is the exercise of true mourning and fasting to the Lorde approued in the holy Scriptures Our time dothe aske it our sinnes his iust anger and the wickeds glorious bragge dothe enforce it I meane not that ordinary course of abstinence whiche the lawes haue wholesomely enioyned onely but I pray in humblenesse of my hearte that to those prouisions might be added the purpose of the Lorde in the outward exercise of Fasting That is that as our plagues are to be feared greatelye bycause oure liues are so far oute of order our mourning and fasting shoulde be suche as might be extraordinary yet not voide of Gods ordinaunce and may be sayde to consist in these two branches Namely in the outwarde exercise of abstinēce and in the inwarde drawing of water The outward exercise of true fasting to humble and supple the hearte the scripture commendeth vnto vs thus Firste that we by aucthoritie I say by aucthoritie of the Pastor and Magistrate Zoph 2.1 Ioel 1 2. Ionas 3.7 Nehem 9.1 1. Sam. 7 3. Ezra 8.21 bée assembled into the house of God there to doe these thinges for and during the whole daye whyche oughte to bée as a Sabbaoth vnto vs. First the Ministers Gods Prophetes are to preache to vs the lawe of GOD and to signifie our transgressions vnto God against the same which then shal most humble vs when of purpose wée assemble to that end and herof reade we in Ieremy 36.6 Iere. 36.6 and the whole Chapiter In Nehemiah the eight and ninth Chapiter to the diligent reading whereof at thy comming home I beséeche thée good people Whose Sermons must be endeuoured to shewe the cause of oure assembly and to lay open Gods anger againste vs and the imminent daunger that hangeth ouer vs whyche can not but proue the heartes of euerye suche as haue any life of Gods spirite in them thoughe by our insolencie abusing hys greate patience the same lye as almoste dead within vs. And further the Preachers office in thys fasting daye is to pray God hartily for the people 1. Sam. 7.4 Ioel. 2.17 Their direction to the people is ruled to vs thus That they in that day of faste should not only earnestly for euer after vtterly deteste all sin iniquitie but that they also obstain frō things otherwise approued lawfull and requisite yea very necessarye And these maye bée thus diuided Into the godly abstinence of the Christian faster from lawful and godly pleasures And into the like abstinence from necessarye sustenaunce Let the Bridegroome goe out of his chamber and the Bride forth of hir closet saith the Prophet Ioel. 2.16 Let mā and beast put on sackcloth saith the lawe of Niniuie Ionah 3.8 which law though it strictly tye not vs yet ought Christians to consider howe absurde a thing it is and farre from the Analogie of a true humbled spirite in the day of fast to assēble with the church in prowde shining and glorious apparel for nothing may be thē and there admitted whiche doth not moue to mourning And for that our labour trade of occupatiō merchandize worketh profit so pleasure the vse of it that day doth work impediment to our fast therfore Daniel 9.5 the day of Gods fast we must solemnize as a Sabbaoth to the LORD as to the Iewes it was commanded Leu. 17.26.30.31 32. ch ch 23.7.8 and as a christian help to our humilitie before the Lord is yet by aucthoritie to be embraced as the Lorde shall worke them to thinke it conuenient The holy abstinence from meates Esther 4.16 Ionah 3.7 is also in our godly faste required not that thereby God is simply pleased but that thereby our bodies shoulde be lesse sturdy and our spirites more humbled and apt to praye And this is the very cause why abstinence from not one kinde of meate as fleshe onely but from all sorts of sustenaunce is in the Scriptures so ofte required namely that neither fulnesse shoulde make vs lustye and proude agaynste oure God or drowsie and sléepie when we were to heare of our sin but that oure hungrye bodyes myghte teache our pyned soules what néed wée haue to crye for the foode of life and how vnable to liue wythout his hand whom we so mightily offende and that the byting worme of hunger mighte helpe to tame and bring obedient to the spirite that fleshe whiche farced full hathe so contemned to stoupe vnto his God Lo this is the true vse of oure abstinence from all meates in Gods holye fasting daye But to abstaine from meates by choice and to vse other for religion is méerely euil and Diabolicall 1. Tim. 4. Againe to abstaine from meates and not to vse the inward exercise is to prophane the holy right of fasting vnto God Esay 58. Wherefore lette vs consider the second part of true fasting vnto the Lord according to his worde This dothe consiste as we haue saide in the inward drawing of water and is set forth to vs by Samuel at Mizpeh when the Lord had returned the Arke increased the zeale to right religion in his people whyche twenty yeares and more had bin returned from the Philistines Samuel sayd 1. Sam. 7.1 If yee bee truely turned to the Lord and come to him with youre heartes then putte away the straunge Gods from amongest you and Ashtaroth and dyrecte your heartes vnto the Lorde and serue him onely and hee shall delyuer you out of the hands of the Philistines Then the children of Israel did putte away Baalim and Ashtaroth and serued the Lorde onelye And Samuel saide Gather al Israel togither at Mizpeh I wil pray for you and they gathered togither to Mizpeh and drew water and