the Gospell who told his soule of pulling downe his old barnes and building bigger and of liuing many yeares euen that night wheÌ„ his soule was to be fetched away from him wee will now goe a little further and as wee haue proued it a thing very likely to 〈◊〉 a winter come after this fune-shine summer of the Gospell so wee will also proue by the grace of God that it is not farre off but very likely to come shortly vpon vs. I set neither houre nor day nor moneth nor yeare but would haue the sluggard to knowe that it is at hand and nor so farre off as he doth imagine And let not this caueat be to dismay or terrifie any man except it bee the drowsie sluggard whom nothing will awake but as a voyce going before the Bridegromes shoute that they which now want oile for their lamps may in time prouide against his comming But how shall wee knowe that the winter stormes of trouble and persecution are approching that we may make our prouisioÌ„ Surely as Christ taught his Disciples to knowe when summer is at hand so by the same rule wee may learne to knowe when winter is at hand And by the figge tree both may bee learned Learne the parable of the fig tree sayth Christ when her bough is yet tender and it bringeth foorth leaues ye knowe that summer is neere Therefore by the rule of contraries when the figge trees bough hath lost her tendernes and cast her leaues we may knowe that winter is neere The figge tree shall be the Church of England the boughes the members of the Church or professors of the Gospell the tendernes of the boughes the loue of the Gosped the leaues the profession of the Gospell the fruites of the tree the fruites of the Gospell as loue ioy peace long suffering geÌ„tlenes goodnes meeknes temperance godlines patience charitie sobrietie faith repentance mortification of fleshly lusts and such like which are called in Scripture the fruites of the spirite which should bee in all the true professors of the Gospell because they are led by that spirit which is a spirite of loue and of ioy and of vnderstanding and of counsell and of courage and of the feare of the Lord as Esay sheweth The hardnes of the boughes may shewe the coÌ„tempt of the Gospell which argueth where it is a departing of the grace of God the fall of the leafe may resemble the falling away from the sincericie of the Gospell which Saint Paul calleth a departing from the faith which he prophecied of to come in the latter ende of the world which also argueth that the end of the world is at hand Now to know whether the fig tree hath any fruite or be casting off of her fruite leaues and all great search need not to bee made with a candle as if it were a thing hidden in darknesse for it is so euident that a man may see it a farre off When Ieremie was set to make search in Ierusalem for one righteous man that it might be spared he was not willed to stand stil in euery place that he came at and narrowly to looke into euery corner as though he should els haue wanted matter but to runne to and fro in the streetes and it was enough for their wickednes was so openly professed that a man might see it as he ranne So a man neede not stand prying into euery corner of England and leisurely to take a narrow view of euery mans life that were too much but let him runne to and fro in the streetes and open places of the land and it is enough so openly is wickednesse professed and so manifestly is our filthie nakednes laid open Ieremiâ— ranne through the streetes of Ierusalem but he could not finde one that executed iudgement and that sought the trueth So they that execute iudgement iustly and seeke the trueth vnsainedly in the Church of England are least in sight and must not doe it openly least they be noted for Puritanes Many say the Lord liueth yet sweare falsely there was swearing and false swearing and common swearing in the streets and in the houses and in the shops and in the markets and in the courts of Ierusalem and the same is to bee â—eene in England and all vnder the cloake of religion too And for these things the Lord hath striken vs but we haue not sorrowed and some hath he euen consumed to the terror of others but neither they nor others haue returned to the Lord. If we goe along with Ieremie from the common people to the great men what shall we finde Surely they should know the way of the Lord and the iudgement of their God should not be hidden from them But alas none more ignorant then many of them they haue altogether broken the yoke of discipline and burst the bandes of godlines If a man looke into the Court is not there also the fall of the leafe
and kingdomes Oh but God will neuer suffer them to preuaile so farre against vs say some they are most wicked Idolaters and wee professe his Gospell c. As if the Lord were more bound to vs then to them or as though it were for our goodnes sake that the Lord had preserued vs hetherto and not for his owne name sake because it was his pleasure to make vs his 〈◊〉 Dauid was once of that minde that thâ— Lord had made his hill so strong that it should neuer bee moued but that was Dauids error So we thinke that the Lord hath made our hill so strong that it shall neuer bee moued but that is our error And pride was the mother of it both in Dauid and in vs. But Dauid was moued and his kingdome sorely shaken as strong as he was so we may bee moued and shaken too as strong as we are But seeing as the sluggard hath sealed himselfe a quittance and thereupon hath promised vnto himselfe a continuall peace we will consider a little of these two poynts First whether it be a thing likely or no that after this long and blessed possessioÌ„ of the glorious Gospell of Christ a winter time of trouble may come or not come Secondly if it proue a thing likely how wee may knowe whether it be farre off or nigh at hand And by that time it may be the sluggard will awake I dispute