her but because her heart followed her eye backe againe into Sodome therefore was this punishment vpon her as a dreadfull document to answer all turne-backs vnto sinne that they shall not haue Gods grace to step one foote forward to the seruice of God Nay the seruants of God who haue obtained pardon vpon their true repentance God doth notwithstanding proportion his temporal punishments vnto their sinnes to teach vs that none of vs shall euer be any gainers by sinning Was not Dauids adultery wel rewarded in Absolons folly with his Fathers Concubines And for his murder of Vriah the sword was not to depart from his house all the daies of his life And because his sonne Salomon diuided Gods kingdome and religion betweene God and Idols therfore God diuided his kingdome between Rehoboam and Ieroboam And because his sonne Rehoboam would neede be a yokemaker to oppresse Israel so as his little finger should be bigger than his fathers loynes therefore God brought it about that his loynes were no bigger than his fathers finger by cutting off of ten Tribes at one blow So I haue giuen you a taste and but a taste of this truth in the roote in the tree and in the branches in nations in persons that be reprobrate in the true seruāts of God but these are but temporall iudgmēts God tempers all his iudgments they be like our quarter Sessions here and there some are adiudged in this world for examples sake and as Dauid saith in the 58. Psalme the last verse that men may say doubtlesse there is a God that iudgeth in the earth For as S. Austin hath well obserued if all sinners should bee punished in this world wee should feare no farther iudgement and if none at all wee should doubt of Gods prouidence in the first booke de Ciuitate Dei the 8. Therefore there shall come a day when this my text shall be fulfilled in plenitudine in weight number and measure in a most exact proportion when the deniall of a crum of bread vnto poore Lazarus shall bee requited with a deniall of a drop of water in hell fire When the vialls of Gods vengance shall bee powred out in full measure vpon damned spirits When infinite torments shall bee inflicted vpon sinners for their sins which as the haires of their heads are innumerable and infinite so shall the punishment bee vpon obstinate sinners against that diuine maiestie which is infinite And vpon impenitent sinners for frustrating and making voide that price of their redemption which is infinite And vpon those vngratefull wretches who haue made so little reckoning of the graces and blessings of God towards mankinde which are infinite And as infinite torments shall be inflicted proportionable vnto their infinite sins committed against God so likewise the omission of our manifold duties shall there be punished with an vtter depriuation of all comfort there shall be vtter darknes and no mitigation of torments no not for a moment Where the tormentors are spirits and cannot be weary where the worme shall euer gnaw and neuer dye where the fire shall bee vnquenchable neuer going out where the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimston doth kindle it Esay 30. 33. there shall bee no hope of deliuerance and yet were it not for hope the heart would burst no there shall be no hope yet the heart must hold a roote of immortalitie continually feeding both soule and body vnto eternall death What remedy then but patience Nay no patience neither who can dwell with euerlasting burning where shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth and not lose his patience seing that gnashing of teeth is an effect of an impatient furie But alas replies the vnfaithfull sinner what proportion is here Shall I be punished with eternall torments for my momentanie sins euerlasting burning for a few yeares sinning what proportion Verily a most exact proportion for hee that doth delight in sinne doth desire that those delights of his might continue if it were possible for euer now saith St Bernard the very desire of sinning is sinne it selfe before God therefore an infinite desire shall be eternally punished Besides that of S. Gregorie I take it is well grounded he that dyeth without repentance iustice doth presuppose that if that man could haue liued for euer hee would haue sinned for euer if thou then wilt offend thy God in aeternitudine that is so long as thou liuest then God will iustly punish thee in aeterno that is so long as God himselfe liueth for euer and euer For those that will sinne against God so long as they haue any being in this world without repentance they shal be punished by God so long as they shall haue any being in the world to come without mercy The contrary doth illustrate and proue both whosoeuer continueth to the end he shall be saued saith the text By what proportion Because God in mercy doth presuppose that that man if he had liued for euer would haue continued for euer in well doing Therefore as God in his iust mercy doth crowne our perseuerance with immortalitie so likewise in his most iust iudgment shall he punish finally all impenitencie with eternall vengeance iust as a man soweth so shall hee also reape in most exact proportion And let this serue for the truth of this proposition Now followeth the generall to bee examined whatsoeuer a man soweth that shall hee also reape Whatsoeuer be it good or bad be it sowen to the flesh or to the spirit which is the Apostles distribution in the verse following If to the flesh then is it generall without exception that whatsoeuer is sowen turneth to corruption and to our confusion as Hosea saith cap 8. 