powred it out before the Lord fasted the same day and said there We haue sinned agaynste the Lorde c. Thys tyme aunswereth ours and here after oure twentye yeares and odde of Gods mercifull returne to vs what dothe he aske of vs but that wée if wée be come to him with our hearts put away the Popish Christe and that Ashtaroth that Italian God and Romishe Priest the Pope and his pelfe And secondelye that we directe oure heartes not to our mincing but to hys Maiestie and serue him onely and not oure carnall pollicie that we faste and pray and draw water and powre it out before the Lorde That is that hearing our sinnes reproued by his worde and hauing our bodies broughte vnder in abstinence our spirites humbled at the sighte of oure sinnes wée shoulde wyth Christian compunction digge the stonye fountaine of our hearts and wyth Dauid Daniel Peter Magdalene and the Sainctes of God drawe thence the salted water of the same and plentifullye poure it forthe by the conducte of the eye and that before the Lorde not before Sathan thoroughe dispaire with Iudas or Achytophel or hypocriticallye before men wyth Achab and Ishmael 2. K. 21 27. Iere. 41.1.6 purposing no amendment but after mischief but simply before the Lorde with these Israelites and godly Samuel in Mizpeh and vnfainedly cry and confesse to his Maiestie and fatherly mercie Wée haue sinned Lorde and done vniustlye We haue neglected the glorie of thy Arke and Testamente We haue loathed oure heauenly Mannah thy blessed worde Wée haue lefte oure first loue and become barren Figge trées Wherefore thy wrath is kindled and thy fury is waxen hote But behold we thus embrace thy son our sauiour Christ and prostrate oure selues before thée We caste from oure selues all superstition and that antechristian Priest thy great enimy Wée humble our selues in thys thine approued exercise We offer our selues by our onely sacrificing Priest Rom. 12.1 Christe Iesus vnto thée a holy turned people and liuely offering whych is our reasonable seruing of thée We therefore eftesoones beséech thée to spare vs at our only mediator God man Iesus our dressers petitiō cease thy ready sentēce Cut them downe As these laws for fasting whiche hir Maiestie hathe godlily giuen vs be good So let vs pray God that thys our like addition by hir gracious auctoritie maye be added and so shall the Fig trée haue rightly his moste fertile compose Amen Lord Iesu But let vs knowe that neyther Samuel can profitably pray or the people rightly plentifully drawe water and faste to please GOD excepte they turne in heart to God And further note of Samuels wordes that the duty of true conuersion is first to caste out of the Chayre and Churche Baalym and Ashtaroth the Italian Priest and his adherents and thē to direct our heartes vnto the Lorde in the right addressing to his faste whych shal bring vndoubtedly his olde aduaile to oure present Figge trée that is though when we be beste disposed at Mizpeh the Philistines take occasion to work our spoile some by fawning flatterye and some by open warre yet the Lord will rowse vppe hys strength for vs and hée wil assemble the chariots of his Angels and the artillerie of hys thunderclappes if men were not of force by him to disperse the confederates againste vs that with easie pursute we shall ouerthrowe all Popishe Philistines As to our comfortable example and doctrine we may reade the Lorde to haue done for these his beloued in Mizpeh 1. Sam. 7.7 c. And finally our kingdome by hys mighty hand shal be then preserued hir Maiestie in much godlynesse long continued and we hir faithful subiects shal henceforth liue in al godly peace with the whole Israel of God This al other thy graces we beséech thée o Lord to grant in thy great rich mercy to hir maiestie thy seruante hir counsel to al spirituall pastors Magistrats people to the whole realme of Englande and hir Graces dominions that we may not be cut down as barren Figge trées but maye endure blessed as the Palme trée by the riuers side planted euery of vs to bring forth our allotted fruites in due season in the puritie of Faith by the measure of true Charitie in the garden of a good conscience through Christ our Lorde to whō togither with thée O deare Father and the holy Ghost thrée distinct persons and one eternall God be all honor glorie power and dominion for euer and euer Amen Laudes Deo per Christum seruatorem nostrum FINIS
howe to sounde our heartes and haue a more ful féeling of this heauenly swéetnes let vs learn what is the operation of this vnfained faith required Surely it worketh by Gods spirit and word thrée notable things in vs. The first is a perfect beléefe in our inward man that though our outwarde shoulde be fully punished for sinne yet our inwarde man shoulde haue prerogatiue to bring both to the fauor of God bicause our sinnes are not laide to oure charge Rom. 4.7.8 Ps 32.1 1. Io. 1. but remitted fully in the purging bloude of Iesus Christ And therfore through his merite our faith apprehending him we may approche by that newe and liuing way vnto his grace Heb. 10.19 and call vnto him as his iustified children Abba deare Father and reste assured that we by pure faith vnfained haue Christe Iesus to be to vs againste our sinful folly Gods holy wisdome our iniquity Gods righteousnes our grosenes his holinesse against our dailye deadly sins Christ Iesus our sufficient raunsome 2. Cor. 1.30 as the