not of Gods power and what he is able to doe for he is almightie nor of his mercie and how he may renew it with vs still for he is infinite in mercie and his mercie is ouer all his workes but what his iustice requireth to bee done which is no way disanulled by his mercie And now the question is what is likely to ensue by all circumstances and probable coniectures in respect of the manifolde and wonderfull blessings which the Lord hath so long heaped vpon our nation with his Gospel and the manifolde vnkindnesses and daily rebellions which his maiestie hath receiued continually at our hands for the same And if his spirite should still striue with man to put our sinnes out of his remembrance or for Noahs sake a while longer to spare the world or for some Lots sake to saue the citie from burning and to draw out the thred of our peace happines yet longer it is no more then his maiestie may doe and can doe if it please him and that it may so please him we doe all most instantly beseech his diuine maiestie for his mercies sake which if he graunt shall bee no lesse wonder then to command the Sunne to stand still and the Moone to goe backe againe as in the daies of Amaleke or to diuide the sea againe as in the daies of Pharaoh or to forbid the fire to burne againe as in the daies of Nabuchadnezzar But this is not likely and therefore it shall be no part of wisedome for vs to presume vpon it Now then let vs come to the poynt and see why it is not likelie We vse to saie that after a great time of heate there will come a cooler and it is so for the most part And as it is in the state of times and seasons so is it also in the state of the Church and therefore it is not vnlikely that after this long time of peace and ease there may come a cooler for so it hath been commonly seene from the beginning and not without cause for if nature should not sometimes be corrected it would in time bee wholly corrupted the standing water that is neuer troubled we knowe by experience doth breede the most filth And if the ayre shoulde still bee calme and neuer bee clensed by the windes by thunder and lightning it would proue infectious the bodie that is not exercised aboundeth most in ill humours and the yron that is not scoured still gathereth rust and the childe that is continually fed and hath whatsoeuer he craueth and cryeth for at last playeth with his meate and casteth it to the dogges and therefore it is necessarie that sometime he should be abridged and pinched And so doth the Lord also by interrupting the peace and ease of his Church purge the ill humours of pride and contempt growing in the bodie of his Church so doth he vse to scoure off the rust of impatience and distrustfulnes which growe vpon our yron hearts with the graces of Gods spirite So doth he by stormes and tempests by thunderings lightnings of troubles and persecutions clense the corrupt ayre of his Church least the good graces of faith and of repentance and of loue and of zeale and of patience and of charitie should through continuall calmenes be infected with infidelitie or impenitencâ—e or hardnes of heart or profanenes or pride or vaineglorie or selfe-loue or coldenes or Apostasie or with one spirituall disease or another and so dooth the Lord vse to pinch and abridge his Church of the foode of his heauenly worde now and then and sometime for a long time when it is loathed and plaied withall and trode vnder foote and all this the Lord dooth in singular wisdome because the worth of benefites is not so well knowne as by the want of them That our hearts and soules are cankred and rustie it is most euident and therefore a scouring is to be thought vpon at the least that there are many ill humours of vnthankfulnes of pride of contempt of crueltie and oppression of swearing and forswearing of whordomes and drunkennes of al kind of profanenes and abominations abounding in the bodie of the Church it is not to be denied And therefore a time of purging and exercise is to be thought vpon That Manna is loathed and the pure preaching of Gods most holy word despised and the faithfull Prophets of the Lord hated and molested for doing the Lords message and the feete of theâ— which bring glad tidings counted most soule which should bee esteemed as most beautifull all this is too visible and palpable and therefore Amos his famine is to be thought vpon if not to be looked for When the Lord had planted a vine in Israel and watered it and hedged it and dressed it hee looked for grapes bâ—â— found none but the wilde grapes of oppression and iniquitie But what then Then hee purposed to take away the hedge thereof to breake downe the wall thereof and to laye it waste that it might be deuoured of wilde beastes but first hee tolde them that hee would deale thâ—â— with them and themselues should bee iudgâ—â— whether hee did them any wrong or no. Thâ—â— the Lord hath done as much for his vineyard in England as euer he did for his vineyard in Israel if not a great deale more no indifferent bodie will denie that the grapes of Englands vine bee as wilde and as sower as euer were the grapes of Israels vine if not much worse the branches themselues can testifie But what then And is not