7. they sow the winde and shall reape the whirlewinde Their roote is rottennesse and their bud dust Esay 5. 24. But marke the phrase Quicquid seminaverit homo Whatsoeuer a man shall sow For there are some weeds which grow of themselues naturally without sowing others about which wee take paines and imploy our selues with all industrie and are of our owne sowing As S. Bernard amongst his sentences like wise expoundeth semine tuo i. e. operibus tuis calling the deeds which wee doe the seede which wee sow And Ioh. 8. 44. our Sauiour saith that when the Deuill speaketh a lye de suo loquitur hee speaketh that which is as it were of his owne sowing and growing 1. As for those weeds which grow vp in vs with out our sowing if so be that they displease vs as they did the Apostle in the 7. to the Romans verse 24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death if we finde in our selues a loathing of our sinnes or of our selues for sinne If we be vexed at the soule for our owne sinnes as the Cananitish womans daughter was Matth. 15. 22. for her diuell if wee labour to suppresse them and learne of our Captaine
you will giue no more and by a fraudulent deuise vnder hand thus you conueigh the matter we will pay part of the rent by bond and the rest by lease so wee will sweare and sweare truly that we pay no more rent Or in the same lease I will pay part in the name of a fine For I haue learned a prettie distinction betweene Fine and rent in that kinde so I will swear and sweare truely that I paid no more rent And wilt thou sweare this oh collusion worse then Iesuitisme Beloued you had better equiuocate for all the clothes in your shops for all your goods by sea land then in this case It is Gods cause and God is not mocked whatsoeuer a man soweth in this kinde he shall bee sure to reape the same Remember Ananias and Saphirah for this is done not vnto men but vnto God did you sell your possession for so much yea for so much saith Ananias and iust for so much saith Saphirah they said so but they did not sweare so yet you see what a haruest they did reape presently by not obeying Gods will I would to God wee were worthy to moue that high Court of Parliament in this one mischiefe If wee haue too much let them giue vs lesse onely let there bee plaine dealing in Gods cause let them not suffer men to run their soules and consciences vpon the pikes of periury vpon these nice equiuocations which shall pierce them through vnto eternall death I am sure I haue wearied your patience but one word more and I will remooue my finger from this sore Shall I tell you what is the cause of all this besides that roote of all euill couetousnesse which rootes vp all pietie and dutie that concernes the purse beside that pride of heart that makes euery one almost to thinke himselfe wiser then his Teacher and that they are able of themselues to prescribe Lawes vnto their owne consciences there is one especiall cause of the transgression of this my text The very same which was the occasion that moued the Apostle Paul to write this text Doe you know what Corban meanes it is in the seuenth of Saint Markes Gospell at the 11. verse it is when as voluntarie oblations doe dispense with necessarie duties Bring your offrings to vs say the Pharises and then for the rest it is no matter Corban such Pharises did bewitch the Galathians against whom the Apostle writeth this Epistle who as they did withdraw them from the truth so withall they did withdraw the maintenance from their true Teachers And our Apostle may seeme by the spirit of prophecie to haue directed this worthy Epistle against our Priests and Iesuits who crie Corban vnto their Disciples telling them that they are their ghostly fathers it is no matter for their Ministers neglect them as Hereticall and I pray God that Micah that is the Courtier Iudg. 17. 10. and the Church-robbing Patron haue not taught his Leuite and trencher Chaplaine also who sits at his table and serues in his house to say Corban that his stipendarie pension which hee begrudgeth him out of his benefice is rather a beneuolence then a dutie Be not offended Beloued because I haue told you the truth I haue of purpose abstained from any thing that is questionable the truth as I haue conceiued it I haue tould you plainly and briefly as I haue discharged my conscience in this point so I doe humbly and heartily pray vnto the God of heauen that al of vs may both in this and all the rest discharge our consciences in obeying the truth that wee may so dispose of our selues as nether the profits nor the pleasures of this world any way hinder vs from this truth that wee may place our hearts soules on the certainety and the generalty of the same that as a man soweth so shall hee also reape either the same in kinde or in proportion Whatsoeuer it be be it good or euill sowne to the flesh or to the spirit be it in pietie or Charitie bee it more or lesse he shall be sure to reape the same partly in this world but most fully in the world to come Let vs now desire of Almighty God our gracious Lord for a shower of grace for this that in some weake measure hath bin sowed amongst vs at this time that it may fructifie and be couered and receiued into our hearts so as Satan do neuer steale it away but that it may take deepe roote in our hearts and bring foorth fruite to our endlesse comfort through Iesus Christ our LORD Amen A SERMON PREACHED AT Mercers chapell in LENT 1614. BY ROGER FENTON D. in Diuinitie LONDON Printed for William Aspley 1616. CANTIC 8. 