Apostle hathe sette it downe vnto vs in these words But ye are of him in Christ Iesus who of God is made vnto vs wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification redemption The seconde worke of this our vnfained fayth is growing from the firste to assure our heartes of the countenaunce of Gods fauour and good continuance of vs in hys loue for euer and euer so as neither our dayly sinnes or Sathans accusations or yet the verye Iustice of God can possibly take hys fatherly loue from vs or impeache our great fauour with him or by laying to our charge true thynges agaynste vs could yet cast off hys singular loue from vs Rom. 8. tot cap. of al whych that moste noble chapter of blessed Paule the eyghte to the Romaines doth assure vs. Laste of all thys faith is so renued by the worde of God that it can not but saye to mans soule that hath it Blessed art thou whiche haste thy parte in the firste resurrection Apo. 2.6 for thou shalte not taste of the second death but shalt be the Priest of God to raigne with hym a thousande yeares But will yée knowe beloued who hath this regenerating faith verily euen onely they which are of a pure hart For this is the ordinary worke of God by faith first to approch vs to his holy presence to make vs his beste beloued children to iustifie vs by his grace and to sanctifie vs by his spirite Then the same spirite descendeth to the second degrée of his most holy labor Ezech. 36. Ephe. 4. Coloss 3.1 and dothe with his moste holye finger forme and frame vs anewe changeth our acts and hearts and fashioneth vs to the Image of God in true holinesse and righteousnesse And out of all doubte greate is the glorious God by whose mighty operation the sea of mans hearte is turned so quite to another course so as by the spirite he is brought to hate that horrible vice whiche before he honored and ardently to loue and embrace with great delight that vertue whiche before he did despise And to desire to do those blessed things of whyche he earst could take no pleasure And this is that puritye of the hearte by the Apostle to Timothie so greatly commended and is the seconde sound note of Gods holy childe and mēber of the inuisible elect and predestinat Churche to life euerlasting And thys seconde note you sée consisteth in these thrée blessed vertues The true hate to sin Rom. Ps 119. euen as to a Serpent The sincere loue of righteousnesse with the exercise of the whole body and spirit to it And thirdly the inwarde desire of the heart in soule and body to doe the wil of God Althoughe the same godly desire by mightie battels with sinne and Sathan is euery day impugned as by Paule in the seauenth of the Romaines is moste notably sette downe whether for breuities sake I sende thée The laste note of the inuisible Church and member of it is sincere loue burning charitie loue or vncorrupted charitie which procéedeth from true faith is accompanied with assured hope diffused by the spirite of God into vs and so borne vnto our brethren as we shunne by euill example to hurte them and take greate care with all our power 1. Cor. 10 31 to doe them benefite euen as the Lorde hath commaunded vs and doe omitte the oportunitie of reuenge or hatefull memorie of euil done déedes But as God for Christes sake hathe forgiuen vs doe from the botome of our harts forgiue and forget the iniuries of oure brethren according to this saying of Gods spirite by Paule Eph 4 31.32 Lette al bitternesse and anger and wrath and euill speaking bee putte awaye from you wyth all malitiousnesse Bee yee curteous one to another and tender hearted forgiuing one an other euen as God for Christes sake forgaue you Shall wée putte the Papistes to silence o ye blessed people In this then doe it that they blaspheming vs as euil doers may haue their mouthes stopped by our godlynesse of life And further 1 Pet. 2.12.15 that so we maye make our calling sure and an entring into the euerlasting Kingdome of God Nowe then apply thys doctrine to your selues 2. Pet. 1 10.11 deare brethren that yée haue nowe hearde and saye to your hearts for comforte if ye finde in trueth these markes liuely in you Now we know for truth that Gods spirite dothe assure our spyrites Rom. 8. that we are the sons of God And so maye you be bolde to blesse God for thys grace and say vnto the Papistes Gods goodnesse is great who hath planted vs in Englande and Englande into his Catholike Vineyarde both visible inuisible But beholde yet further his gracious goodnesse appeareth is right notable to behold For in this Vineyard of his holye Churche of Englande to the great benefite of the Figge trée he hathe firste placed a watche Tower Esa 5. He hath secondly set a Hedge of defence rounde aboute it And thirdly hauing stoned the grounde hée hathe stablished a Wine presse within the yarde where eache trées fruite shall in conuenient time be brought to his tryall purpose of benefite If that noble Prophet Esay could say so of Iudah and Ierusalem maye not Gods Prophets crye it out nowe concerning Englande and say the Lordes goodnesse is maruellous greate to thée o thou Figge trée of England For he hath placed thée in hys owne Vineyarde he hath set vp a Turret in thée whence thy watche men may sée thée and thyne enimies purpose agaynste thée wherehence to giue thée warning of thine intended harmes And he hathe sette hys hedge of prouidence rounde about thée in more ample wise than euer had the Isralits for they had but warrant when they came vp to Ierusalem to worship that no enimies shoulde inuade them But thou England arte and haste béene hedged and defended