from the harlot not to come neere the doores of her house and giueth this as a reason lest sayth he thou giue thy honour vnto others and thy yeares vnot the cruell and leâ—t the strangers bee filled with thy strength and thy labours be found in the houses of strangers And last of all it is a piece of a punishment for the contemners of the worde and those that obstinately disobey the lawes of the almightie For saith Moses If thou wilt not obey the voice of the Lord thy God to keepe and to doe all his commandements and his or 〈◊〉 which I command thee this day The heaâ—â—â— shall be brasse and the earth iron The Lord shall giue thee for the raine of thy land dust and ashes vntill thou be destroyed So that pouertie and necessitie bee like a common gallowes at the townes end which hang vp both theeues and murtherers and traytors and witches and all that are brought to be executed Then it is not a part of happines nor a degree of perfection as papists holde but a verie sore iudgement of God Here is now the Sluggards pouertie and the niggards pouertie and the vnthrifts pouertie and the hastie mans pouerty the whoremongers pouertie and the cruell mans pouertie aud the vngodly mans pouertie and pouertie is a whippe for them all By which we are taught not to blame others as many doe if they bee fallen behinde hand but let euery man examine himselfe in these poyntes and if thou canst cleere thy selfe of one suspect thy selfe in another and trie thy heart in all till thou hast founde out the cause as thou wilt trie euery keye of the bunch vntill the locke bee opened And saye to thy soule as Dauid saide to the woman of Tekoah who came to the King about Absalom Is not the hand of loab in all this So is not the hand of flouth or negligence or the hand of crueltie or the hand of incontinencie or of niggardlines or of rashnes or of vngodlines in this my pouertie And this may suffice for the pouertie of the bodie And nowe a little of spirituall pouertie Where of the Scriptures speake sometime in the better part and sometime in the euill part in the better part it is attributed to the children of God to their great commendation and as a speciall veâ—tue and grace of God and that is when they be humble lowlie in their owne eyes and thinke poorely and basely of them themselues in respect of others And this is that â—pirituall poâ—ertie which our Sauiour 〈◊〉 speaketh of and calleth it blessed poâ—â—itie in Maâ—th 5. â— â—hen hee saith Blessed 〈◊〉 â—oore in spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of 〈◊〉 To shew that it is not onely a blessed but a rich pouertie because the kingdome of Hâ—auen doth follow it And this is a grace founde â—swell in Kings and great rich men of this worlde sometimes as in the pooret 〈◊〉 when God dooth sanctifie their hearts and teach them to knowe themselues such a one was Abraham a rich 〈◊〉 and Iob a rich man and Dauid a King yet were they poore in 〈◊〉 rite and therefore blessed the contrarâ—e wheâ—of is found in those that are wise in their own conceite and wedded to their owne waiâ—r whatsoeuer can bee said to the contrarie whether they bee rich or poore of such Sal 〈◊〉 saith There is more hope of a foole then of 〈◊〉 Againe to bee poore in spirite is sometime taken in the euill parte not as a vertue but 〈◊〉 fowle vice not as a grace but as a disgraceâ— and that is when men a bounde in their owne spirites and in their owne iudgements and â—â—ing altogether carnall and 〈◊〉 are 〈◊〉 of the spirite of God and barren in the grâ—tâ—â— of the same spirite abounding in pride and baâ—reâ— in humilitie abounding in maâ—â—ce and barren in loue abounding in ignorance and barren in knowledge abounding in 〈◊〉 â—ie but barren in 〈◊〉 and so iâ— the rest and yet thinke not so â— president of which pouertiâ— wee haue in theminister and 〈◊〉 of Laodicea to whom Christ speaketh in 〈◊〉 sorte Thou saiest thou are rich and 〈◊〉 with goods and bast needs of not â—ing and 〈◊〉 est not that thou art wrâ—â—â—â—ed and 〈◊〉 and poore and blinde and naked And in 〈◊〉 do the soule that is destitute of the heauenly 〈◊〉 câ—s of the holy ghost is a poore soule although he iette it vp and downe in his silkes and veluets yea and in cloth of golde too But the soule that hath them is rich indeede though otherwise for want of worldlie necessaries they bee constrained to lye begging in the streetes Therefore the holy ghost doubteth not to call them riches saying that God sent the Gospell of his sonne amongst the gentiles that hee might shew thereby to the ages to come the exceeding riches of his grace through his kindenes towards vs in Christ lesus To shew that the giftes of the holy ghost sanctified to the children of God are riches and more then riches for they are exceeding riches And in the same Epistle the Apostle saith that he preached vnto the geÌ„tiles the vnsearchable riches of Christ to shew that whosoeuer hath Christ is rich enough Therefore is the Gospell of Christ compared to a pearle of inestiâ—nable value which could not bee bought except a rich man solde all his substance to buie it to shew how rich they are that haue that pearle Many rich men want these riches Therefore let no man saye oh I am rich and well increased in worldlie goods therefore I am not guiltie of the sluggards sinne for through thy slouthfulnes thy soule may bee poore enough in the riches of Gods spirite how rich soeuer thou bee in the things of this world And if any man woulde haue these riches he must earnestly desire and long after them for the Lord filleth the 〈◊〉 grie with good things but the rich that is the full stomack he sendeth emptie awaie In the 2. of Prou. Salomon propoundeth two thingâ— and sheweth what course must bee taken of those that will obtaine them The 〈◊〉 the vnderstanding of the feare of God and the knowledge of God the way to get them is to receiue the worde and to hide it then he must hearken with his eares and encline his heart then to calland crie afâ—er them as if they were going away for feare they shuld not beintâ—â— rained as they are worthie â—nd if they cannot be had with calling and crying then hee must fall to seeking and searching as if they sought for filuer and searched for treasure This being done then shalt thou vnderstand and fiâ—â—â— c. to shew that these things sent from God must be earnestly sued vnto and will not maâ—rie but with such as will vse them well and 〈◊〉 count of them as speciall guests Vnto whiâ—â— hunger and longing must also be ioyned 〈◊〉 gence and painefulnes for A slotfull 〈◊〉 saith