6. Set mee as a seale on thine heart and as a signet vpon thine arme for Loue is strong as death Iealousie is cruell as the graue THE sodaine change of the person in this kinde of SCRIPTVRE which is penned Dialogue-wise is the cause of the greater difficultie of it but for the vnderstanding of these wordes which now I haue read vnto you they do concerne the Speaker whose words they be whether the words of the Bridegrome vnto his spouse or the wordes of the spouse vnto her Bridegrome whether Christ speaketh them vnto his Church or the Church of Christ vnto him And it makes little difference whether that Christ our Sauiour do exhort vs to set him as a seale vpon our hearts and to weare him as a signet vpon our arme or whether that the Church do desire Christ to set her as a seale vpon his heart or to set her as a signet vpon his arme the difference is no more then the counterpane betweene one and the same lease for here the same things are deliuered vp betweene Christ and his Church enterchangeably so hath Almighty God in his wisedome euer prouided throughout the whole doctrine of Christianity as Saint Austine noteth that those places which are of most difficulty there is in them the least danger of mistaking and those points that are most necessarie to be knowne vnto saluation they are most plainly of all other expressed in the booke of God If yee conceiue them to bee the wordes of the Church vnto Christ then they deuide themselues into a petition and a reason of the petition if you conceiue them to be the words of Christ vnto his Church then they diuide themselues into an exhortation and a motiue each of them twofold for the word of this affection of loue neuer vseth to come single for hee that loues loues for to dwell vpon it for to repeate and to reiterate the petition or the exhortation which is the first part which is expressed by a seale on the hart and againe by a signet placed vpon the arme the reasons or the motiues being also double it taketh hold of two affections the affection of loue and feare the two hands of the soule as Saint Austin calleth them by which the
Christ in the 3. of Gen vers 15. to strike at sinne in vs so soone as euer it begins to put out the head If wee dash these Babylonish Brats against the stones whiles they bee young Psalm 137. 9. for sinne is a nettle it must not be dallied withall or tenderly handled for then will it stinge vs if wee doe labour I say to weede out these sinnes that grow in vs then God is mercifull to passe them ouer for if thou Lord shouldest marke what is done amisse who should be able to abide it we should reap then nothing but gall and bitternesse if we do that which we would not do then it is not we saith the Apostle but sinne that dwelleth in vs sinne that is present with vs sin that growes in vs naturally without any sowing But on the other side if wee plow and sow iniquity if we doe imagine mischiefe vpon our beds as Dauid saith if we do studie to bee naught and take great paines to doe wickedly as Ieremie speaketh cap. 9. 5. if we break vp the fallowes and furrowes of our hearts vnto sinne and make our eies Brokers vnto the heart of iniquity if we go and buy strange seedes at the Theater and I tremble to speake it fetch home new fashions from the house of God if we doe delight to bee merrie in impiety and to animate and stir vp one another as the Prophet Isaiah speaketh the 56. chap. the last vers Come I will bring wine and wee will fill our selues with strong drinke to morrow shall be as this day and much more aboundant then what is this but to plow and sow and water wickednesse and then shall wee be sure to reape a most ranke haruest If it bee good seede that wee sow we shall be sure to reape the same at the hand of God whatsoeuer it be whether it bee beneuolence vnto men or deuotion vnto God be it sowne neuer so secretly the closer the better thy father which seeth thee in secret shall reward thee openly Whatsoeuer a man soweth there is an other difference in respect of God For God doth sowe much good seede amongst vs and he reapes little or nothing at all When his son Christ did sow his seed himselfe with a most skilful hand some fell by the way side and wanting good mold to couer it it was quickly taken away that is the people would presse and throng one another in the gates and flocke vnto his Sermons but it was out of curiositie or for formalitie like these times a solemn hearing and a solemne forgetting Some fell in stonie ground and was well bladed but not well rooted therefore quickly faded that is so long as the loaues lasted so long as the