you shall confesse that not pleasaunt Minstrels but Gods true Prophetes Preachers were sent to forewarne you 2. Kin. 21.2 These bée much more wicked thā curssed Achab whyche yet beléeued the worde at the voice of one Prophet and receiued cōforte But these shall haue him a witnesse to their condemnation in the day of Gods anger which cannot or wil beléeue the Lordes word by so many yeres trauel amongest them Rom. 12.1 But lette vs labour to persuade you by Gods mercies to offer vp your bodyes a holy liuelye acceptable sacrifice to God whyche is your resonable seruing of God Tush that cānot moue for you beléeue vs not you haue Papisticall spirites that is to say doubtfull hearts you dare not reste vpon the promises of God and therefore wil not be allured by his mercies But let vs tell you Esay 26 17 that if ye followe the fashion of this worlde you shal die in the sinnes thereof you saie to your selues safe inough for we haue made a couenant with death our Preachers do but scare vs we sée no suche likenesse of Gods anger all thinges continue their course as at the beginning But you wilfully are ignorant saying 2. Pet. 3.3.4 that the Lord hath a desire to saue vs and would haue none to perish but woulde all to come to repentance Notwithstanding be it knowne to you O ye curssed scorners the Lorde wil come to you as a théefe in the night and when you crye to youre selues peace and rest then sodaine shal be your destruction 2. Tess 2.12 whiche woulde not credite the worde of trueth to your saluation Gen. 7. The first age beleued not Noah and are vniuersally drowned Gen. 19. The cursed Sodomites scorned Loth and wyth fyre and brimstone are consumed And canst thou think to escape with thy scorning couenant of death thou Paynim Papist and carnall Atheiste No the Lord saith to euery such your couenant with death shall be disanulled and your agréemēt with hel shal not stād When a scourge shall runne ouer Esay 28.18 and passe through then shal ye be troden down by it c. The third vice abusing Gods long suffering is Our presumption to sin For we conceiuing by a natural self liking a sinister cōiecture of Gods mercie that he doth not so narrowly looke to our offēces or will so strictly punish our sins do therfore take occasion presumptuously to adde sin vpon sin to passe the dayes of our youth in distemperate dealings against God man promising to our selues a long life a long tyme to repent a long suffering God But O ye gallants of these days which sin in this presumption know ye that God is iust as he is merciful that repētance is his gift to whom it pleaseth him giuen to the hūble spirited that feare him which in the days of their youth remēber him before those euil dayes come wherein you shal for paine griefe in conscience corps say we haue no pleasure to liue Be helping therefore to youre selues in God Eccle. 12 1. and stowpe to the yoke of Christe in time Nowe is the day of your calling when the sounde of Gods Gospell ringeth in your eares now is the acceptable day In this day harden not your harts nor treasure vp to your selues anger against the day of wrath But lende your lustie eares to this necessarye demaunde of the Apostle Paule O man Rom 2.4 despisest thou the ryches of hys bountifulnesse and patience and long sufferaunce not knowing that the bountifulnes of God leadeth thee to repentaunce but thou after thine hardnesse and heart that cannot repent heapest vp as a treasure vnto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the iust iudgemēt of God who wil reward euery man according to his workes Now beloued in God let vs pray the Lord our long suffering God to giue vs true repentaunce that we abuse no longer his blessed bountie either with carnall contempte naturall diffidence or presūptuous sins but that with Dauid we may praye againste the rebellion of our youth Psal 19. our secrete faults and presumptuous offēces that in this long time of his suffering nowe drawing so neare the Lordes Haruest wée may hasten throughe him our heares to be fruitefull leaste we still abusing his great patience at the laste shall heare to our endlesse sorrowe the sharpnesse of this sentence Cutte downe the Figge tree But O Lorde and deare father graunt vs thy heauenly grace wée béeséeche thée for thy holy Christs sake And nowe time requireth to speake some thing of this sharpe sentence Cut it downe If he had saide but cut it it had bene a harde word of Gods anger but in that he saith Cut it downe and with a further demaund namely Why keepeth it the grounde barren also hée signifieth his loue is gone his wrath is kindled and therefore this barren trée must néedes perishe Two wicked euils you sée followeth this wicked Fig trée Firste he is not only fruitelesse himselfe but the verye place where he stādeth he maketh barren also Secondly for thys after a long wattering proyning wéeding and wayting no goodnesse founde in him but much euill he is commaunded to be cut downe from the trées of the Vineyarde And for the first would God it were rightly considered of those which are in aucthoritie For wheresoeuer the barren Figge trée abideth there he is not onely fruitelesse to God but very hurtful to the common weale rounde about him as for example the child of hel the shamefull Vsurer as barren to God so he maketh barren and vnable to liue al the trées that earste bare greate shewe in that Forrest of his Countrey Likewise the hardned Papist is not onely an enimy to God his religion and hir Maiestie in his heart but he maketh according the valor of his countenaunce the Countrie by proportion where he dwelleth very Papisticall with him If he be a Gentlemā he corrupteth his tenants and the godly Minister there hath small ioy of his labor but if a Iustice of peace as too manye suche there are then hée goeth very néere if not to corrupt sundrye his fellowe Benchers yet by the fleshly fauor they owe him and through the linkes of bloude or affinitie to him or other their friendes they are become very sparing of religious fruite bothe bearing with his Popery and all hys and also not so dutifull to God and hir Maiestie for the purging of the country of such bitter trées or fruites as they of faithfulnesse oughte or for their owne persuasion should were they not made barrē by such a bitter Fig trée Oh Lord why should such vniuste Papists sit in place of Iustice so to barren the soyle rounde aboute them Mercy they haue had and it doth rather mar them Lord from heauen from heauen Lord grant them Iustice or mercy at thy good wyll Conuert them or confound them Lord For why
Metaphor Euery mā hūteth his brother with a net And my brethren lette vs examine the common condition of most parts now in Englāde shal not we perceiue these sins to aboūd in the same looke to our earnest profession of the Gospell in the beginning of hir Maiesties raigne whō God in his mercie long preserue ouer vs euer in hys Christ how we hungred the truth thē how we ioyed of Gods Ministers how we desired heauēly encrease prepared our liues to answere the Gospel we clensed our Churchs our hearts houses of popish Idolatry we reedified the same with the squire of the word that in such zeale namely the Potentates Bishops Citizens of London other many godly ones as we were no whit inferior to the Iewes whiche with Nehemias Ezra Esra 3. 5 Nehe. ca. 3. ca. 4. repayred the ruinous walles of Ierusalem But beloued let vs with a simple eye looke into euery state almost in Englād now we shal right sorowfully sée a catholike cooling of this former zeale to Gods house Partly by the malice of Sathā in his seruants the Papists séeking by persuasion al policie to hinder the former work offring vs their help to build whose purpose is wholy to pul down And partly Esra 4.2 by our owne wearinesse of well doing which contenting oure selues with our firste building Haggai 12.4 haue taken surcesse for a time to build pul downe rebuild againe to our great cost the Countries great paine our braue bowers sumptuous towers to féed our fantasies and pore mēs eies but the building of Gods holy house to the encrease of faith vertue in true religiō we haue almost laide aside except a few sommer gatherings by grace conserued vnto God May wée not therfore admonish Magistrats Ministers godly men to apply this voice of the spirite of God to his holy churche which firste was sente to Ephesus viz. I knowe thy workes sayth God and thy labour Reuel 2.2 and thy patience and how thou canste not forbeare them whych are euil and hast examined thē which say they are Apostles and are not and haste found them lyars and haste suffered for my names sake and hast patience and for my names sake haste laboured and haste not fainted Neuerthelesse I haue somewhat against thee bycause thou haste lefte thy first loue Remember therefore from whence thou haste fallen and repent and doe thy firste workes or else I will come shortly and remoue thy Candlesticke We are all lesse louing lesse labouring and lesse zealous in religion than earst we haue béene yea one and all of vs which the Lordes spirite the true discerner of all things doth call here a falling from our first loue and threatneth a comming to cut vs downe if we preuent not his spéedy cōming to our candlesticks O Lord for thy mercies sake graunt to our godly Prince and all hir noble Counsellors to the Bishops and learned Fathers to the Iudges Preachers and godly people thoughe Sommer gatherings thy grace that they may all in their callings and spirites take hold of their first loue and do their firste good workes in thée and by thy Christe that our Candlesticke thy holy gospel and Church hir Maiestie and this our hapy state may firmely stand to thy glory and our continuall comfort for thy holy names sake But if ther be such a weaknesse in Gods Sommer gatherings in England whiche yet are the best beloued of the Lord what are wée to looke for in the rest whyche are but hypocriticall Nemo rectus sayth the Prophet No man kéepeth hys heart and his hand by that line that the lawe of his God the simplicitie of his soule doth direct vnto him And surely if you wil not wilfully be blinde when didde you euer reade heare or sée of greater hypocrisie than is nowe resiante in Englande The Papist supposeth it his greatest grace to coulour his Italian hearte with hys Papisticall hypocrisie For lette hym bée accompted Papisticall by the superiours and Lorde howe hée protesteth the contrarye and if hys inferioure enforme him then he frowneth sweateth sweareth and taketh it hotely but yet there is no greater poyson in the Toade nor fixed hatred in the Serpente or rigoure in the roaryng Lyon