Ministers of Christ did fill their bellies they heard the word with cheerefulnes and alacritie but when the Sunne of persecution arose they withered when the crosse came they fled Some fell amongst thornes which choaked his good seede yea and persecuted the Sonne of God the seed-man of the word with great sharpenesse bitternes Now if the sonne himselfe had no better successe no maruell though his seruants haue great cause to complain with the three great Prophets of God with Esay in the 49. the 4. verse I haue laboured in vaine and for nothing our iudgement is with the Lord and my workes with my God with Ezechiel the 33. and 32. verse whose Sermons were like the songs of one that could sing well and had a pleasant voice for they heard him but they did not vnderstand as if we were called vnto these places only to tickle and fill your eares with a tickling phrase or plausible eloquence With the Prophet Ieremie the 6. chap. the 29. verse who complaines that his bellowes are burned that the lead is consumed and the fire hath melted in vaine it seemes hee had gotten the consumption of the lungs amongst them he had burnt a hole in his bellowes had spent his Spirit and laboured in vaine Thus I say God doth plow and sow and call to his people by his sonne by the Prophets by his ministers he looked for fruit and behold hedge fruite such as the heathens bring foorth scarce so good he waited for grapes and behold labrâ—sâ—ae wild grapes But now whatsoeuer good thing a man shall sow vnto God he shall bee sure to reap the same at Gods hand whatsoeuer it bee be it sowne in pietie or sowne in charitie in pietie to the mainetenance of Gods seruants or in charity to our brethren whether it be giuen to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet or to the poore in the name of Christ it shall haue a Prophets reward to prepare his soule in this life and a kingdome for to crowne him in the life to come that 's for the qualitie So likewise for the quantitie whatsoeuer a man soweth be it little or much the 9. of the 2. Corinth the 6. verse He that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly hee that soweth bountifully shall also reape bountifully both shal be Reapers according to the quantity be it little or much whatsoeuer is sowne if it be sowne with the right hand if it begiuen in the right name be it more or lesse hee shall reape the same at Gods hands from a cup of cold water vnto the erecting of Hospitalls from a crumme of bread giuen to poore Lazarus at your gates vnto the continuall feeding and cloathing of such as these littly-great friends well purchased by Mammon If ye will listen to the aduice of our Sauiour Christ who is wisedome it selfe he tells you that you cannot make better vse of your wealth nor make a better purchase then to purchase such friends as these Then by his aduice let vs bee strong in well doing and encouraged by the example of others for whom wee are to praise God blesse his name for sending downe his gracious Spirit and mouing the hearts of many in this kind as you heard the last day These and others present themselues at this time like Lazarus in Abrahams bosome a most heauenly ornament vnto this City and they shal rise likwise at the last day not to condemne but to commend and by their publike testimony before men and Angells to receiue their good Benefactors into those euerlasting Tabernacles This shall be the thankefulnes these friends shall return if you will make the purchase Let vs therefore bee moued by the wise counsell of our blessed Sauiour and so vse these temporall blessings that God hath bestowed vpon vs as wee may still liue in hope of that blessed sentence at the last day Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you Why because yee haue clothed the naked and fed the hungrie doing it vnto them is as vnto my selfe And let vs be assured of the truth of this my text that whatsoeuer wee doe sowe little or much we shall be sure to reape the same Here right honourable right worshipfull and
saith Christ as a seale vpon thy heart the image of Christ and the superscription of Christ must be both vpon our hearts our Sauiour Christ saith in the 17 of Mathew when they brought him a peece of money Whose image and superscription is this they said it was Caesars why then giue vnto Caesar that which is Caesars and giue vnto God that which is Gods the image that must bee vpon our hand it must not be the marke of the beast Apoc. 13. 16. in token that wee subscribe to the doctrine of Antichrist but it must be the image of Christ and the superscription written about it must be the gospell of Christ If in our liues and conuersations we conforme our selues to the image of Christ in righteousnesse and true holinesse Ephes 4. 24. walking not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom 8. 