huntyng for hys praye Gen. 3. than lurketh vnder the sugred tongues of oure Italienated Papistes For the poison of Aspes is vnder their lippes Againe what dissimulation amongest menne of all sorts in eache degrée O Lorde it is a worlde to sée Abels countenaunce but Caines hearte amongest confederates friendes parteners and cobrethren vniuersallye abroade It hathe béene called the holy water of the Courte but in euerye corner of the lande at thys daye are greate Welsprings of this infernall Lake If yée buy but corne of the husbandmanne there is deceit if you deale with the Artificer beholde swéete wordes and sleightie subtiltie But trafique or craue counterchaunge with the Marchaunte or Vsurer in Citie or Towne excepte some speciall man of GOD and beholde a graue countenaunce a sugred tong and séemely welcome but if thou deale wyth hym he is as a thornie hedge Thou takest hym for a shilter but if he haue delyuered thy clothes from some stormy raine yet ere thou escape from vnder him he will all to scratch thy fleshe If he bit thee not to the very bones Oh séeming friendship and sure hypocrisie O Lorde preserue thy holy ministery from hypocrisie and kéepe hir farre from Iustice seate But Micah Micah 7.3 saide in his time of it thus To make good for the euil of his handes the Prince viz. the great Rulers in the lande asked and the iudge iudged for a rewarde therfore the great man hee speaketh oute the corruption of hys hearte and so they wrappe it vppe The beste of them is as a bryar and the moste righteous of them is sharper than a thorny hedge The daye of thy watchemen and thy visitation commeth then shall bee theyr confusion No maruayle beloued for a generall iniquitie can not but begette an vniuersall cutting downe Woulde God hypocrisie had not spred his wings so largely in Englande pierced so déepe as to the harts of many sorts in hir or so cunningly couloured his vgly shape as he hathe at this day For no where shal religion godlinesse or honesty offer hir selfe in England but hypocrisie dare aduenture to presume of some preferment in that place He is the vesture of the proude the habite of the adulterer the gowne of the Vsurer and the beste attyre for the Macheuil The Atheist girdeth him about him and no treason can be broched besides him He delighteth not to dwell with beggers but offereth salutations to sacred states the Lorde graunte all godly Princes and Potentates eies to sée hym and spirites to discerne him for his glorye and oure beste good But haue we likewise vniuersall Crueltie and doe wée lay watch to forstall our brethren surely thys sinne
is too vniuersall What Village Towne or Citie is it that is not a witnesse vnto this Gen. 10.9 Nymrod was called a greate Hunter but Nymrods hunting is nothing worth he hunted after beastes and buildings but wée againste our brethren And surely thys hunting muste néedes be vniuersall while it hathe taken holde of the Clergie Doe not hir maiesties Courtes approue greate hunting with a Nette lease often twelue or twenty yeares to come is hunted so after with a couetous Nymrod nowe that his poore brother whyche dothe enioye it muste of necessitie eyther take a newe or bée in feare to bée forestalled of hys state to come No offices so base that sundry nettes of dyuers webbes are not prouided to forestall them No forfeite bée it small but gréedily some one doth prosecute agaynste an other by meanes whereof sinne is dailye solde for siluer For the informer taketh his bribe and lets the faulte remaine No intreaty persuasion or louing desire can winne the poore but little fauour in this cruell age Such dyking in of groundes suche barring menne of common righte as the poore Cottier muste eyther begge and bée starued or else steale and bée hanged For so menne hunte after bloude The Countrey Villages doe decaye and shire Townes are fylled wyth beggers for rotten shéepe do ouer runne all Oh Lorde cease thys crueltie Habac. 2.12 The Prophet Habacucke cryed out of them in olde tyme whyche buylded Townes wyth bloud viz. rapine oppression and cruelty But he hathe lefte it also to thée in writing which pullest down Townes to féede thy owne couetousnesse wyth pore mennes bloude Ho sayeth he hee that coueteth an euill couetousnesse to hys house Habac. 2.9 that hee maye set hys neste on hyghe to escape from the power of euill thou haste consulted shame to thine owne house by destroying manye people and haste sinned agaynste thine owne soule for the stone shal crye out of the wall and the beame out of the timber shall aunsweare it And concerning the Cleargie such spiteful crueltie is bent against it as it passeth not onelye by others agaynste vs but euen of one of vs againste an other It is a greate crueltie my Lordes and Fathers of the lawe that sundrye godlye Preachers in this land lyuing obedieÌ„t to the now established laws haue bene possessed of their benefices for manye yeares shall be no more regarded than a dumbe Dogge a blinde Idoll Priest that can nothyng saye Nay by some suche wicked persons and their complices Noble menne and greate menne of aucthoritie shall be abused yea reachyng sometime to the hyghest Gouernoures to flitte good mennne oute of theyr seates I coulde name some suche lewde persons and wil if I be demaunded that make an occupation to espy aduantage making no difference of men for their filthie gaine to thrust out godly Preachars from the Church of God and for theyr fée to thruste the greatest giuer into such roomths These are shamefull Hunters whyche hunt some twentie some thyrty some forty yeares past for forfaites of Benefices to sette Symony on sale I beséeche your Lordeships aydes and helpes for Gods church herein that if you wante lawe for these men your endeuour may be to procure further as time and grace will offer it Wante lawe sayde I nay my Lordes you had néede go afresh to your Books and studye more law againste the crueltie of these dayes For what say you learned Fathers to this cunning crueltie A patrone of a Benefice giueth his Benefice fréely fearing the strict examination of some good Bishoppe so as the poore Clearke to be instituted by his presentation may safely swere and performe that he hath giuen nothing promised nothing either money or lease he or hys friendes but the patrone calleth the friendes of the partie presented and bindeth them in a greate summe that whensoeur the same shall be instituted and inducted he shal at any time within one moneth after suche his induction at the demaunde of the said patrone or his assignes absolutely resigne vâ—pe hys sayde Beneâ—yre But what is the purpose of this crueltie Forsoothe eyther to compel the incumbent hauing passed the Byshops handes to lease vnto him the couetous patrone that benefice at his owne price or else to thruste him quite out of that seate for an other Chapman O horrible and most gréeuous crueltie I speake not by gesse but by certaine knowledge hereof yet not in mine owne case I praise God for it But if cruelty be crepte so high as it rageth so againste the Ministers of God shall we not thinke she hath greate authoritie in the temporall sorte I purpose not here to saye more of the sinnes of Englande but be you Iudges O honorable audience whether the petition of our Mediator hathe not hitherto most mightily preuailed againste our deserued sentence Cut it downe But now lette vs consider likewise of Christes conditionated prayer for the Figge trée Till I digge it and dung rounde about it if it bring forth fruite then well If no then after thou shalte cut it down Here is prayer with condition the condition hath in it thys Firste the labour of the dresser and also of the good successe of the trée I will digge it and dung it saith the dresser of the bitter Figge trée That is I will do to it that thing which if there be any life in it shall without doubte make it fruitfull The great mercie of God doth still yet abounde beloued and the singular loue of this oure Mediatoure Christe héere also that when the daye of destruction is preparing euen then the Father by the mediation of the sonne is stayed from striking to a further season But Christe will digge and Christe will dung his Churche this Realme and euery Fig trée to take awaye by the one the corruptions and impediments that may hinder his fruitetulnesse And by the other to shelter him supple and moysten his roote that the vigor whych there is cowched as scante kéeping life should valiantly aspyre the top of smallest twigges and mightily make them fruitefull And this holye operation Christe our Lorde worketh from heauen by his substitutes and Ministers in earth namely his Magistrates Ciuil Ecclesiasticall his holy spirite by them diggeth the trées at the roote to the glorie of his name in conuerting and coÌ„firming the Figge trée or in Iustice and equity to cut downe the same And here you Gouernors vnder God you must learn from Christ two especiall lessons First that you haue suche a Fatherly loue to your charge and people coÌ„mitted to you as Christ our Maister had and to be frée froÌ„ those euils your selues whiche cause this heauy sentence to the Fig trée cut it down SecoÌ„dly to be vigilant sober wise to discern the time wheÌ„ to make present petition to the Lorde and to digge and dung the trée and to stande in the gappe againste the Lordes wrath To the firste Moses giueth example to al Magistrates and besides oure
muche more worthye of receit as that the same is sente to youre memories by that Princely Prophet Dauid And it is that Psal 1.1 Zorobabell and Iehosuah of a milde purpose haue vsed to the enimies of thys trée such mercilesse pitie that by suche ouermuche lenitie thrée pestilent cancre wormes are bred in the earth about the roote and eate vppe the life of the Figge trée But if they be not with spéed digged and cast away to the helpe of his life it is of necessitie that he muste be cut down The firste is the cancre of Popishe conspyracie and their wicked counsell The seconde is the stiffe and stubborne standing in sinne and the defence thereof And the thirde is that the scorning Atheist pestilent Papiste and subtile hypocrite are set with and aboue the godly in the chayre of aucthority which is by their abuse become greately the chaire of scorners If thys earth be not remooued the Cancre wormes excéedinglye bréede and the barren trée must perishe The conspiracies of the Papistes and their wicked coūcels they be eyther publique or priuate Publique but yet among themselues at their solemne places of appointed méetings where for their Counter caked Christ against the Lorde and his annointed they consulte and mightly conspyre awayting onely theyr trauailing day of such Popish conception As the laste good Fridaye in our partes was a suspected number gathered neare vnto a suspected place where that