1. and if only to the gospell of Christ which is his true stampe and superscription then we are Christs For Christ will make a-like difference of men at the last day as he did of the money-coines amongst the Iewes hee looks vpon the heart and tries the reines and will then aske Whose superscription haue yee on your hearts which must either be the print of Christ or the Deuills stampe those which are Christs shall be giuen to him and that which is the Deuils shall bee rendred to him to bee tormented for euer It behoueth vs therefore to looke vnto this maine point aboue all the rest that we receiue the right stampe of our Sauiour Christ and be obedient vnto the superscription of his gospell and then shall wee be sure to giue vnto him a hand and a heart but that 's not all we must haue an arme of prompt execution to an heart of sincere religion You know that the heart is the seate of affection and the hand it is the instrument of action and if Christ be imprinted in our affections then certainly wee will shew Christ in our actions They be the two parts of the sacred Law of God The first table as our Sauiour Christ teacheth it was thus thou shouldâ— loue the Lord thy God with all thine heart there is the seale on the heart and with all thy strength there is the seale on the arme for that is the instrument of strength Againe an heart without an arme you know it is impotent it would faine but cannot and an arme without an hart is lame and maimed therfore both these must goe together wee must haue an heart to receiue the impression of Christian religion and wee must haue an arme also to defend it Religion must haue a soule and a body againe the loue that is in the heart is secret to our selues so is all affection the seale vpon the heart is within but the seale vpon the arme is apparant to the world so that if we weare Christ in our hearts inwardly certainely wee will shew him in our actions outwardly as thou wearest Christ vpon the heart that is as a priuy seale betweene God and thee but if thou wearest Christ as a signet on the arme that is as the publique great seale before the world Secondly how must we weare him on the arme as a signet saith the Text that is as an ornament so farre we must bee from being ashamed of the Gospell of Christ that we must glory in it and say with the Apostle God forbid that I should glorie in any thing but in the crosse of Christ Galat. 6. 14. As the Prophet Ieremy saith Can a maide forget her ornaments or a bride her attire yet my people haue forgotten me dayes without number saith the Lord. God would haue vs to make account of him as of that which we most esteeme as an ornament on thine arme But what ornaments are signets a signet is that which makes an impression on another thing as you vse to weare your rings on your thumbs not onely for ornament but ro seale letters withall so a signet was worne on the arme to make an impression and seale in like manner would Christ be worne of Christians not onely to reioyce and glory in him publikely and by an expression of him in their outward actions but so to set him out as they make an impression of their religion of Christ in the hearts of others In the 12. of Dan. the 3. those that are wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousnesse shall shine as the starres in the firmament for as the starres are the brightest parts of their orbes so those that are truely wise not to themselues onely carrying the light of their knowledge reseruedly in their own harts but so shew it and communicate it as that they conuert others they shall shine in an higher degree of glory in heauen then others and this is a point that doth especially concern those that are in any place of authority whatsoeuer according to that talent of gouernment that God hath entrusted them withall and tied as a bracelet about their armes that they should in their Christian and religious carriage make an impression of vertue and deuotion in those that are vnder them And this is to weare Christ not only as an ornament to themselues but as a seale to imprint him in others It is a point that the schoole Diuines haue determined vpon good and probable ground that as those who are religious in their places and haue power to doe much good in this world they shall shine more gloriously in heauen so like wise they that are in place of authoritie and by their bad examples draw others from God they shall be cast as deep into hell Potentes potenter tormenta patientur mighty men shall bee mightily punished Wisd 6. 5. 8. therefore it is said Es 30. 33. that Tophet is prepared for great personages that are wicked ones and by their euil examples draw multitudes after them What moued the rich glutton in hel to become solicitor for his brethren at home that they should conuert and repent was it any charitie or loue towards them No his conscience told him that he had shewed them bad examples while he liued and if they were damned his torment should bee the greater for it This is the exhortation that Christ makes to his Church that wee would set him as a seale vpon our hearts and set him as a signet on our arme The motiues to stirre vs vp to this dutie follow for loue is strong as death and ielousie cruell as the graue But whose loue and whose ielousie doth my text here speake of of the ielousie of the Church vnto Christ or of CHRIST vnto the Church It is the ielousie of Christ without question for God he is ielous of vs but we cannot bee ielous of God and to speake after the manner of men we conceiue ielousie if it bee true and vnfained to be nothing else but an affection of loue tending vnto hatred vpon suspition