horrible sacrilegious Masse if it often be not may with greate ease voide of feare be daily sacrificed Their priuate persuasions are greate and wrought by sundry sometime by wandering Priestes harboured of no beggars sometyme by popishe Phisitions greatly magnified of our greater Papistes and these secreately sollicite the Romishe religion to men in towne and fieldes and in their weary beddes and muche moleste the valor of the Figge trée But these sinners stande the more stiffely in their Italienated sinne bicause they stande in that way whiche manie of oure Worshipfull and Noble States be delighted in to whiche Popishe sinne all lashing luste is fixed and their state dothe bréede suche stoutnesse as it is euen at this day déemed a sin eyther to reproue thē for it or thys Cancre worme of deathe in them And can we looke to haue eyther Atheisme Popery or Popishe hypocrisie once but a little disgraced so long as the Chaire of aucthority in most of our shires is filled with the Popish scorner Sundry letters are carefully sent many times to search out Papists but they come to the handes of suche often as haue more cause to be called themselues than to be in commission to conuent others And what is then done the packet once receiued happily there is some priuye packing of the Popishe Iustice to those knowne or suspected so as for the tyme non est inuentus is a good returne So is God dishonored hir Maiesties godly endeuor disturbed hir honorable Councell set to Schoole and the poore Figge trée vndigged to hir death You sée then of necessitie it is if ye wil my Lordes whiche haue the authority to place into the Chayre of Iustyce rightly digge the hurting matter from the Figge trée you must take away this earth that countenaunce and purpose whyche earste haue fedde these cancre wormes I meane that lenitie mercilesse pitie whyche in hope to win thereby the hollow Papist haue greatly hurt and hyndered the true hearted Protestant And the verye grounde of your labour and firste setting the spade to the earth is and muste here begynne to digge out the Papist from the Chaire of auctority For you may not forgette that not onely they are fruitelesse themselues but they make the grounde also barrē wheresoeuer they rule yea they bite at the prospering Figge trée they whet the téeth of theyr confederates and are practising their purpose vnder the pretence of hir Maiesties power against the branches that their cunning maye excell againste the bodye and the verye roote of the trée of thys common weale in the day of their decrée But if that the Atheiste hypocriticall and scorning Papiste were altogither discontinued the seate of authoritie No doubt thereof but their agents the Popishe practitioners that so conspire into the heartes of men against Gods truth durste not or could haue such fréedome neither suche standing in sin or so mightie preuailing aide woulde be lent vnto it Oh Lorde worke this yet more effectually for thy holie names sake and for thy loue to the dresser of oure Figge trée And London London thy Rulers and Gouernours muste well looke vnto it For a little digging in the Countrie dothe driue these cancred Papistes into thée So as thou arte become a mother to manye godlye So also a Nurse vnknowen to thée to manye a wicked Papist whiche breake vp their being in the countrey and lurke in the Citie of London and so are moste safe when they are nearest the place of their deserued daunger as neare to the court the Councell the Bishoppes consistory Westminster Hall and the sworde of authoritie Wherefore my Lord Bishop muste be still vigilant the Iudges diligent the Mayor painefull all to picke oute the scorning Papiste thys pestilent cancre worme which for more safetie créepeth so neare the roote of the Figge trée The reuerende Fathers muste bée holpen with the aide of theyr preaching brethren The godlye Iudges with the help of their associats And surely praised be God for it Englād had neuer in mans memory so manye good christian Lawyers whych with their study to the Common laws haue bin so able to benefite the bodies in the common weale as now they are by their increase in godly knowledge of his holy laws to furnish well the Fig trée to hir growth in spirite for the good successe to hys church This thē remaineth my Lords that you being our godly Fathers of the law endeuor with godly strife to excel one another in digging and that you become for your zeale in knowledge so religious and for youre dexteritie in Iustice so vpright that al other godly Iudges succéeding you may with reuerent regard feare to pronounce the sentence of Iustice after you leaste they should not equall your equitie to Papist or Protestant but chiefly in digging of euil matter from the Figge trée To your godly furtherance herein I pray you reade Psalm 101. The seconde worke of the Magistrate of either estate is to laye to the roote of the Figge trée that which maye supple and comfort and mightily help the weakened life of the same and is here by our heauenly dresser exampled vnto suche namely earnest and hearty prayer vnto God to humble his church to quicken hir to make supple and nimble hir veynes by his spirite that hys sap may be vigent and working in hir making hir more more fruitfull And then to dung the same trée that is to indicte to it such godly exercises as maye rightly humble theyr heartes and supple their soules before God And that